Since the beginning of the current coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, an intense number of studies have been done in an attempt to discover effective therapies, not only from the point of view of discovering new drugs, but also from its repurposing. Recent studies have proposed tranexamic acid (TXA), a hemostatic drug widely used in clinical practice, as a potential therapeutic option for COVID-19 as it reduces plasmin levels. Thus, this letter to the editor aims to provide a critical overview on the use of TXA in the treatment of the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection.

Background and Purpose: Xin Su Ning (XSN) is a multi-herbal anti-arrhythmic medicine with strong clinical evidence endorsing its safety, tolerability and efficacy. The medicine contains over 70 identified active components, and the mechanisms of many are yet to be fully understood. In silico modelling has identified several compounds likely to be of pharmacological significance, one of which is Liquiritigenin (LTG). Experimental approach: To investigate the LTG’s mechanism on cardiac ion channels and to assess the compound’s broader anti-arrhythmic contribution to XSN, whole cell patch clamp experiments were carried out on a CHO cell line stably transfected to express hERG K+ channels. Key Results: LTG weakly inhibited the peak conductance of the channel with unusual bisigmoidal kinetics. Performing channel activation and inactivation kinetics experiments showed that at very low concentrations, LTG bound to the open hERG channel and antagonised hERG activation without affecting inactivation. Only at very high concentrations was hERG inactivation potentiated and channel conductance completely inhibited. Conclusions and Implications: This study suggests LTG may bind to multiple hERG channel sites and modulate channel activity to give an anti-arrhythmic effect.

Aging impact on silver-functionalized silica aerogel (Ag0-aerogel) in the off-gas streams including dry air, humid air, 1% NO/N2, and 2% NO2/dry air were studied. Aged Ag0-aerogel was prepared through a continuous-flow aging system by exposing Ag0-aerogel (unaged) to the off-gas streams at different aging temperatures and time. Iodine loading capacity on the aged Ag0-aerogel was obtained through a continuous-flow adsorption system. Iodine loading capacity losses were observed after the Ag0-aerogel was exposed to the off-gas streams. Characterization studies were conducted to observe the physical and chemical changes of the Ag0-aerogel after exposed to gas streams. According to iodine adsorption data and analyses, it was revealed that iodine loading capacity on the aged Ag0-aerogel in the off-gas streams decreases with increasing aging temperatures and time. The pseudo reaction model describes experimental data well and the oxidation of Ag0 is the rate determining step in the aging process.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess insulin resistance (IR) and diabetes risk levels using the FINDRISK noninvasive assessment tool in physicians from a tertiary care hospital. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out between February-April 2013 on 200 physicians working in a tertiary. Data was collected using the Finnish diabetes risk score (FINDRISK) tool, fasting blood glucose (FBG), and fasting insulin. The Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) was calculated. Results: Age was 25-45 years in 84.5% (n=169) of the physicians. Half of the participants were consultants, while the remaining were residents. Mean blood insulin, glucose, and HOMA-IR levels of the participants were 14.04±13.38 IU/mL, 93.55±10.11 mg/dl, and‎ 3.39±3.64, respectively. Most of the participants (58.0%, n=116) were males. The FINDRISK categories were low in 16.5% (n=32), mild in 36.5% (n=73), moderate in ‎‎23.5% (n=47), high in 18.5% (n=37), and very high in 5.5% (n=11). HOMA-IR was 2.6-33 in 49.5% (n=99), while impaired fasting glucose (IFG) was present in 24% (n=48) of the doctors. Majority of the physicians (77.5%, n=155) had a body mass index (BMI) of ≥ 25 kg/m2, did not exercise regularly (89.0%, n=178), did not consume daily vegetables and/or fruits (62.5%, n=125), and had diabetic relatives (72.0%, n=144). The risk of diabetes was higher among the consultants compared to the residents (p=0.001), which persisted even after controlling for age. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the FINDRISK assessment may use in the screening of medical doctors for diabetes in Turkey. Diabetes is more prevalent among hypertensive physicians. Projects are needed to modify the reversible diabetes risk factors among medical doctors.

Legionnaires’ disease remains a serious health problem globally, caused by the Gram-negative bacteria Legionella. The study objective was to characterize the ability of ozone to kill viable but non-culturable (VBNC) Legionella and examine the kinetic characteristics of VBNC Legionella inactivation. The removal of the living Legionella by ozone was highest (>99%) among VBNC, living (culturable, no including VBNC), and dead Legionella trials. Ozone can kill VBNC Legionella at a more rapid rate than the other Legionella states. Ozone can fragment Legionella into small DNA fragments and can damage the Legionella cell membranes and DNA. Based on our results, the killing process was characterized as follows. Ozone oxidizes living Legionella to VBNC Legionella and then oxidizes VBNC Legionella to dead Legionella. Ozone damages the dead Legionella cell membrane and enters the dead Legionella body. Ozone decomposes dead Legionella DNA into small DNA fragments. The VBNC Legionella inactivation kinetic process in the wastewater was expressed mathematically. These equations can be used widely for predicting variations of VBNC Legionella concentrations and thus as a framework for controlling the activity of the bacteria and, ultimately, Legionnaires’ disease.

In mid-2020, using next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology, we identified a divergent cluster 2 avian orthoreovirus (ARV) variant named PHC-2020-0545, isolated from tendons of 33-day-old broilers with leg swelling in China. Sequence comparison and phylogenetic analysis of results revealed that the isolate strain was genetically distinct from all known ARV strains in M1 and M3 genes, and the σC coding gene was quite different from the identified ARV strains grouped into other genotyping cluster. The recombination analysis revealed that multiple segmental recombination, intra-segmental recombination and accumulation of point mutations might contribute to the emergence of this isolate. The broilers infected with the PHC-2020-0545 strain showed typical clinical symptoms of tarsal joint swelling, and the isolate mainly affected the movement, digestion and metabolism of broilers. Although the mortality of broilers caused by the isolate was very low, the results of viral load detection revealed that it had strong replication ability in vivo. In addition, the infection route of the isolate is related to its pathogenicity to broilers. Therefore, we determined that the PHC-2020-0545 field strain is a unique novel recombinant ARV strain, which might become prevalent in Chinese broiler flocks.

In this paper, we aim to determine whether the N7-methylation can influence the base pairing properties of guanine by promoting the formation of guanine enol-tautomers. The keto-to-enol-tautomerization of N7-methylguanine (N7mG) and its base pairing patterns with all the canonical DNA bases have been investigated at the M06-2X/6-311+G(d,p) level of density functional theory. The barrier free energy calculations reveal that N7-methylation does not promote the keto- to enol-tautomerization of guanine. The Watson-Crick-like enol-N7mG:T1 or enol-N7mG:T2 base pair similar to what is observed experimentally is found to be energetically more stable than the keto-N7mG:T base pairs. However, the keto-N7mG:C1 which is structurally similar to the canonical G:C base pair is the most stable base pair among all the base pairs studied here. Thus, our calculations predict that N7mG would pair preferably with cytosine during DNA replication but there is also a probability that it can cause mutation through mispairing with thymine, in agreement with experimental observations.

This report describes a previously healthy toddler initially diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia with monocytic features and a bilateral thalamic high grade glioma at initial presentation. However, review of the outside hospital imaging favored bilateral thalamic infarcts with hemorrhagic conversion; the diagnosis of near diffuse cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CSVT) with hemorrhagic conversion was confirmed with CT venography. He succumbed to uncontrollable intracranial pressure despite surgical decompression, medical management, anticoagulation, and chemotherapy. CSVT is the most common thrombotic complication present at diagnosis in AML and associated with high mortality, and diagnosis requires a high level of suspicion.

There are currently conventional therapies that have shown a decrease in mortality of pediatric patients diagnosed with cancer, however, some of them suffer from poor prognosis pathologies. In these, the range of available therapies is limited, this is why the use of metronomic chemotherapy as a palliative treatment option has been described. The following is a case report of an adolescent patient with metastatic Ewing’s Sarcoma (ES) that was managed with metronomic chemotherapy and had a positive impact on functionality, quality of life and opioid requirement.

Leaf water potential is a good indicator of tree species responses to rainfall seasonality, allowing to better understand water stress effects on vegetation. We investigated daily and seasonal patterns on leaf water potentials of 21 dominant species in three distinct vegetation types from the Cerrado-Amazonia transition to assess how they respond to seasonal changes in water availability. We found that the variation on leaf water potential (Ψl) across species was higher in the dry compared to the rainy season, for all vegetation types. Typical cerrado and cerradão species showed similar patterns, with higher Ψl regulation under higher VPD and lower variation in predawn Ψl (ΔΨpd), indicating root access to soil water even during intense drought. In contrast, seasonal forest species showed lower regulation under lower VPD effects in both seasons, and higher ΔΨpd, indicating lower access to deep water in the soil. These differences revealed two main groups of species: higher Ψl regulators with a strategy isohydric occurring in both typical cerrado (savannah) and cerradão (woodland), and lower Ψl regulators with anisohydric strategy, occurring in seasonal forest. Our results suggest that seasonal tropical forest species will become very vulnerable to predicted increases on drought severity in the region.

Mangrove plants are found in tropical and sub-tropical tidal flats, and their limited distribution may be related to their responses to growth temperatures. However, the mechanisms underlying these responses have not been clarified. Typical species of Indo--Pacific mangroves, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza and Rhizophora stylosa, differ in their distribution ranges. Here, we grew these species at different temperatures and analyzed growth and respiration parameters. Relative growth rate of both species increased with growth temperature due to changes in physiological parameters such as net assimilation rate and respiration rate rather than to changes in structural parameters. At low growth temperature, root respiration rate and nitrogen uptake rate were lower in R. stylosa than in B. gymnorrhiza roots, leading to slower growth and higher sensitivity to low temperature of R. stylosa. Biomass allocation to leaves and roots was also lower in R. stylosa at any temperature. These characteristics of R. stylosa would result in lower relative growth rate of whole plant and to different distribution patterns of the two species.

Conifer forests worldwide are becoming increasingly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Although phenolic compounds (PCs) have been shown to be modulated by biotic and abiotic stresses, the genetic basis underlying the variation in their basal composition remains poorly documented in conifers. We used QTL mapping and RNA-Seq to explore the complex polygenic network underlying the constitutive production of PCs in white spruce (Picea glauca) full-sib progeny for two years. QTL detection was conducted for nine PCs and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between individuals with high and low PC contents for five PCs exhibiting stable QTLs across time. A total of 17 QTLs were detected for eight metabolites, including one major QTL explaining up to 91.3% of the neolignan-2 variance. The RNA-Seq analysis highlighted 50 DEGs associated with phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, several key transcription factors, and 137 genes showing opposite expression patterns in individuals with high levels of the flavonoids gallocatechin and taxifolin glucoside. A total of 19 DEGs co-localised with QTLs. Our findings represent a significant step towards resolving the genomic architecture of PC production in spruce and enhancing the functional characterization of genes and transcriptional networks responsible for differences in constitutive production of PCs in conifers.

This paper is devoted to find out some realization of the concept of b-metric like space. First, we attain a fixed point for two fuzzy mappings satisfying a suitable requirement of contractiveness. Subsequently, we apply such result to graphic contractions. Also, we attain a unique solution for a system of integral equations and lastly we give an application to ensure that there exists a common bounded solution of a suitable functional equation in dynamic programming.

Cardiac myxoma (CM) is a rare cardiac disease, accounts for approximately 70% of the adult cardiac tumors, with the majority located in the left atrium and less commonly in the right atrium. Rarely myxomas may be present in right ventricular, biatrial, left ventricular, right ventricular outflow tract or heart valves. Our study described clinical and echocardiographic characteristics of 5 patients with echocardiographic diagnosis of rare CMs, among them pulmonary valve (PV) myxoma was never been reported before. Therefore, cardiac tumors developed in unusual locations should be considered to exclude the possibility of myxoma.

Facilitation events were mostly reported in two modes of mutual promotion (+/+) and unilateral benefit (+/0) in cultivated plant populations, yet few investigations showed the third mode, i.e. +/-. We investigated the maize-faba bean intercropping system as the third mode which was little documented. Land equivalent ratio in intercropping system was significantly greater than in monocropping one, with faba bean as superior species (+), and maize as inferior species (-). For inferior species, interspecific competition restricted its substance remobilization and seed filling, and caused a relatively low pollen fertilization rate and high kernel abortion rate. This trend resulted from lower soil water availability in maize strip of intercropping system, and lower leaf chlorophyll content and photosynthetic rate in maize. Yield loss of inferior species provided mechanical explanation on the concurrent +/- facilitation. The findings enriched our understandings on asymmetric facilitation and the relationship between plant diversity and productivity in agroecosystems.

We handle an impulsive Sturm-Liouville boundary value problem. We find the Jost solution, Jost function and scattering function of this problem and examine properties of scattering function. We also study eigenvalues and resolvent operator of this problem. Finally, we exemplify our work by taking a different problem.

The direct congenital Gerbode defect was a rare type of ventricular septal defect (VSD) causing a communication between the left ventricle (LV) and right atrium (RA). In this case, only LV-to-right ventricle (RV)shunt was found preoperatively. But in operation, the defect was located at the interventricular septum between the tricuspid (TV) and mitral valves (MV) where the shunt was from LV to right atrium (RA) and septal TV dysplasia was found. The shunt might be LV-to-RA and the blood flow into the RV through the defect of TV. This article discussed why the preoperative ultrasound misdiagnosed this type of shunt and reviewed the literature of Gerbode defect.

Background: Previous studies showed that the door-to-balloon (DTB) time was significantly related to the prognosis of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). In this study, we were committed to evaluating the effect of an optimized clinical pathway on improving emergency treatment for STEMI patients. Method: A total of 315 STEMI patients from January 2018 to December 2019 were enrolled in this study. The clinical characteristics, results of auxiliary examinations and relevant indicators were extracted from the medical records. Result: After optimizing the clinical pathway, the average DTB time in our hospital was 87.57 minutes, which was shortened by 17.71 minutes compared with the control (P = 3.0×10-6). In the optimized group, the time spent in the emergency room was 12.54 minutes less than that in the control group (P = 0.018). In the various workflows of the emergency room, the troponin time and ECG time in the optimized group were reduced by 6.44 minutes and 5.92 minutes, respectively (troponin time: P = 5.0×10-6, ECG time: P = 4.0×10-6). The consultation time was also reduced by 3.91 minutes in the optimized group (P = 0.043). In addition, the hospitalization time for STEMI patients was 9.73 days, which was reduced by 1.15 days after optimization (P = 0.036). Furthermore, the in-hospital mortality rate was decreased from 5.88% to 2.79% (P = 0.172). Conclusion: The optimized clinical pathway could directly reduce the DTB time and improve the prognosis of STEMI patients.

Posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder is a rare but well-known complication in solid organ or hematopoietic transplant recipients secondary to immunosuppression. It can range from a cellular hyperplasia to a classic lymphoma. We describe a case of a nine-year-old male with Barth syndrome and a history of cardiac transplantation who developed plasmacytoid EBV-negative PTLD, an extremely rare entity in the pediatric population, and the evolvement of his PTLD to a more aggressive plasma cell neoplasm.

Neurogenesis is a dynamic trophic process, which produces enormous number of new neurons per day in the adult brain. New neurons participate in synapse circuit formation, and gaining discrete brain functions including memory, and cognition. Various learning activities and therapeutic agents, which increase neurogenesis also improve memory and cognition in rodents suggesting that neurogenesis could be a potential avenue for treating cognitive disabilities. In schizophrenia, while reducing psychosis is a priority, improving cognition is considered crucial for integrating patients into the academic and working environment. However, the most commonly prescribed antipsychotic drugs (APD), despite increasing neurogenesis, either do not improve or show marginal effect on cognition in schizophrenia. Molecular mechanisms that render APD ineffective in improving cognition are unclear; however, neurotrophic factors, which regulate all aspects of neurogenesis, could provide valuable clues. Therefore, in this review APD’s influence on cognition, neurogenesis, and on growth factor deficit in schizophrenia is discussed.

INTRODUCTION: The primary indications for utilization of long acting local anesthetics in dentistry: lengthy dental procedures for which pulpal anesthesia in excess of 90 minutes is necessary and management of postoperative pain. Ropivacaine is a local anesthetic of the amide type that chemically is homologous to bupivacaine and mepivacaine. It is available in various concentrations and is said to have inherent vasoconstrictive properties at low concentrations. The aim of the study was to evaluate and compare the clinical efficacy of ropivacaine to lignocaine for implant surgery anaesthesia. To assess the onset and duration of anaesthesia the intraoperative and post-operative pain with both local anaesthetics and the post-operative analgesics requirement. MATERIALS AND METHODS:- 15 healthy subject with bilateral missing teeth indicated for implant placement with age range of 20 -60 years, reporting to the Department of Implantology, Rajarajeswari Dental College and Hospital, Bangalore were selected for the study. The test group involves implant surgeries in which ropivacaine was used. The control group involves implant surgeries in which lignocaine with adrenaline were used. RESULTS -The results were statistically analysed. There was a statistically significant higher duration of anesthesia for the test group as compared to the control group. Ropivacaine was found to be superior to lignocaine as far as quality of anesthesia was concerned. The comparison of mean VAS scores showed that ropivacaine has better anesthetic and analgesic effect when compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: Ropivacaine 0.75% provides significantly longer duration of anesthesia than lignocaine 2% with adrenaline.

This study aims to describe immunophenotypic studies at diagnosis and follow up of a pediatric patient with leukemic phase of ALK+ anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) by multiparametric flow cytometry (MFC). An 8-color MFC combination of antibodies allowed to identify neoplastic cells in concentrations until 0.02% during minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring. Immunophenotypic shifts occurred in key markers as CD30, CD7, CD2 and CD5, however neoplastic cells were clearly discriminated from normal populations. MFC can be a useful tool for ALCL diagnosis and MRD monitoring and may support therapeutic decisions.

Light spectra influence barley development, causing a diverse range of responses among cultivars that are poorly understood. Here, we exposed three barley genotypes with different light sensitivities to two light sources: fluorescent bulbs, over-representing green and red wavebands, and metal halide lamps, with a more balanced spectrum. We used RNA sequencing to spot the main genes and pathways involved in the different responses, and RT-qPCR to validate the expression values. Different grades of sensitivity to light spectra were associated with transcriptional reprogramming, plastid signals, and photosynthesis. The genotypes were especially divergent in the expression of genes regulated by transcription factors from MADS-box, WRKY, and NAC families, and in specific photoreceptors such as phytochromes and cryptochromes. Variations in light spectra also affected the expression of circadian clock, flowering time, and frost tolerance genes, among others, resembling plant responses to temperature. The relation between PPD-H1, HvVRN1, and HvFT1 might explain genotypic differences. Light-sensitive genotypes experienced a partial reversion of the vernalization process and senescence-related stress under the less favorable light quality conditions. The observed light-quality sensitivities reveal a complex mechanism of adaptation to regions with specific light quality features and/or possible regulation of light spectra in plant development during early spring.

Aim: We aim to investigate the endoscopic and CT scan findings of pediatric patients with Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP). Methods: The endoscopic and CT findings of the patients were observed. Endoscopy was carried out using the Olympus GIF XQ 230 electronic gastroscope. Laboratory tests were carried out to investigate the expression of potential markers in these patients. In total, 4 females and 2 males were included in this study, with the median age of 7.5 yrs. All the 6 patients underwent endoscopic examination. Results: One showed hyperemia and erosion in the gastric antrum, together with punctiform hyperemia in the gastric balloon and bile regurgitation. One showed erosion in the gastric fundus, body and angle, as well as hyperemia and edema in the descendant duodenum, together with massive erosion and ulcer. One showed hyperemia and erosion in the gastric antrum combined with ecchymosis in the descending part of stomach. One showed ecchymosis in the descendant duodenum, and a tendency of hemorrhage. One showed massive ecchymosis in the descendant part and horizontal part of the duodenum. The other one showed hyperemia in the descendant duodenum. Endoscopic findings of HSP consisted of mucous hyperemia and edema, together with local erosion and irregular ulcer. Some patients at the acute stage presented hemorrhagic spots and capillary hemorrhage, which usually involved the duodenum, gastric antrum and body. Conclusion: CT findings of the HSP were edema and thickening in the small intestinal wall, hydrops in the intestinal cavity and intestinal obstruction.