Activity

  • Monaghan Futtrup posted an update 1 week, 4 days ago

    93 kcal/mol, were selected for molecular dynamic simulation studies (40 ns simulation). The results indicated that compound 1I may be a potent and selective HDAC 2 inhibitor. Further, in vitro and in vivo studies are necessary to validate the potency of selected lead molecule and its derivatives.

    The Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) evaluates patients’ level of frailty on a scale from 1 to 9 and is commonly used in geriatric medicine, intensive care and orthopedics. The aim of our study was to reveal whether the CFS allows a reliable prediction of overall survival (OS) in patients after surgical treatment of brain metastases (BM) compared to the Karnofsky Performance Score (KPS).

    Patients operated for BM were included. CFS and KPS were retrospectively assessed pre- and postoperatively and at follow-up 3-6months after resection.

    205 patients with a follow-up of 22.8months (95% CI 18.4-27.1) were evaluated. CFS showed a median of 3 (“managing well”; IqR 2-4) at all 3 assessment-points. Median KPS was 80 preoperatively (IqR 80-90) and 90 postoperatively (IqR 80-100) as well as at follow-up after 3-6months. CFS correlated with KPS both preoperatively (r = -0.92; p < 0.001), postoperatively (r = -0.85; p < 0.001) and at follow-up (r = -0.93; p < 0.001). The CFS predicted the expected reduction of OS more reliably than the KPS at all 3 assessments. A one-point increase (worsening) of the preoperative CFS translated into a 30% additional hazard to decease (HR 1.30, 95% CI 1.15-1.46; p < 0.001). A one-point increase in postoperative and at follow-up CFS represents a 39% (HR 1.39, 95% CI 1.25-1.54; p < 0.001) and of 42% risk (HR 1.42, 95% CI 1.27-1.59; p < 0.001).

    The CFS is a feasible, simple and reliable scoring system in patients undergoing resection of brain metastasis. The CFS 3-6months after surgery specifies the expected OS more accurately than the KPS.

    The CFS is a feasible, simple and reliable scoring system in patients undergoing resection of brain metastasis. The CFS 3-6 months after surgery specifies the expected OS more accurately than the KPS.Vibrio natriegens is the fastest growing organism identified so far. The minimum doubling time of only 9.4 min, the ability to utilize over 60 different carbon sources and its non-pathogenic properties make it an interesting alternative to E. coli as a new production host for recombinant proteins. We investigated the ability of the engineered V. natriegens strain, Vmax™ Express, to incorporate the non-canonical amino acid (ncAA) p-azido-L-phenylalanine (AzF) into recombinant proteins for NMR applications. AzF was incorporated into enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (EYFP) and MlaC, an intermembrane transport protein, by stop codon suppression. AzF incorporation into EYFP resulted in an improved suppression efficiency (SE) of up to 35.5 ± 0.8% and a protein titer of 26.7 ± 0.7 mg/L. The expression levels of MlaC-AzF even exceeded those of E. coli BL21 cells. For the recording of 1H-15N and 19F NMR spectra, EYFP-AzF was expressed and isotopically labeled in minimal medium and the newly introduced azido-group was used as coupling site for NMR sensitive 19F-tags. Our findings show that Vmax is a flexible expression host, suitable for the incorporation of ncAAs in recombinant proteins with the potential to surpass protein yields of E. coli. The presented method suggests the implementation of V. natriegens for expression of isotopically labeled proteins containing ncAAs, which can be chemically modified for the application in protein-observed 19F-NMR.Pediatric patients of various ages, from infancy through adolescence, can have ovarian torsion. Torsion may not only be confined to the ovaries but may also involve the isolated cyst, tube, and even the uterus. In this pictorial review, we review the spectrum of torsion in pediatric (from infants to adolescents) female pelvis, emphasizing imaging methods.

    Evaluation of perfusion CT and dual-energy CT (DECT) quantitative parameters for predicting microvascular invasion (MVI) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) prior to surgery.

    This prospective single-center study included fifty-six patients (44 men; median age 67; range 31-84) who provided written informed consent. Inclusion criteria were (1) treatment-naïve patients with a diagnosis of HCC, (2) an indication for hepatic resection, and (3) available arterial DECT phase and perfusion CT (GE revolution HD-GSI). selleckchem Iodine concentrations (IC), arterial density (AD), and 9 quantitative perfusion parameters for HCC were correlated to pathological results. Radiological parameters based principal component analysis (PCA), corroborated by unsupervised heatmap classification, was meant to deliver a model for predicting MVI in HCC. Survival analysis was performed using univariable log-rank test and multivariable Cox model, both censored at time of relapse.

    58 HCC lesions were analyzed (median size 42.3mm; range of 20-140). PCA showed that the radiological model was predictive of tumor grade (p = 0.01), intratumoral MVI (p = 0.004), peritumoral MVI (p = 0.04), MTM (macrotrabecular-massive) subtype (p = 0.02), and capsular invasion (p = 0.02) in HCC. Heatmap classification of HCC showed tumor heterogeneity, stratified into three main clusters according to the risk of relapse. Survival analysis confirmed that permeability surface-area product (PS) was the only significant independent parameter, among all quantitative tumoral CT parameters, for predicting a risk of relapse (Cox p value = 0.004).

    A perfusion CT and DECT-based quantitative imaging profile can provide a diagnosis of histological MVI in HCC. PS is an independent parameter for relapse.

    ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03754192.

    ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03754192.

    To determine the variability of blood flow measurements using 4D flow MRI in the portal and mesenteric circulations and to characterize the effects of meal ingestion, time of day, and between-day (diurnal) variations on portal and mesenteric hemodynamics.

    In this IRB-approved and HIPAA-compliant study, 7 healthy and 7 portal hypertension patients imaged. MRI exams were conducted at 3T using a 32-channel body coil with large volumetric coverage and 1.25-mm isotropic true spatial resolution. Blood flow was quantified (L/min) in the hepatic and splanchnic vasculature. The first MR scan was performed after at least 8h of fasting. Subsequently, subjects ingested 574mL EnSure Plus® orally. A second acquisition was started 20min after the meal ingestion. A third scan was performed before lunch and a fourth acquisition took place 20min after lunch. A fifth scan was performed around 4pm. Finally, subjects returned one week later for a repeat morning visit, with identical conditions as the first visit.

    In healthy controls significant increase in blood flow was seen in the PV, SMV, SMA, HA, and SCAo in response to breakfast but only the SCAo, SMA, SMV, and PV had a significant response to lunch. In general, patients with cirrhosis showed reduced response to meals compared to that in healthy controls. Additionally, PV flow in patients had the highest value in the afternoon.

    Effects of meal ingestion, time of day, and between-day variations were characterized using Radial 4D flow MRI in patients with cirrhosis and healthy controls.

    Effects of meal ingestion, time of day, and between-day variations were characterized using Radial 4D flow MRI in patients with cirrhosis and healthy controls.

    The efficacy of brief intervention (BI) for unhealthy drug use in outpatient medical care has not been sufficiently substantiated through meta-analysis despite its ongoing global delivery. This study aims to determine the efficacy of BI for unhealthy drug use and the expected length of effects, and describe subgroup analyses by outpatient setting.

    Trials comparing BI with usual care controls were retrieved through four databases up to January 13, 2021. Two reviewers independently screened, selected, and extracted data. Primary outcomes included drug use frequency (days used) and severity on validated scales at 4-8 months and were analyzed using random-effects model meta-analysis.

    In total, 20 studies with 9182 randomized patients were included. There was insufficient evidence to support the efficacy of BI for unhealthy drug use among all outpatient medical care settings for use frequency (SMD = -0.07, 95% CI = -0.17, 0.02, p = 0.12, I

    = 37%, high certainty of evidence) and severity (SMD = -0.27, 95% CI = -0.78, 0.24, p = 0.30, I

    = 98%, low certainty of evidence). However, post hoc subgroup analyses uncovered significant effects for use frequency by setting (interaction p = 0.02), with significant small effects only in emergency departments (SMD = -0.15, 95% CI = -0.25, -0.04, p < 0.01). Primary care, student health, women’s health, and HIV primary care subgroups were nonsignificant. Primary care BI revealed nonsignificant greater average use in the treatment group compared to usual care.

    BI for unhealthy drug use lacks evidence of efficacy among all outpatient medical settings. However, small effects found in emergency departments may indicate incremental benefits for some patients. Clinical decisions for SBI or specialty treatment program referrals should be carefully considered accounting for these small effects in emergency departments.

    PROSPERO (CRD42020157733).

    PROSPERO (CRD42020157733).

    Education and income, as two primary socioeconomic indicators, are often used interchangeably in health research. However, there is a lack of clear distinction between these two indicators concerning their associations with health.

    This study aimed to investigate the separate and combined effects of education and income in relation to incident type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases in the general population.

    Participants aged between 30 and 65 years from the prospective Dutch Lifelines cohort study were included. Two sub-cohorts were subsequently created, including 83,759 and 91,083 participants for a type 2 diabetes cohort anda cardiovascular diseases cohort, respectively.

    Education and income level were assessed by self-report questionnaires. The outcomes were incident type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases (defined as the earliest non-fatal cardiovascular event).

    A total of 1228 new cases of type 2 diabetes (incidence 1.5%) and 3286 (incidence 3.6%) new cases of cardiovascular diseases ation or income level, substantial health disparities existed acrossstrata of the other socioeconomic indicator. Education and income are two equally important socioeconomic indicators in health, and should be considered simultaneously in health research and policymaking.

    Education and income were both independently associated with incident type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. The combined associations of these two socioeconomic indicators revealed that within each education or income level, substantial health disparities existed across strata of the other socioeconomic indicator. Education and income are two equally important socioeconomic indicators in health, and should be considered simultaneously in health research and policymaking.