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  • Hansen Bekker posted an update 2 days, 18 hours ago

    Controlled nitrate feeding strategies for fed-batch cultures of microalgae were applied for the enhancement of lipid production and microalgal growth rates. In particular, in this study, the effect of nitrate feeding rates on lipid and biomass productivities in fed-batch cultures of Nannochloropsis gaditana were investigated using three feeding modes (i.e., pulse, continuous, and staged) and under two light variations on both lipid productivity and fatty acid compositions. Higher nitrate levels negatively affected lipid production in the study. Increasing the light intensity increased the lipid contents of the microalgae in all three fed-batch feeding modes. A maximum of 58.3% lipid- to dry weight ratio was achieved when using pulse-fed cultures at an illumination of 200 μmol photons m-2 s-1 and 10 mg/day of nitrate feeding. This condition also resulted in the maximum lipid productivity of 44.6 mg L-1 day-1 . The fatty acid compositions of the lipids consisted predominantly of long-chain fatty acids (C16 and C18) and accounted for 70% of the overall fatty acid methyl esters. Pulse feeding mode was found to significantly enhance the biomass and lipid production. The other two feeding modes (continuous and staged) were not ideal for lipid and biomass production. This study demonstrates the applicability of pulse feeding strategies in fed-batch cultures as an appropriate cultivation strategy that can increase both lipid accumulation and biomass production.To investigate clinical and pathologic features of encapsulated papillary carcinomas (EPCs) that may be associated with invasive disease and characterize the axillary staging practices for EPCs at our institution. A pathology database search for cases containing “papillary carcinoma” was performed. Slides were reviewed by two pathologists. Clinicopathological features and axillary staging practices of EPCs with and without invasion were compared. Twenty-five cases of EPCs were identified. Fifteen cases contained a frank invasive tumor (60%), which were all pT1 (0.7 ± 0.56 cm), and the majority were ER-positive, HER2-negative, low-grade IDC-NST. Seventeen patients underwent sentinel lymph node biopsies (SLNB). No nodal metastases were identified. Follow-up was available for 24 patients (mean = 39 ± 29 months); 23 had no NED. Patients that presented with a self-palpated mass (versus screening) were more likely to have an invasive component; however, no pathologic or radiologic features differentiated EPCs with and without frank invasion. Pathologic and radiologic characteristics did not differentiate EPCs with and without frank invasion. EPCs have an excellent prognosis supported by the notable disease-free survival and negative nodal status in our cohort, which supports the notion that patients with EPCs may forgo axillary staging.The relationship between lean and cardiovascular events has been shown to vary with age, but the relationship between age-related lean and cardiovascular events in Asia has not been established. We divided patients enrolled in the J-HOP (Japan Morning Surge-Home Blood Pressure) study with one or more cardiovascular disease risks into three groups based on their body mass index (BMI) lean (BMI less then 21), normal-weight (21 ≤ BMI less then 27), and obese (BMI ≥ 27). We stratified the risk of cardiovascular events of lean and obesity compared to normal weight into the patients less then 65 years old and those aged ≥ 65 years. A total of 286 cardiovascular disease events were observed during the follow-up period (73 ± 46 months). Regarding the relationship between BMI and cardiovascular disease risk, both lean and obesity were independent prognostic factors lean hazard ratio (HR) 1.43, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02-2.01, p = .040; obesity HR 1.55, 95%CI 1.13-2.12, p = .006. In patients less then 65 years old, the risk of cardiovascular disease of the lean patients was lower than that of the normal-weight patients (HR 0.39, 95%CI 0.12-1.29, p = .124) and the risk of obesity patients was significantly higher (HR 1.77, 95%CI 1.08-2.92, p = .024). In the patients aged ≥ 65 years, lean was a significant independent factor of cardiovascular events compared to normal-weight (lean HR 1.70, 95%CI 1.18-2.47, p = .005). In conclusion, lean was an independent predictor of cardiovascular events in patients aged ≥ 65 years.Despite evidence that species’ traits affect rates of bird diversification, biogeographic studies tend to prioritise earth history in Neotropical bird speciation. Here we compare mitochondrial genetic differentiation among 56 co-distributed Neotropical bird species with varying ecologies. The trait ‘diet’ best predicted divergence, with plant-dependent species (mostly frugivores and nectivores) showing lower levels of genetic divergence than insectivores or mixed-diet species. We propose that the greater vagility and demographic instability of birds whose diets rely on fruit, seeds, or nectar  known to vary in abundance seasonally and between years  relative to birds that eat primarily insects, drives episodic re-unification of otherwise isolated populations, resetting the divergence ‘clock’. Testing this prediction using coalescent simulations, we find that plant-dependent species show stronger signals of recent demographic expansion compared to insectivores or mixed-diet species, consistent with this hypothesis. Our study provides evidence that localised ecological phenomena scale up to generate larger macroevolutionary patterns.

    Liver fibrosis score (LFS) has been used for predicting the cardiovascular outcomes (CVOs) in diverse populations. Inflammation chemical However, the association of LFS with CVOs in patients with previous myocardial infarction (MI) remains undetermined. We aimed to examine the prognostic value of LFS in patients with prior MI in a prospective cohort.

    A total of 3718 patients with previous MI were consecutively enrolled from March 2009 to January 2019. Five LFSs including the fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) score, non-alcohol fatty liver disease fibrosis score (NFS), Forns score, HUI score and BARD score were used. The CVOs covered major adverse cardiac event (MACEs), cardiovascular mortality and all-cause mortality. Cox proportional hazards model was used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

    During a mean follow-up of 47.4±24.8months, 431 (11.6%) MACEs occurred. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that higher LFSs resulted in a significantly higher probability of CVOs. Compared to the lowest score group, multivariable-adjusted HRs (95% CIs) of the highest group of FIB-4, NFS, Forns score, HUI score and BARD score were 1.