Bulletin of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering (BCSEE)
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The Trend of Urinary N Terminal Probrain Natriuretic Peptide in Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants during the Neonatal Period
No full textAbstract
Objective
N-terminal probrain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is a biomarker of interest in many cardiopulmonary diseases in extremely low birth weight (ELBW) Infants. However, there is a gap in knowledge about the trend of ELBW infant's urinary NT-proBNP during the neonatal period.
Aim
To determine the trend of urinary NT-proBNP during the first 4 weeks of life of an ELBW infant.
Study Design
We analyzed prospectively enrolled 87 ELBW infants. Urinary NT-proBNP to creatinine ratios were measured on days 1 to 7, 14, and 28 of life. We plotted each study point's means to determine the trend of urinary NT-proBNP over the entire neonatal period. Data were analyzed using the Friedman analysis of variance for comparative analysis of study points.
Results
Urinary NT-proBNP/creatinine ratios were significantly elevated on days 1 to 7 (mean 2,452, ± 1,518) than day 14 (mean 747, ± 176), and day 28 (mean 149, ± 54),
p
= 0.001. Overall, urinary NT-proBNP levels were highest during days 1 to 3 (mean 3,232, ± 1,255) and lowest on day 28 (mean 149, ± 54).
Conclusion
Urinary NT-proBNP levels are higher during the first week in ELBW infants with a downward trend during the neonatal period, the lowest values at 4 weeks postnatal age. More studies are required to determine the clinical utility of this trend during and beyond the neonatal period.
Key Points
NT-proBNP is a biomarker for monitoring cardiac disease in premature infants.
The trend of urinary NT-proBNP is unknown in premature infants.
A trend of urinary NT-proBNP was determined during the first 4 weeks in premature infants
Prospective multicenter study of minimally invasive surgery for the treatment of adult spinal deformity
No full textOBJECTIVE Traditional surgery for adult spinal deformity (ASD) is effective but may result in exposure-related morbidity. Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) can potentially minimize this morbidity; however, high-level evidence is lacking. This study presents the first prospective multicenter investigation of MIS approaches for ASD. METHODS A prospective multicenter study was conducted. Inclusion criteria were age ≥ 18 years, with at least one of the following radiographic criteria: coronal Cobb (CC) angle ≥ 20°, sagittal vertical axis (SVA) > 5 cm, pelvic tilt (PT) > 25°, and thoracic kyphosis > 60°. Additional inclusion criteria were circumferential MIS, including interbody fusion (transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion [TLIF], lateral lumbar interbody fusion [LLIF], or anterior lumbar interbody fusion [ALIF]) with percutaneous posterior fixation on a minimum of 4 intervertebral levels. Radiographic and clinical outcomes (visual analog scale [VAS], Oswestry Disability Index [ODI], and Scoliosis Research Society–22 [SRS-22]) were collected preoperatively and at 12 months postoperatively; preoperative and postoperative values were compared using paired Student t-tests. RESULTS Seventy-five patients with a minimum 1-year follow-up were identified (75 of 111; 67.6%). The mean ± SD age was 68.8 ± 9.0 years, and 48 patients (64%) were female. Patients underwent a mean of 6.7 ± 2.9 levels of fusion with LLIF (85%), ALIF (55%), and TLIF (9%); the mean estimated blood loss was 547.6 ± 567.2 mL, and the mean length of stay was 7.0 ± 3.7 days. Significant improvements were observed in ODI (−19 ± 12.9, p < 0.001), SRS-22 (0.8 ± 0.66, p < 0.001), VAS back (−4.3 ± 2.8, p < 0.001), and VAS leg (−3.0 ± 3.2, p < 0.001) scores. Significant decreases in SVA (−26.4 ± 53.6 mm; p < 0.001), pelvic incidence–lumbar lordosis (−11.3° ± 14.9°, p < 0.001), and CC angle (−12.1° ± 11.8°, p < 0.001) were also observed. Complications occurred in 39 patients (52%); 11 patients (15%) experienced major complications, and 16 patients (21%) required reoperation. CONCLUSIONS MIS approaches for ASD resulted in meaningful symptomatic improvement. The complication rates were similar to historic norms, with a fairly high reoperation rate at 1 year. Longer follow-up will be necessary to evaluate the durability of this approach in the treatment of ASD
P170. What Do People With Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder Do All Day? – Assessing Lifetime Milestone Achievements and Momentary Daily Activities and Symptoms
No full textASO Visual Abstract: Axillary Response to Neoadjuvant Therapy in Node-Positive ER+/HER2-Breast Cancer Patients-Predictors and Oncologic Outcomes
No full textmiRNAs as novel immunoregulators in cancer
No full textThe immune system is a well-known vital regulator of tumor growth, and one of the main hallmarks of cancer is evading the immune system. Immune system deregulation can lead to immune surveillance evasion, sustained cancer growth, proliferation, and metastasis. Tumor-mediated disruption of the immune system is accomplished by different mechanisms that involve extensive crosstalk with the immediate microenvironment, which includes endothelial cells, immune cells, and stromal cells, to create a favorable tumor niche that facilitates the development of cancer. The essential role of non-coding RNAs such as microRNAs (miRNAs) in the mechanism of cancer cell immune evasion has been highlighted in recent studies. miRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that regulate a wide range of post-transcriptional gene expression in a cell. Recent studies have focused on the function that miRNAs play in controlling the expression of target proteins linked to immune modulation. Studies show that miRNAs modulate the immune response in cancers by regulating the expression of different immune modulatory molecules associated with immune effector cells, such as macrophages, dendritic cells, B-cells, and natural killer cells, as well as those present in tumor cells and the tumor microenvironment. This review explores the relationship between miRNAs, their altered patterns of expression in tumors, immune modulation, and the functional control of a wide range of immune cells, thereby offering detailed insights on the crosstalk of tumor immune cells and their use as prognostic markers or therapeutic agents
Characterization and transformation of the OAM in stationary light beams
No full textThe state of spatial coherence of a partially coherent optical source plays the crucial part in free-space evolution of the major properties of the radiated beam, such as its diffraction rate, spectral composition, intensity distribution and polarization/Orbital Angular Momentum (OAM) states. In particular, various effects of source coherence on the beam properties relating to its OAM structure, such as spatial profiling of the vortex core, vortex self focusing, average intensity rotation, etc. have also been illustrated. To account for such coherence effects most efficiently, the treatment of the OAM content in stationary sources and beams with the help of Coherence-OAM (COAM) matrices was recently suggested and is overviewed here. A possible approach to analytical modeling of the COAM matrices is then discussed. A calculus characterizing the OAM transformations, analogous to the Jones-Stokes-Mueller calculi used in polarization optics, was also recently introduced for thin (local) and extended (non-local) devices. Here, we consider the combination of a local and a non-local device to suggest an OAM-resolved imaging system, as a possible application
Loss of an apex predator in the wild induces physiological and behavioural changes in prey
No full textPredators can impact prey via predation or risk effects, which can initiate trophic cascades. Given widespread population declines of apex predators, understanding and predicting the associated ecological consequences is a priority. When predation risk is relatively unpredictable or uncontrollable by prey, the loss of predators is hypothesized to release prey from stress; however, there are few tests of this hypothesis in the wild. A well-studied predator-prey system between white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) and Cape fur seals (Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus) in False Bay, South Africa, has previously demonstrated elevated faecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations (fGCMs) in seals exposed to high levels of predation risk from white sharks. A recent decline and disappearance of white sharks from the system has coincided with a pronounced decrease in seal fGCM concentrations. Seals have concurrently been rafting further from shore and over deeper water, a behaviour that would have previously rendered them vulnerable to attack. These results show rapid physiological and behavioural responses by seals to release from predation stress. To our knowledge, this represents the first demonstration in the wild of physiological changes in prey from predator decline, and such responses are likely to increase given the scale and pace of apex predator declines globally
Rapid handheld continuous electroencephalogram (eeg) has the potential to detect delirium in older adults
No full textBackground: Delirium-related biochemical derangements lead to electrical changes that can be detected in electroencephalographic (EEG) patterns followed by behavioral signs and symptoms. Studies using limited lead EEG show a large difference between patients with and without delirium while discriminating delirium from other causes. Handheld rapid EEG devices may be capable of detecting delirium before symptom onset, thus providing an objective physiological method to detect delirium when it is most amenable to interventions. Objective: The aimof this studywas to explore the potential for rapid EEG to detect waveform pattern changes consistent with delirium status. Methods: This prospective exploratory pilot study used a correlational design and mixed models to explore the relationships between handheld portable EEG data and delirium status. Results: While being under powered minimized opportunities to detect statistical differences in EEGderived ratios using spectral density analysis, sleep-to-wake ratios tended to be higher in patients with delirium. Conclusions: Limited lead EEG may be useful in predicting adverse outcomes and risk for delirium in older critically ill patients. Although this population is at the highest risk for mortality, delirium is not easily identified by current clinical assessments. Therefore, further investigation of limited lead EEG for delirium detection is warranted. © 2022 Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. All rights reserved
Persistence of airway inflammation in smokers who switch to electronic cigarettes
No full textDespite increased awareness of the potential risks of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use [1], vaping e-liquids containing nicotine continues to be thought of as a less harmful alternative to smoking combustible cigarettes. Recent evidence points to nicotine-containing e-cigarettes, either alone or in combination with nicotine patches, as being effective for smoking cessation [2, 3]. Although both e-cigarettes and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) provide a replacement source of nicotine, e-cigarettes are often vaped over the long term while NRT is applied mostly for a discrete quitting period [2].
As opposed to smoking cessation with nicotine-replacement therapy and/or varenicline, nicotine-containing e-cigarette use does not improve some airway inflammatory markers
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Intermediate Hair Follicles from Patients with Female Pattern Hair Loss Are Associated with Nutrient Insufficiency and a Quiescent Metabolic Phenotype
No full textFemale pattern hair loss (FPHL) is a non-scarring alopecia resulting from the progressive conversion of the terminal (t) scalp hair follicles (HFs) into intermediate/miniaturized (i/m) HFs. Although data supporting nutrient deficiency in FPHL HFs are lacking, therapeutic strategies are often associated with nutritional supplementation. Here, we show by metabolic analysis that selected nutrients important for hair growth such as essential amino acids and vitamins are indeed decreased in affected iHFs compared to tHFs in FPHL scalp skin, confirming nutrient insufficiency. iHFs also displayed a more quiescent metabolic phenotype, as indicated by altered metabolite abundance in freshly collected HFs and release/consumption during organ culture of products/substrates of TCA cycle, aerobic glycolysis, and glutaminolysis. Yet, as assessed by exogenous nutrient supplementation ex vivo, nutrient uptake mechanisms are not impaired in affected FPHL iHFs. Moreover, blood vessel density is not diminished in iHFs versus tHFs, despite differences in tHFs from different FPHL scalp locations or versus healthy scalp or changes in the expression of angiogenesis-associated growth factors. Thus, our data reveal that affected iHFs in FPHL display a relative nutrient insufficiency and dormant metabolism, but are still capable of absorbing nutrients, supporting the potential of nutritional supplementation as an adjunct therapy for FPHL