Valentinezimmermann9286
Butadiene is an important monomer for synthetic rubbers. selleck chemicals Currently, the annual demand of ∼16 million tonnes is satisfied by butadiene produced as a byproduct of steam naphtha cracking where ethylene and propylene are the main products. The availability of large amounts of shale gas and condensates in the USA since about 2008 has led to a change in the cracker feed from naphtha to ethane and propane, affecting the amount of butadiene obtained. This has provided the impetus to look into direct processes for butadiene production. One option is the eco-friendly conversion of (bio) ethanol to butadiene (ETB). This process had been developed in the 1930s in the then Soviet Union. It was operated on a large scale in USA during World War II but has since been abandoned in favour of petroleum-based processes. The current trend, driven both by the availability of the raw material and ecological considerations, may make this process feasible again, particularly if the catalytic systems can be improved. This critical review discusses recent catalysts for the ETB process with special focus on the development since 2014, benchmarking them against earlier systems with a large database of operational experience.
High myocardial stiffness in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is attributed to comorbidity-induced structural and functional remodelling through inflammation and oxidative stress affecting coronary microvascular endothelial cells and cardiomyocytes, which augments interstitial fibrosis and cardiomyocyte stiffness. In murine and human HFpEF myocardium, sodium glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibition ameliorates cardiac microvascular endothelial cell and cardiomyocyte oxidative stress, while enhancing myocardial protein kinase G activity and lowering titin-based cardiomyocyte stiffness. Failure of previous HFpEF outcome trials refocuses attention to improving pathophysiological insight and trial design with better phenotyping of patients and matching of therapeutic targets to prevailing pathogenetic mechanisms. SGLT2 inhibition could represent a viable therapeutic option especially in HFpEF patients in whom high diastolic left ventricular (LV) stiffness is predominantly caused by elev early HFpEF.
The STADIA-HFpEF trial will be the first study to evaluate the direct effects of dapagliflozin on amelioration of LV stiffness, using histological phenotyping to discern early HFpEF.The liver, the largest gland in the human body, plays a key role in metabolism, bile production, detoxification, and water and electrolyte regulation. The toxins or drugs that the gastrointestinal system absorbs reach the liver first before entering the bloodstream. Liver disease is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Therefore, an in vitro liver tissue model that reproduces the main functions of the liver can be a reliable platform for investigating liver diseases and developing new drugs. In addition, the limitations in traditional, planar monolayer cell cultures and animal tests for evaluating the toxicity and efficacy of drug candidates can be overcome. Currently, the newly emerging 3D bioprinting technologies have the ability to construct in vitro liver tissue models both in static scaffolds and dynamic liver-on-chip manners. This review mainly focuses on the construction and applications of liver tissue models based on 3D bioprinting. Special attention is given to 3D bioprinting strategies and bioinks for constructing liver tissue models including the cell sources and hydrogel selection. In addition, the main advantages and limitations and the major challenges and future perspectives are discussed, paving the way for the next generation of in vitro liver tissue models.Kidney transplantation is the preferred treatment of end-stage renal disease in children. However, time to transplant varies, making a well-functioning long-term vascular access essential for performing hemodialysis efficiently and without disruption until a kidney becomes available. However, establishing long-term vascular access in pediatric patients can present distinct challenges due to this population's unique characteristics, such as smaller body size and lower-diameter blood vessels. There are three main pediatric long-term vascular access options, which include central venous catheters (CVC), arteriovenous fistula (AVF), and arteriovenous graft (AVG). CVC are currently the most widely used modality, although various studies and guidelines recommend AVF or AVG as the preferred option. Although AVF should be used whenever possible, it is crucial that clinicians consider factors such as patient size, physical exam findings, comorbidities, predicted duration of treatment to decide on the most optimal long-term vascular access modality. This article reviews the three long-term vascular access methods in children and the benefits and complications of each.
Preventive therapy is essential for reducingtuberculosis (TB) burden among people living with HIV (PLWH) in high-burden settings. Short-course preventive therapy regimens, such as three-month weekly rifapentine and isoniazid (3HP) and one-month daily rifapentine and isoniazid (1HP), may help facilitate uptake of preventive therapy for latently infected patients, but the comparative cost-effectiveness of these regimens under different conditions is uncertain.
We used a Markov state-transition model to estimate the incremental costs and effectiveness of 1HP versus 3HP in a simulated cohort ofpatients attending an HIV clinic in Uganda, as an example of a low-income, high-burden setting in which TB preventive therapy might be prescribed to PLWH. Our primary outcome was the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio, expressed as 2019 US dollars per disability-adjusted life year (DALY) averted. We estimated cost-effectiveness under different conditions of treatment completion and efficacy of 1HP versus 3HP, latent TB prevalence and rifapentine price.
Assuming equivalent clinical outcomes using 1HP and 3HP and a rifapentine price of $0.21 per 150mg, 1HP would cost an additional $4.66 per patient treated. Assuming equivalent efficacy but 20% higher completion with 1HP versus 3HP, 1HP would cost $1,221 per DALY averted relative to 3HP. This could be reduced to $18 per DALY averted if 1HP had 5% greater efficacy than 3HP and the price of rifapentine were 50% lower. At a rifapentineprice of$0.06 per 150mg, 1HP would become cost-neutral relative to 3HP.
1HP has the potential to be cost-effective under many realistic circumstances. Cost-effectiveness depends onrifapentine price, relative completion and efficacy, prevalence of latent TB and local willingness-to-pay.
1HP has the potential to be cost-effective under many realistic circumstances. Cost-effectiveness depends on rifapentine price, relative completion and efficacy, prevalence of latent TB and local willingness-to-pay.Epiphyseal chondrodysplasia, Miura type (ECDM) is a skeletal dysplasia with tall stature and distinctive skeletal features caused by heterozygous NPR2 pathogenic variants. Only four families have been reported. We present a family with five affected individuals (mother, three sons, and daughter). The mother's phenotype was relatively mild borderline tall stature and elongated halluces operated during childhood. The children were remarkably more severely affected with tall stature, scoliosis, and elongated toes and fingers leading to suspicion of Marfan syndrome. Progressive valgus deformities (at the hips, knees, and ankles) were the main complaints and necessitated orthopedic investigations and surgery. Radiographs showed coxa valga, scoliosis, multiple pseudoepiphyses of the fingers and toes with uneven elongation of the digits and ankle valgus. The two older brothers underwent osteotomies and guided growth for axial deformities and arthrodesis for elongated halluces. Genetic testing confirmed the clinical diagnosis of ECDM all affected individuals had a heterozygous c.2647G>A (p.Val883Met) NPR2 variant in a highly conserved region in the carboxyl-terminal guanylyl cyclase domain. This two-generation family elucidates the clinical and radiological variability of the disease. These rare cases are important to gain further understanding of the fundamental processes of growth regulation.
Recent work reveals a new source of error in number line estimation (NLE), the left digit effect (Lai, Zax, et al., 2018), whereby numerals with different leftmost digits but similar magnitudes (e.g., 399, 401) are placed farther apart on a number line (e.g., 0 to 1,000) than is warranted. The goals of the present study were to (1) replicate the left digit effect, and (2) assess whether it is related to mathematical achievement.
Participants were all individuals (adult college students) who completed the NLE task in the laboratory between 2014 and 2019 for whom SAT scores were available (n=227).
We replicated the left digit effect but found its size was not correlated with SAT math score, although it was negatively correlated with SAT verbal score for one NLE task version.
These findings provide further evidence that individual digits strongly influence estimation performance and suggest that this effect may have different cognitive contributors, and predict different complex skills, than overall NLE accuracy.
These findings provide further evidence that individual digits strongly influence estimation performance and suggest that this effect may have different cognitive contributors, and predict different complex skills, than overall NLE accuracy.An emerging theme from large-scale genetic screens that identify genes essential for cell fitness is that essentiality of a given gene is highly context-specific. Identification of such contexts could be the key to defining gene function and also to develop novel therapeutic interventions. Here, we present Context-specific Essentiality Network-tools (CEN-tools), a website and python package, in which users can interrogate the essentiality of a gene from large-scale genome-scale CRISPR screens in a number of biological contexts including tissue of origin, mutation profiles, expression levels and drug responses. We show that CEN-tools is suitable for the systematic identification of genetic dependencies and for more targeted queries. The associations between genes and a given context are represented as dependency networks (CENs), and we demonstrate the utility of these networks in elucidating novel gene functions. In addition, we integrate the dependency networks with existing protein-protein interaction networks to reveal context-dependent essential cellular pathways in cancer cells. Together, we demonstrate the applicability of CEN-tools in aiding the current efforts to define the human cellular dependency map.
Little is known on the effect of varying implant diameters, especially with mini implants (ie, less than 3 mm in diameter), on oral health-related quality of life (OHrQoL).
To compare OHrQoL and satisfaction in patients with mandibular overdentures immediately retained by either two conventional or two mini-implants.
Edentulous patients receiving immediately loaded overdentures retained by Locators on either two conventional diameter (4.1 mm) or two mini (2.9 mm or less) implants were selected based on available buccal-lingual ridge width in the intraforaminal area. Two questionnaires were used (Oral Health Impact Profile-14 [OHIP-14]; and Denture Satisfaction Questionnaire [DSQ]) to determine OHrQoL and overall denture satisfaction. Questionnaires were filled out at six different time points up to a 1-year follow-up. Mann-Whitney U test was used for group comparisons. Friedman and Wilcoxon tests were used to identify changes within group along the time points. Correlation between OHIP-14 and DSQ was assessed with Spearman test.
