Bauermacleod1421

3D late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) imaging is a promising non-invasive technique for the assessment of atrial fibrosis. However, current techniques result in prolonged and unpredictable scan times and high rates of non-diagnostic images. The purpose of this study was to compare the performance of a recently proposed accelerated respiratory motion-compensated 3D water/fat LGE technique with conventional 3D LGE for atrial wall imaging.

18 patients (age 55.7±17.1years) with atrial fibrillation underwent conventional diaphragmatic navigator gated inversion recovery (IR)-prepared 3D LGE (dNAV) and proposed image-navigator motion-corrected water/fat IR-prepared 3D LGE (iNAV) imaging. Images were assessed for image quality and presence of fibrosis by three expert observers. The scan time for both techniques was recorded.

Image quality scores were improved with the proposed compared to the conventional method (iNAV 3.1 ± 1.0 vs. dNAV 2.6 ± 1.0, p = 0.0012, with 1 Non-diagnostic to 4 Full diagnostic). Furthermore, scan time for the proposed method was significantly shorter with a 59% reduction is scan time (4.5 ± 1.2min vs. 10.9 ± 3.9min, p < 0.0001). The images acquired with the proposed method were deemed as inconclusive less frequently than the conventional images (expert 1/expert 2 4/7 dNAV and 2/4 iNAV images inconclusive).

The motion-compensated water/fat LGE method enables atrial wall imaging with diagnostic quality comparable to the current conventional approach with a significantly shorter scan of about 5min.

The motion-compensated water/fat LGE method enables atrial wall imaging with diagnostic quality comparable to the current conventional approach with a significantly shorter scan of about 5 min.Reprogramming cell fates towards mature cell types are a promising cell supply for treating degenerative diseases. Recently, transcription factors and some small molecules have turned into impressive modulating elements for reprogramming cell fates. Melatonin, a pineal hormone, has neuroprotective functions including neural stem cell (NSC) proliferative and differentiative modulation in both embryonic and adult brain. ACBI1 We developed a protocol that could be implemented in the direct reprogramming of human skin fibroblast towards neural cells by using histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3) inhibitor (CHIR99021), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibitor, rho-associated protein kinase inhibitor (Y-27632), cAMP activator, and melatonin treatment. We found that melatonin enhanced neural-transcription factor genes expressions, including brain-specific homeobox/POU domain protein 2 (BRN2), Achaete-Scute Family BHLH transcription Factor 1 (ASCL1), and Myelin Transcription Factor 1 Like (MYT1L). Melatonin also increased the expression of different neural-specific proteins such as doublecortin (DCX), Sex determining region Y-box 2 (Sox2), and neuronal nuclei (NeuN) compared with other five small molecules (valproic acid (VPA), CHIR99021, Forskolin, 1,9 pyrazoloanthrone (SP600125), and Y-27632) combination in the presence and absence of melatonin. A noticeable upregulation of autophagy proteins (microtubule-associated protein 1A/1B-light chain 3 (LC3) and Beclin-1) were seen in the melatonin treatment during the induction period while these were reverted in the presence of L-leucine, an autophagy inhibitor. In addition, the expression of NeuN was also significantly reduced by L-leucine. Collectively, our findings revealed an activation of autophagy during neural induction; melatonin enhanced reprogramming efficiency for neuron induction through the modulation of autophagy activation.Nucleoprotein (P40) is one of the most important proteins of Borna disease virus 1 (BoDV-1), but which proteins it would bind to in the pathogenesis of BoDV-1-infected hosts is unknown. We used lentivirus LV5-P40 overexpressing P40 to infect primary hippocampal neurons and characterized the interactome of P40 with co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) followed by mass spectrometry (MS) analysis. These interacting protein partners revealed the pathogenesis of BoDV-1-infected hosts. We also show for the first time that P40 interacts with 5HT2CR in rat neurons, which may be the molecular basis leading to neuropsychiatric diseases such as anxiety disorders and behavioral abnormalities after BoDV-1 infection of hosts.In this study, we aimed to explore the effectiveness of selenium on the chondrocyte glycoprotein glycosylation which plays important roles in the pathogenesis of Kashin-Beck disease (KBD). Cartilage samples were collected from KBD patients after total knee replacement surgery. Chondrocytes were cultured with sodium selenium. The group of chondrocytes which were cultured without adding sodium selenium was considered as control group. Lectin microarray was used to screen the differences in lectin levels between KBD and KBD with selenium groups. Stronger signals for Bandeiraea simplicifolia (BS-I), Hippeastrum hybrid lectin (HHL), Pisum sativum agglutinin (PSA), Psophocarpus tetragonolobus lectin I (PTL-I), Psophocarpus tetragonolobus lectin II (PTL-II), Sophora japonica agglutinin (SJA), Lotus tetragonolobus lectin (LTL), and Triticum vulgaris (WGA) were observed in the KBD group. Meanwhile, Aleuria aurantia lectin (AAL), Lens culinaris agglutinin (LCA), Lycopersicon esculentum (tomato) lectin (LEL), Peanut agglutinin (PNA), and Sambucus nigra lectin (SNA) signals were lower in the KBD group. Selenium may have the function of influence the expression levels of carbohydrate chains Galα1,3-Gal, high mannose, and GlcNAc.Background Although clinical pharmacy is a crucial part of hospital pharmacist's day-to-day activity, its performance is not usually subject to a holistic assessment. Objective To define a set of relevant and measurable clinical pharmacy and support activities key performance indicators (cpKPI and saKPI, respectively). Setting Portuguese Hospital Pharmacies. Method After a comprehensive literature review focusing on the metrics already in use in other countries, several meetings with directors of hospital pharmacies were conducted to obtain their perspectives on hospital pharmacy practices and existing metrics. Finally, five rounds with a panel of 8 experts were performed to define the final set of KPIs, where experts were asked to score each indicator' relevance and measurability, and encouraged to suggest new metrics. Main outcome measure The first Portuguese list of KPIs to assess pharmacists' clinical and support activities performance and quality in hospital pharmacies. Results A total of 136 KPIs were assessed during this study, of which 57 were included in the original list and 79 were later added by the expert panel. By the end of the study, a total of 85 indicators were included in the final list, of which 40 are considered to be saKPI, 39 cpKPI and 6 neither. Conclusion A set of measurable KPIs was established to allow for benchmarking within and between Portuguese hospital Pharmacies and to elevate professional accountability and transparency. Future perspectives include the use of both cpKPIs and saKPIs on a national scale to identify the most efficient performances and areas of possible improvement.

Pregnancy is an important issue for many women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This study examined maternal and fetal outcomes among SLE women with or without a history of lupus nephritis (LN).

We retrospectively analyzed 98 pregnancies in 57 women previously diagnosed with SLE who gave birth at our hospital.

There were 44 pregnancies in women with a history of LN and 54 pregnancies in those without. Fetal loss was observed in 16.1% of SLE pregnancies when excluding induced abortion, and preeclampsia and SLE flare were observed in 12.2 and 6.1% of SLE pregnancies, respectively. No significant differences were evident between women with or without LN in rate of fetal loss, preeclampsia or SLE flare. Women with a history of LN exhibited a significantly shorter duration of gestation (37.0weeks vs. 38.4weeks, P = 0.006) and lower birth weight (2484g vs. 2746g, P = 0.007) than those without LN. Multivariate analysis revealed glucocorticoid dose but not history of LN, as an independent risk factor for preterm delivery and low birth weight.

This study was unable to conclude that a history of LN predicted pregnancy outcomes among SLE women. Instead, a higher dose of glucocorticoid at conception was unexpectedly associated with preterm delivery and low birth weight. Further studies are awaited to verify the relationship.

This study was unable to conclude that a history of LN predicted pregnancy outcomes among SLE women. Instead, a higher dose of glucocorticoid at conception was unexpectedly associated with preterm delivery and low birth weight. Further studies are awaited to verify the relationship.African Americans and Appalachians experience greater incidence and mortality rates of colorectal cancer due to factors, such as reduced prevalence of screening. An educational session (the Screen to Save Initiative) was conducted to increase intent to screen for colorectal cancer among African Americans and Appalachians in Ohio. Using a community-based approach, from April to September 2017, 85 eligible participants were recruited in Franklin County and Appalachia Ohio. Participants completed a knowledge assessment on colorectal cancer before and after participating in either an educational PowerPoint session or a guided tour through an Inflatable Colon. Logistic regression models were used to determine what factors were associated with changes in colorectal cancer knowledge and intent to screen for colorectal cancer. The majority (71.79%) of participants gained knowledge about colorectal cancer after the intervention. Multivariate results showed that race (OR = 0.30; 95% CI 0.11-0.80 for African Americans versus White participants) and intervention type (OR = 5.97; 95% CI 1.94-18.43 for PowerPoint versus Inflatable Colon) were associated with a change in knowledge. The association between education and intent to screen was marginally statistically significant (OR = 0.42; 95% CI 0.16-1.13 for college graduate versus not a college graduate). A change in colorectal cancer knowledge was not associated with intent to screen. Future educational interventions should be modified to increase intent to screen and screening for colorectal cancer. Further research with these modified interventions should aim to reduce disparities in CRC among underserved populations while listening to the voices of the communities.

Following endotracheal intubation, clearing secretions above the endotracheal tube cuff decreases the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP); therefore, subglottic secretion drainage (SSD) is widely advocated. Our group developed a novel technique to remove the subglottic secretions, the rapid-flow expulsion maneuver (RFEM). The objective of this study was to explore the effectiveness and safety of RFEM compared with SSD.

This study was a single-center, prospective, randomized and controlled trial, conducted at Respiratory Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, a university-affiliated tertiary hospital. The primary outcome was the incidence of VAP, assessed for non-inferiority.

Patients with an endotracheal tube allowing drainage of subglottic secretions (n = 241) were randomly assigned to either the RFEM group (n = 120) or SSD group (n = 121). Eleven patients (9.17%) in the RFEM group and 13 (10.74%) in the SSD group developed VAP (difference, - 1.59; 95% confidence interval [CI] [- 9.