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Living building materials (LBMs) utilize microorganisms to produce construction materials that exhibit mechanical and biological properties. A hydrogel-based LBM containing bacteria capable of microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) was recently developed. selleck Here, LBM design factors, i.e., gel/sand ratio, inclusion of trehalose, and MICP pathways, are evaluated. The results show that non-saturated LBM (gel/sand = 0.13) and gel-saturated LBM (gel/sand = 0.30) underwent distinct failure modes. The inclusion of trehalose maintains bacterial viability under ambient conditions with low relative humidity, without affecting mechanical properties of the LBM. Comparison of biotic and abiotic LBM shows that MICP efficiency in this material is subject to the pathway selected the LBM with heterotrophic ureolytic Escherichia coli demonstrated the most mechanical enhancement from the abiotic controls, compared with either ureolytic or CO2-concentrating mechanisms from Synechococcus. The study shows that tailoring of LBM properties can be accomplished in a manner that considers both LBM microstructure and MICP pathways.Celastrol, a compound extracted from traditional Chinese medicine, has been reported as a potent anti-obesity agent with controversial mechanisms. Here both C57BL/6J and leptin-deficient (ob/ob) mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) displayed body weight loss after celastrol therapy, opposing the previous viewpoint that celastrol improves obesity by sensitizing leptin signaling. More importantly, celastrol downregulated lipid transporters in the intestine, increased lipid excretion in feces, and reduced body weight gain in HFD mice. Meanwhile, analysis of gut microbiota revealed that celastrol altered the gut microbiota composition in HFD-fed mice, and modulating gut microbiota by antibiotics or fecal microbiota transplantation blocked the celastrol effect on intestinal lipid transport and body weight gain, suggesting a critical role of the gut microbiota composition in mediating the anti-obesity role of celastrol under HFD. Together, the findings revealed that celastrol reduces intestinal lipid absorption to antagonize obesity by resetting the gut microbiota profile under HFD feeding.Biofilms are surface-attached and matrix-enclosed microbial communities that dominate microbial life in numerous ecosystems. Using flumes and automated optical coherence tomography, we studied the morphogenesis of phototrophic biofilms along a gradient of hydraulic conditions. Compact and coalescent biofilms formed under elevated bed shear stress, whereas protruding clusters separated by troughs formed under reduced shear stress. This morphological differentiation did not linearly follow the hydraulic gradient, but a break point emerged around a shear stress of ~0.08 Pa. While community composition did not differ between high and low shear environments, our results suggest that the morphological differentiation was linked to biomass displacement and reciprocal interactions between the biofilm structure and hydraulics. Mapping oxygen concentrations within and around biofilm structures, we provide empirical evidence for biofilm-induced alterations of oxygen mass transfer. Our findings suggest that architectural plasticity, efficient mass transfer, and resistance to shear stress contribute to the success of phototrophic biofilms.Fertilization of an egg by multiple sperm presents one of the earliest and most prevalent obstacles to successful reproduction. Eggs employ multiple mechanisms to prevent sperm entry into the nascent zygote. The fast block to polyspermy uses a depolarization to inhibit sperm entry. For some external fertilizers, fertilization and the fast block require actin polymerization. Here we explored whether the fast block to polyspermy in the external fertilizer, Xenopus laevis, requires actin polymerization. Inseminating in the presence of inhibitor cytochalasin B, here we demonstrate that actin polymerization is not required for the fast block to polyspermy in X. laevis.Coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP), commonly known as black lung, is caused by the inhalation of respirable coal mine dust and is a disabling and potentially fatal lung disease with no cure. Historically, CWP has taken a tremendous human and financial toll in the US coal mining industry. Recent health surveillance data indicates that CWP continues to occur at elevated levels. Respirable coal dust exposure must be controlled to prevent the development of CWP. The Pittsburgh Mining Research Division of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducts laboratory and mine-site research to identify control technologies that can be used to successfully reduce respirable dust levels. Various technologies, using multiple methods of control, can be applied in order to reduce dust levels. An overview of CWP's impact and a general methodology for controlling respirable dust in underground coal mines are discussed in this paper.Despite extensive clinical research and management protocols applied in the field of coronary artery diseases (CAD), it still holds the number 1 position in mortality worldwide. This indicates that we need to work on precision medicine to discover the diagnostic, therapeutic, and prognostic targets to improve the outcome of CAD. In precision medicine, epigenetic changes play a vital role in disease onset and progression. Epigenetics is the study of heritable changes that do not affect the alterations of DNA sequence in the genome. It comprises various covalent modifications that occur in DNA or histone proteins affecting the spatial arrangement of the DNA and histones. These multiple modifications include DNA/histone methylation, acetylation, phosphorylation, and SUMOylation. Besides these covalent modifications, non-coding RNAs-viz. miRNA, lncRNA, and circRNA are also involved in epigenetics. Smoking, alcohol, diet, environmental pollutants, obesity, and lifestyle are some of the prime factors affecting epigenetic alterations. Novel molecular techniques such as next-generation sequencing, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and mass spectrometry have been developed to identify important cross points in the epigenetic web in relation to various diseases. The studies regarding exploration of epigenetics, have led researchers to identify multiple diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets that are being used in different disease diagnosis and management. Here in this review, we will discuss various ground-breaking contributions of past and recent studies in the epigenetic field in concert with coronary artery diseases. Future prospects of epigenetics and its implication in CAD personalized medicine will also be discussed in brief.

In Epi-Bowman Keratectomy™ (EBK), a new dynamic multi-blade single-use device (Epi-Clear™, Orca Surgical, Israel) is utilized to remove the epithelium by sweeping movements across the corneal surface. Epithelial cells are discarded. Alcohol or other chemical agents are not utilized. We wanted to compare clinical results of Epi-Clear photorefractive kertectomy (PRK) to alcohol-assisted PRK.

Retrospective, comparative study.

Consecutive case series Adult patients seeking laser vision correction of myopia or myopic astigmatism without ocular diseases or prior surgery were included. The Epi-Clear PRK group comprised 50 consecutive eyes of 27 patients and the PRK group 50 eyes of 25 patients.

No intraoperative complications occurred. Epi-Clear PRK At day 1, day 4, and 3 months, uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA) was 0.41/0.47/0.93 (decimal scale); epithelial defect diameter was 4.7/0.2/0 (mm); pain level was 3.8/0.3/0 (visual analogue scale, 0-10), respectively. At 3 months, efficacy index was 0.86 ore, after Epi-Clear PRK corneal infiltrates as a new type of postoperative complication were observed.

To determine the outcome and predictive factors of clinical success of bronchial artery embolization in life-threatening hemoptysis.

We reviewed all bronchial artery embolization procedures performed for life-threatening hemoptysis between January 2008 and December 2018. The outcomes and predictive factors of clinical success following embolization were evaluated.

One hundred and eighty-four bronchial artery embolization procedures performed in 145 patients were eligible for the study. The technical and clinical success rates of the procedures were 170/184 (92.4%) and 129/184 (70.1%), respectively. The unstable hemodynamics and prothrombin time/international normalized ratio >1.5 was associated with lower clinical success rate, while embolization of more than one vessel was associated with higher clinical success rate.

Bronchial artery embolization is a safe and effective procedure for controlling bleeding in life-threatening hemoptysis. However, low clinical success rate was noted in patients with unstable hemodynamics and coagulopathy, while multiple vessel embolization was associated with higher clinical success.

Bronchial artery embolization is a safe and effective procedure for controlling bleeding in life-threatening hemoptysis. However, low clinical success rate was noted in patients with unstable hemodynamics and coagulopathy, while multiple vessel embolization was associated with higher clinical success.An experiment was designed to investigate the impact of a dual-task on the response structure of a 16-element movement sequence. The primary task was to move a lever to targets sequentially presented horizontally on the screen by elbow extension/flexion movements. The secondary task was a simple reaction time task triggered by moving the lever through targets at the middle and the end of the sequence. Participants were permitted to acquire the movement sequence on one day, and to perform the sequence on a second day under single-task and dual-task conditions. The results of the acquisition phase indicated that participants increased their performance over practice. Day 2 analysis indicated that performance of the repeated sequence was not deteriorated by the dual-task. This finding indicated that the response structure of the movement sequence performance was stable with regard to the secondary task. The current results are partially consistent with the theoretical assumption of an abstract representation for movement sequence execution.

Dynamic intraventricular obstruction after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has been previously reported. There is a risk of haemodynamic collapse in the case of left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction due to systolic anterior motion (SAM) of the mitral valve.

An 83-year-old woman with aortic stenosis (AS) was referred to our hospital for TAVI. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed a severely calcified aortic valve with a peak velocity of 6.3 m/s across the valve. Acceleration of blood flow (peak velocity 2.6 m/s) at the LVOT due to a septal bulge was also seen. Transfemoral TAVI was performed, and a 29 mm Evolut PRO was implanted under general anaesthesia. After the implantation, a complete atrioventricular block with junctional rhythm developed, and refractory hypotension occurred immediately. Transoesophageal echocardiography revealed LVOT obstruction due to SAM of the mitral valve associated with severe mitral regurgitation (MR), which was not observed preoperatively. Fluid infusion and catecholamine administration were not effective.