Fitzgeraldbjerrum1238
The hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) optimization of oat husk was performed using a response surface methodology. Furthermore, anaerobic digestion (AD) of spent liquor and hydrochar addition were evaluated in the biomethane potential (BMP) test. Results found that temperature influences the most in the studied responses (i.e., mass yield (MY) and higher heating value (HHV)). Optimal hydrochar MY (53.8%) and HHV (21.5 MJ/kg) were obtained for 219.2 °C, 30 min, and 0.08 of biomass/water ratio. A successful prediction capability of the optimization approach was observed, archiving an error less then 1% between predicted and validated responses. The BMP experiment showed the feasibility of spent liquor as a potential substrate to be treated by AD (144 NmLCH4/gCOD). Hydrochar boosted the methane production of spent liquor increasing up to 17% compared to digestion with no hydrochar addition. These findings provide new insights regarding oat husk valorization by integrating HTC and AD for energy production.Neuroimaging studies have found 'reality monitoring', our ability to distinguish internally generated experiences from those derived from the external world, to be associated with activity in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of the brain. Here we probe the functional underpinning of this ability using real-time fMRI neurofeedback to investigate the involvement of mPFC in recollection of the source of self-generated information. Thirty-nine healthy individuals underwent neurofeedback training in a between groups study receiving either Active feedback derived from the paracingulate region of the mPFC (21 subjects) or Sham feedback based on a similar level of randomised signal (18 subjects). Compared to those in the Sham group, participants receiving Active signal showed increased mPFC activity over the course of three real-time neurofeedback training runs undertaken in a single scanning session. Analysis of resting state functional connectivity associated with changes in reality monitoring accuracy following Active neurofeedback revealed increased connectivity between dorsolateral frontal regions of the fronto-parietal network (FPN) and the mPFC region of the default mode network (DMN), together with reduced connectivity within ventral regions of the FPN itself. However, only a trend effect was observed in the interaction of the recollection of the source of Imagined information compared with recognition memory between participants receiving Active and Sham neurofeedback, pre- and post- scanning. As such, these findings demonstrate that neurofeedback can be used to modulate mPFC activity and increase cooperation between the FPN and DMN, but the effects on reality monitoring performance are less clear.Advances in computational neuroimaging techniques have expanded the armamentarium of imaging tools available for clinical applications in clinical neuroscience. Non-invasive, in vivo brain MRI structural and functional network mapping has been used to identify therapeutic targets, define eloquent brain regions to preserve, and gain insight into pathological processes and treatments as well as prognostic biomarkers. These tools have the real potential to inform patient-specific treatment strategies. Nevertheless, a realistic appraisal of clinical utility is needed that balances the growing excitement and interest in the field with important limitations associated with these techniques. Quality of the raw data, minutiae of the processing methodology, and the statistical models applied can all impact on the results and their interpretation. A lack of standardization in data acquisition and processing has also resulted in issues with reproducibility. This limitation has had a direct impact on the reliability of these tools and ultimately, confidence in their clinical use. Advances in MRI technology and computational power as well as automation and standardization of processing methods, including machine learning approaches, may help address some of these issues and make these tools more reliable in clinical use. In this review, we will highlight the current clinical uses of MRI connectomics in the diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders; balancing emerging applications and technologies with limitations of connectivity analytic approaches to present an encompassing and appropriate perspective.
To investigate risk factors associated with urologic injury in women undergoing hysterectomy for benign indication.
A retrospective cohort study for the period of 2011-2018 was conducted using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database. Women without urologic injury were compared with women with injury. A pre-specified multivariable logistic regression model, controlling for key patient demographic factors and intraoperative variables, was used to assess for surgical factors associated with urologic injury.
Among 262117 women who underwent hysterectomy for benign indication, 1539 (0.6%) sustained urologic injury. On average, patients with urologic injury were younger, had lower body mass index (BMI), and more frequently underwent a transabdominal surgical approach. Patients who underwent total hysterectomy had increased odds of urologic injury than those who underwent subtotal hysterectomy (adjusted OR [aOR] 1.49; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.21-1.84). Patients with class III obesity had lower odds of injury than patients with normal BMI (aOR 0.64; 95% CI 0.51-0.80). For risk of urologic injury, an interaction was observed between surgical approach and surgical indication. Abdominal compared with laparoscopic approach was associated with urologic injury for women with endometriosis (aOR 2.98; 95% CI 1.99-4.47), pelvic pain (aOR 3.51; 95% CI 1.74-7.08), menstrual disorders (aOR 4.33; 95% CI 1.68-11.1), and fibroids (aOR 2.28; 95% CI 1.72-3.03). Vaginal compared with laparoscopic approach was associated with increased odds of injury for women with menstrual disorders (aOR 7.62; 95% CI 1.37-42.5).
While the risk of urologic injury during hysterectomy for benign indication is low, the risk is dependent on patient disease factors and surgical approach.
While the risk of urologic injury during hysterectomy for benign indication is low, the risk is dependent on patient disease factors and surgical approach.
Hypertension, proteinuria, and hepatic dysfunction have been described as manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and are generally accepted as poor prognostic factors. However, these same findings can also occur in pregnant women with preeclampsia, thus creating a diagnostic challenge.
We report a case of COVID-19 infection in an otherwise healthy pregnant patient with secondary hypertension, proteinuria, and significant hepatic dysfunction. Maternal placental growth factor (PlGF) testing was used to rule out preeclampsia. The patient received supportive care and improved significantly. She went on to have a spontaneous vaginal term delivery of a healthy male baby.
COVID-19 infection in pregnancy may present as preeclampsia-like syndrome. Saracatinib research buy PlGF testing can be used to differentiate preeclampsia from COVID-19 and facilitate appropriate management.
COVID-19 infection in pregnancy may present as preeclampsia-like syndrome. PlGF testing can be used to differentiate preeclampsia from COVID-19 and facilitate appropriate management.Cryo-electron microscopy has revolutionized structural biology. In particular structures of proteins at the membrane interface have been a major contribution of cryoEM. Yet, visualization and characterization of peripheral membrane proteins remains challenging; mostly because there is no unified purification strategy for these proteins. FAM92A1 is a novel peripheral membrane protein that binds to the mitochondrial inner membrane. There, FAM92A1 dimers bind to the membrane and play an essential role in regulating the mitochondrial ultrastructure. Curiously, FAM92A1 has also an important function in ciliogenesis. FAM92A1 is part of the membrane bending Bin1/Amphiphsyin/RVS (BAR) domain protein family. Currently, there is no structure of FAM92A1, mostly because FAM92A1 is unstable and insoluble at high concentrations, like many BAR domain proteins. Yet, pure and concentrated protein is a necessity for screening to generate samples suitable for structure determination. Here, we present an optimized purification and expression strategy for dimeric FAM92A1. To our knowledge, we are the first to use the spidroin tag NT* to successfully purify a peripheral membrane protein. Our results show that NT* not only increases solubility but stabilizes FAM92A1 as a dimer. FAM92A1 fused to NT* is active because it is able to efficiently bend membranes. Taken together, our strategy indicates that this is a possible avenue to express and purify other challenging BAR domain proteins.Ferroptosis is a novel form of cell death characterized by heavy iron accumulation and lipid peroxidation that plays a critical role in the tumor microenvironment. However, promising biomarkers associated with tumor immune cell infiltration and the immunotherapy response to ferroptosis regulators remain to be elucidated in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) patients. In this study, we defined ferroptosis regulators in LUAD through database analysis and experimental validation to determine the implementation of genes associated with clinical relevance, immunotherapy response and tumor microenvironment in LUAD patients. Multiomics data analysis was performed to explore the CNV features, molecular mechanisms and immunogenic characteristics of ferroptosis regulators in LUAD patients. Then, univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to identify three genes (DDIT4, RRM2, and SLC2A1) that were closely associated with the prognosis of LUAD patients. The prognostic model based on the determination of these bitor ferrostatin-1 treatment effectively re-blanced macrophage polarization mediated by RRM2 inhibition. Taken together, the results of the multiomics data analysis and experimental validation identified ferroptosis regulators as promising biomarkers and therapeutic targets associated with tumor immune infiltration in LUAD patients.
Fungal spores are the predominant biological particulates in outdoor air. However, in contrast to pollens or outdoor air pollution, little is known about their respiratory health risks.
The objectives were to conduct the first review of epidemiological studies on the short and long-term effects of outdoor mould exposure on respiratory health in children and adults.
Health outcomes included asthma, lung function and rhinitis. Cross-sectional and longitudinal epidemiological studies using quantitative measures of outdoor mould exposure (optical microscopy, culture-based methods) were selected, providing that important confounding factors including temporal trends or meteorological factors were accounted for. A systematic literature search was performed up to June 2020, leading to the selection of 37 publications.
Most studies were longitudinal and investigated short-term effects. There is evidence of an association between outdoor fungal exposure and an increase in asthma exacerbation among children for total spores, two phyla (Ascomycetes, Basidiomycetes), and two taxa (Cladosporium, Alternaria).