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Oral supplementation with a standardized extract from the bark of the French pine (Pycnogenol®) has been reported to benefit the skin. It might thus represent an easy-to-use strategy to improve the skin health of individuals who are exposed to considerable environmental stress in large urban areas.

We investigated if oral intake of Pycnogenol® can benefit the skin of Han Chinese working outdoors in Beijing, China.

In a monocentre, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, and crossover study, the effects of Pycnogenol® intake (2 × 50 mg/day for a total of 12 weeks) on a variety of skin physiological parameters was studied in Chinese subjects (n = 76), from spring to autumn, who were working outdoors in Beijing, China.

During the intervention period, study subjects were constantly exposed to increased levels of particulate matter (PM)2.5 as well as seasonal changes in humidity and temperature. Despite this environmental stress, Pycnogenol® intake prevented (i) a decrease in the skin hydration, (ii) transepidermal water loss (TEWL), and (iii) skin darkening during the dry autumn season. In addition, Pycnogenol® intake improved (iv) viscoelastic skin properties such as gross elasticity and elastic recovery irrespective of the season. These beneficial effects were not observed if the same subjects were supplemented with placebo.

Oral intake of Pycnogenol® benefits the skin in Han Chinese, who are working outdoors under considerable environmental stress.

Oral intake of Pycnogenol® benefits the skin in Han Chinese, who are working outdoors under considerable environmental stress.In most societies, devices evolved to enhance the mother's working capacity. This article depicts the cradle's development in some countries and delineates the scientific debate that led to its demise in the 19th century. A few basic forms of infant cots survived the centuries from antiquity the carrying board, trough, hammock, sling, transverse rockers, and forward rockers. Romans discerned 2 types the cuna stood on the floor and was moveable by wooden rockers. Lecti pensiles were suspended beds. Cradleboards of Native Americans revealed remarkable variety of shapes and decorations. The cradle's hood was a 16th century development, intended to protect the baby's face from flies, sunlight, and the evil eye. Already in the second century CE, Galen mentioned controversies about rocking. A fervent debate began in the 18th century. Propagators reasoned that rocking perpetuates habitual fetal movement, exercises the child, and avoids the need for somniferous drugs. Opponents claimed that rocking is dangerous, producing an unnatural sleep harmful to the brain, and impeding milk digestion. In the 20th century, cradles were replaced by pushchairs and prams, but they did not disappear. Despite centuries of debate, robust studies have never been conducted, and it remains unclear whether rocking has any benefit or harm for the infant.

Chemosensory dysfunction (CD) has proven valuable in prediction of COVID-19, as it is a frequent and specific symptom of the disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the duration of CD in patients with sudden subjective olfactory and/or gustatory loss during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The secondary aim was to identify possible prognostic factors for the duration of CD.

An online baseline questionnaire was designed to assess subjective CD. Three rounds of follow-up questionnaires were sent out to any participants with persistent CD in 6-week intervals, prospectively assessing subjective chemosensory function and extending the follow-up time of this cohort significantly.

In total, 467 participants completed the baseline questionnaire. The most significant improvement and recovery of chemosensory function was observed within the first month after the initial loss. Rates became stagnant after about 2 months, and only little improvement and recovery was seen after 2-4 months. After a mean follow-up ofssibly indicating that prolonged and perhaps permanent chemosensory loss may be a complication of SARS-CoV-2 infections. High subjective severity of CD may worsen the prognosis for improvement and recovery of chemosensory function.

The aim of present work was to assess cytomegalovirus (CMV) viremia in Iranian human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1-infected patients with a CD4+ count <100 cells/mm3 and to explore whether CMV DNA loads correlate with CD4+ cell counts or associated retinitis.

This study was conducted at the AIDS research center in Iran on HIV-1-infected patients with CD4+ count <100 cells/mm3, antiretroviral therapy-naive, aged ≥18 years with no previous history of CMV end-organ disease (CMV-EOD).

Thirty-nine of 82 patients (47.56%) had detectable CMV viral load ranging from 66 to 485,500 IU/mL. CMV viral load in patients with retinitis ranges from 352 to 2,720 IU/mL, and it was undetectable in 2 patients. No significant associations between CMV viremia and CD4+ cell count was found (p value = 0.31), whereas significant association of CMV viremia in HIV-infected patients with retinitis was found (p < 0.02).

We estimated the frequency of CMV viral load infection in Iranian HIV-1-infected patients with a CD4+ cell count <100 mm3/mL in the largest national referral center for HIV-1 infection in Iran. Further research is required on the relevance of CMV viral load in diagnostic and prognostic value of CMV-EOD.

We estimated the frequency of CMV viral load infection in Iranian HIV-1-infected patients with a CD4+ cell count less then 100 mm3/mL in the largest national referral center for HIV-1 infection in Iran. Further research is required on the relevance of CMV viral load in diagnostic and prognostic value of CMV-EOD.

CTNNB1 is reported to be related to the pathological process of ischemic stroke (IS) and coronary artery disease (CAD). Polymorphism located in the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) of a gene might affect gene expression by modifying binding sites for microRNAs (miRNAs). This study aimed to analyze the association between polymorphism rs2953, which locates in the 3'UTR of CTNNB1, and the risk of IS and CAD.

The CTNNB1 messenger RNA (mRNA) expression level in peripheral venous blood was measured. In total, 533 patients with IS, 500 patients with CAD, and 531 healthy individuals were genotyped by Sequenom Mass-Array technology.The binding of miR-3161 to CTNNB1 was determined by dual-luciferase reporter assay.

The CTNNB1 mRNA expression level for the IS group was significantly lower than that for the control group. Rs2953 was significantly associated with both IS risk and CAD risk.Significant association was also found between polymorphism rs2953 and many conventional factors, such as serum lipid level, blood coagulation markers, blood glucose level, and homocysteine level in patients. Rs2953 T allele introduced a binding site to miRNA-3161 and thus decreased luciferase activity.

Polymorphism rs2953 is associated with the risk of both IS and CAD. Moreover, polymorphism rs2953 (T) introduces a binding site to miRNA-3161 and thus decreases luciferase activity in cell lines.

Polymorphism rs2953 is associated with the risk of both IS and CAD. Moreover, polymorphism rs2953 (T) introduces a binding site to miRNA-3161 and thus decreases luciferase activity in cell lines.Early-life experiences may considerably affect the behavioural patterns of adult primates. Particularly, atypical rearing practices might lead to abnormal behaviours and social-sexual deficiencies in captive, adult non-human primates. We conducted behavioural observations of mother-reared (n = 5) and hand-reared (n = 6) adult chimpanzees in a social group at Parco Natura Viva, Italy. MMAF We used continuous focal animal sampling to collect behavioural data focusing on individual and social behaviours. We found that all study subjects performed individual and social species-specific behaviours. However, mother-reared chimpanzees performed locomotion and affiliative behaviours significantly more than hand-reared subjects. In addition to these species-typical behaviours, hand-reared chimpanzees showed significantly more abnormal behaviours than mother-reared subjects. Therefore, these findings suggest that hand-rearing could have wide-reaching effects on the behavioural repertoire in adult zoo-housed chimpanzees. Hence, even if sometimes human intervention in rearing may be necessary to ensure the survival of captive infant chimpanzees, our results suggest that zoo-housed chimpanzees might benefit from minimised human-animal interactions and exposure to conspecifics throughout their development. These suggestions should be implemented in regular husbandry practices.

Immune-checkpoint inhibitors have demonstrated a significant survival benefit in metastatic and non-resectable head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Patients with a combined positivity score (CPS) of 20 and higher benefit the most from therapy. Inaccurate definition of the CPS category might lead to the incorrect stratification of patients to immunotherapy. This study's main aim was to investigate programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) antigen expression in HNSCC in diverse clinical situations and histological settings.

This is a prospective cohort study conducted in a tertiary referral medical center. Tissues were investigated for PD-L1 expression using the FDA-approved 22C3 immunohistochemistry assay (Dako). We analyzed potential associations between the CPS category and meaningful demographic, clinical, and outcome metrics. Furthermore, we investigated morphologically separate sites for CPS scores in whole surgical tissue specimens and matched preoperative biopsies.

We analyzed 36 patients, of whenvironment.

Our data suggest that careful selection of tumor area for CPS analysis is important. PD-L1 antigen expression, clinically represented by CPS, may be up- or down-categorized in different clinical and pathological circumstances. The high whole-tissue CPS category scatter may clinically result in potential treatment modifications. We argue that CPS analysis requires not only adequacy (at least 100 viable tumor cells), but also correct representation of the tumor microenvironment.

Independent peer review of healthcare services can complement existing internal-, institutional-, and national-level regulatory mechanisms aimed at improving quality of healthcare. However, this has not been reported for paediatric endocrinology services in the UK. We aimed to test feasibility and acceptability through a first cycle of a national peer review of paediatric endocrine services.

Tertiary centres in paediatric endocrinology across the UK were assessed against 54 quality standards, developed by the British Society for Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes (BSPED) in five domains of healthcare by a team comprising paediatric endocrinologists and specialist nurses. The evaluation was supported by a self-assessment. A post-peer-review questionnaire was used as feedback.

All 22 centres in the UK underwent independent peer review between 2011 and 2017. Each served a median population of 2.6 million (range 1-8 million) and offered 1,872 (range 779-6,738) outpatient consultations annually. A total of 43 (range 30-49) standards were met in combined evaluation of all centres.