Comparative Cranial Geometric Morphometrics among Wistar Albino, Sprague Dawley, and WAG/Rij Rat Strains

This research utilizes geometric morphometrics to investigate shape variation in the skull, mandible, and teeth among three rat strains: Wistar Albino (WA), Sprague Dawley (SD), and WAG/Rij (WR). Through the analysis of 48 rats using 2D geometric morphometric techniques, significant differences in their skull morphology were identified. This study indicates a shift from a rectangular to an oval cranial shape across strains, with notable size and morphological variances. Particularly, the WR strain’s skull shape significantly differs from the SD and WA strains, suggesting distinct ecological or genetic pathways. Compared to the skull, mandible shape differences are less pronounced, but still significant. The WR strain exhibits a distinct mandible shape, potentially reflecting ecological adaptations like dietary habits. The teeth shape of WR rats is the most distinct. SD rats consistently exhibited larger sizes in both skull and mandible measurements, while WR rats were notably smaller. Interestingly, sexual dimorphism was not statistically significant in skull and teeth sizes, aligning with findings from previous studies. However, the mandible showed clear size differences between sexes, underscoring its potential for adaptive or behavioral studies. In summary, this study provides a comprehensive analysis of morphological variations in rat strains, highlighting the intricate interplay of size, shape, and ecological factors. These findings lay a foundation for deeper explorations into the adaptive, ecological, or genetic narratives influencing rat morphology

Adaptation of Scheffersomyces stipitis to hardwood spent sulfite liquor by evolutionary engineering

Hardwood spent sulfite liquor (HSSL) is a by-product of acid sulfite pulping process that is rich in xylose, a monosaccharide that can be fermented to ethanol by Scheffersomyces stipitis. However, HSSL also contains acetic acid and lignosulfonates that are inhibitory compounds of yeast growth. The main objective of this study was the use of an evolutionary engineering strategy to obtain variants of S. stipitis with increased tolerance to HSSL inhibitors while maintaining the ability to ferment xylose to ethanol

Cultura de Inovação: Conceitos e Modelos Teóricos

This study portrays the state of the art in scientific literature on the culture of innovation, with the objective of characterizing its meaning and especially describing different theoretical models that seek to understand how it occurs in an organizational environment. To enrich the analysis, research results show the relationship between organizational culture and innovation. The literature review was carried out in 2011 using the following databases: Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), Proquest and Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). The keywords used were the expression culture of innovation and the joint terms culture and innovation, only full articles were included in the research. Culture of innovation articles that were cited in the papers identified in the literature search were also considered. The analysis consisted of 40 articles, based on the predefined criteria, and showed that this is a topic of interest for researchers in different world regions. It is a complex theme determined by factors with a systemic character. There is a predominance of quantitative research and strong evidence of a relationship between organizational culture and innovation, which requires further research to test the theoretical models proposed by these different authors

Genetic landscape of congenital insensitivity to pain and hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathies

Congenital insensitivity to pain (CIP) and hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathies (HSAN) are clinically and genetically heterogeneous disorders exclusively or predominantly affecting the sensory and autonomic neurons. Due to the rarity of the diseases and findings based mainly on single case reports or small case series, knowledge about these disorders is limited. Here, we describe the molecular workup of a large international cohort of CIP/HSAN patients including patients from normally under-represented countries. We identify 80 previously unreported pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in a total of 73 families in the >20 known CIP/HSAN-associated genes. The data expand the spectrum of disease-relevant alterations in CIP/HSAN, including novel variants in previously rarely recognized entities such as ATL3-, FLVCR1- and NGF-associated neuropathies and previously under-recognized mutation types such as larger deletions. In silico predictions, heterologous expression studies, segregation analyses and metabolic tests helped to overcome limitations of current variant classification schemes that often fail to categorize a variant as disease-related or benign. The study sheds light on the genetic causes and disease-relevant changes within individual genes in CIP/HSAN. This is becoming increasingly important with emerging clinical trials investigating subtype or gene-specific treatment strategies

The effects of metal doped TiO2 and dithizone-metal complexes on DSSCs performance

Different metal (Fe, Ni, Co or Zn) doped TiO2 nanoparticles and dithizone-metal (Fe, Ni, Co or Zn)-gallic acid complexes were prepared and used in dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The TiO2 and metal doped TiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized by microwave assisted hydrothermal method. Synthesized TiO2 nanoparticles were characterized with SEM, EDS, XRD and DRS. Prepared dithizone-metal-gallic acid complexes were characterized via UV–Vis and FTIR techniques. Photoanode of DSSC was prepared with TiO2 or metal doped TiO2 coating on FTO-glass using spin coater. The dithizone and dithizone-metal-gallic acid complexes were adsorbed on bare TiO2, and dithizone or N719 were adsorbed on metal doped TiO2. Then, sandwich type DSSCs were prepared and electrochemical characterization of DSSCs was made. When the N719 and dithizone sensitized metal doped TiO2 nanoparticles were compared with undoped TiO2, Fe doped TiO2 gave lower efficiency, Ni, Co and Zn doped TiO2 gave higher efficiency than that of undoped TiO2. Co doped samples showed the highest efficiencies with both N719 and dithizone. Co doped TiO2 which was sensitized with dithizone gave nearly three times more conversion efficiency than undoped TiO2. These results show that doping procedure can enhance binding dyes to semi conductor surface. In summary, various metals show different characteristics when doped to TiO2 nanoparticles. © 2018 Elsevier LtdFirat University Scientific Research Projects Management Unit: FBYLTEZ 2017-50-01-031This work was supported by the Scientific Research Projects Commission of Sakarya University (Project number: FBYLTEZ 2017-50-01-031). M.Ö. acknowledges partial support from the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TUBA). Appendix

Predictive role of neutropenia under crizotinib treatment in ALK-rearranged nonsmall cell lung cancer patients: A single-institution retrospective analysis

Background: Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-rearranged nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) represents a molecular subgroup with high sensitivity to ALK inhibitors. Tyrosine kinase inhibitor crizotinib, an anticancer drug acting as an ALK inhibitor, has shown remarkable response in ALK-positive NSCLC. The aim of our study is to explore the adverse events (AEs) of patients on crizotinib therapy and analyze the predictability of AEs for better survival or response on NSCLC patients. Methods: The medical records of our ALK-positive metastatic NSCLC patients who applied between years 2013 and 2018 had been reviewed retrospectively. ALK positivity of all patients had been detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization and no other driver mutations were present. Patient demographics, performance status, smoking history, previous treatments, metastatic sites, and AEs were recorded for further analyses. Results: Thirty-six ALK-positive metastatic NSCLC patients were included in the study. Median follow-up was 30.1 months. Median progression-free survival (PFS) for patients who developed hepatic, cardiac, or endocrine toxicities was similar when compared to patients who did not develop. Although there was a numeric median PFS difference between patients who did develop visual disorders (18.4 months) and did not develop visual disorders (15.5 month), this was not regarded as statistically significant. However, median PFS of the patients who developed neutropenia upon crizotinib treatment (31.9 months) was found to be more favorable than the patients with normal neutrophil counts (12.8 months) (P = 0.026). Conclusion: Neutropenia under crizotinib treatment was found to be associated with improved PFS suggesting that neutropenia might be an important determinant in treatment and survival strategies. © 2022 Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications. All rights reserved

Blood glucose testing at alternative sites in adolescents with type 1 diabetes

Intense pain of pricking the fingertip and inadequate or excessive blood extraction due to the frequent use of a one site may cause difficulties in accurately measuring blood glucose levels in young people with diabetes. Moreover, pain and aching in fingertips when touching surfaces, difficulty in holding a pen, a feeling of pins and needles and the emergence of calluses have been noted as common problems caused by long-term use of a single test site, such as a fingertip (Ellison et al, 2001; McGarraugh et al, 2001; Greenhalgh et al, 2002; Holstein et al, 2002; Jungheim and Koschinsky, 2002; Lock et al, 2002). It is suggested that such problems could be overcome by introducing alternative sites for blood glucose testing and help children with type 1 diabetes to cope with their condition (Lucidarme et al, 2005). This article looks at the effectiveness of using alternative sites for blood glucose testing in young people with type 1 diabetes in terms of pain reduction and the accuracy of test results