Local flap for reconstruction of nasal defect following excision of basal cell carcinoma of nose

Reconstruction of soft tissue at the nose following excision of basal cell carcinoma is always challenging, because of both functional and aesthetic importance of nose. The local flap is always preferable to skin graft as this produces like with like replacement, pliable cover and vascularized tissue over the skeletal framework. In this paper, we discussed six cases of nasal reconstruction with bilobed flap, forehead flap, and nasolabial flap. All flaps survived and the patients had satisfactory outcome

The efficient use of different fungal bioagents for eco-friendly management of fusarium wilt disease of tomato

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) is one of the most important vegetables, used as condiments, salad and cooked with various recipes. It is a good source of vitamin C, A, calcium, iron etc. However, per acre yield in Pakistan is quite lower as compared to other countries of the world due to various factors, including diseases. Tomato crop suffers by approximately 200 diseases worldwide, among them, Fusarium wilt of tomato is highly destructive fungal disease and has caused losses up to 49.5% in Pakistan. Early strategies to manage this devastating disease include the use of cultural, physical, and chemical control are suggested, but none of these provided positive impact except cultural methods. Keeping in view the importance and losses caused by Fusarium wilt of tomato the studies on its management with fungal bioagents was conducted. For this. different bioagents were tested in lab and fields against Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici. The highest inhibition 89.63% was noted by Trichoderma harzianum followed by Neurospora sp. 87.40% in the poisoned food method. In pot experiments, the T. harzianum was found as highly successful then Neurospora sp., Chaetomium subaffine and Arthrinium sp. providing minimum disease incidence and lowest mortality percent at higher and medium concentrations. The highest plant biomass and lowest root infection percent were noted in T. harzianum followed by Neurospora sp., C. subaffine and Arthrinium sp. at medium and lower doses. The lowest response was recorded by Nigrospora sphaerica and Dermateaceae sp. In in-vivo trials, the highest response was observed in the treatment of T. harzianum followed by Neurospora sp., Arthrinium sp., N. sphaerica, respectively. The highest fruit yield was recorded by T. harzianum 6.66 (kg) and Neurospora sp. 5.66 (kg). Interestingly, Neurospora sp., Arthrinium sp., N. sphaerica, and Dermateaceae sp. have been first time recognized in the current study as potential bioagents against fusarium wilt of tomato. Based on the findings, it is suggested that T. harzianum and Neurospora sp., may be used as potential bioagents for ecofriendly management of tomato wilt disease.Campus Ic

Long COVID, a comprehensive systematic scoping review

Abstract: Purpose To fnd out what is known from literature about Long COVID until January 30, 2021. Methods We undertook a four-step search with no language restriction. A preliminary search was made to identify the keywords. A search strategy of all electronic databases resulted in 66 eligible studies. A forward and backward search of the references and citations resulted in additional 54 publications. Non-English language articles were translated using Google Translate. We conducted our scoping review based on the PRISMA-ScR Checklist. Results Of 120 papers, we found only one randomized clinical trial. Of the 67 original studies, 22 were cohort, and 28 were cross-sectional studies. Of the total 120 publications, 49.1% focused on signs and symptoms, 23.3% on management, and 10.8% on pathophysiology. Ten publications focused on imaging studies. The results are also presented extensively in a narrative synthesis in separated sections (nomenclature, diagnosis, pathophysiology, risk factors, signs/symptoms, management). Conclusions The controversies in its defnition have impaired proper recognition and management. The predominant symptoms were: fatigue, breathlessness, arthralgia, sleep difculties, and chest pain. Recent reports also point to the risk of longterm sequela with cutaneous, respiratory, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, mental health, neurologic, and renal involvement in those who survive the acute phase of the illness

Synthesis and application of chitosan supported vanadium oxo in the synthesis of 1,4-dihydropyridines and 2,4,6-triarylpyridines via anomeric based oxidation

Chitosan, as a biopolymer, exhibits a strong affinity for complexation with suitable metal ions. Thus, it has received increased attention for the preparation of stable bioorganic–inorganic hybrid heterogeneous catalysts. Herein, a novel chitosan based vanadium oxo (ChVO) catalyst was prepared and fully characterized by several techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), derivative thermal gravimetric (DTG), differential thermal analysis (DTA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The synthesized catalyst has been successfully used as a reusable catalyst in the synthesis of dihydropyridines and triarylpyridines.We thank Bu-Ali Sina University, Nahavand University, the Iran National Science Foundation (INSF) (Grant No: 95831207) and the National Elites Foundation for financial support of our research group

Compound A, a selective glucocorticoid receptor modulator, enhances heat shock protein Hsp70 gene promoter activation

Compound A possesses glucocorticoid receptor (GR)-dependent anti-inflammatory properties. Just like classical GR ligands, Compound A can repress NF-kappa B-mediated gene expression. However, the monomeric Compound A-activated GR is unable to trigger glucocorticoid response element-regulated gene expression. The heat shock response potently activates heat shock factor 1 (HSF1), upregulates Hsp70, a known GR chaperone, and also modulates various aspects of inflammation. We found that the selective GR modulator Compound A and heat shock trigger similar cellular effects in A549 lung epithelial cells. With regard to their anti-inflammatory mechanism, heat shock and Compound A are both able to reduce TNF-stimulated I kappa B alpha degradation and NF-kappa B p65 nuclear translocation. We established an interaction between Compound A-activated GR and Hsp70, but remarkably, although the presence of the Hsp70 chaperone as such appears pivotal for the Compound A-mediated inflammatory gene repression, subsequent novel Hsp70 protein synthesis is uncoupled from an observed CpdA-induced Hsp70 mRNA upregulation and hence obsolete in mediating CpdA's anti-inflammatory effect. The lack of a Compound A-induced increase in Hsp70 protein levels in A549 cells is not mediated by a rapid proteasomal degradation of Hsp70 or by a Compound A-induced general block on translation. Similar to heat shock, Compound A can upregulate transcription of Hsp70 genes in various cell lines and BALB/c mice. Interestingly, whereas Compound A-dependent Hsp70 promoter activation is GR-dependent but HSF1-independent, heat shock-induced Hsp70 expression alternatively occurs in a GR-independent and HSF1-dependent manner in A549 lung epithelial cells

Adult-type granulosa cell tumor of the ovary : a FOXL2-centric disease

Adult-type granulosa cell tumors (aGCTs) account for 90% of malignant ovarian sex cord-stromal tumors and 2-5% of all ovarian cancers. These tumors are usually diagnosed at an early stage and are treated with surgery. However, one-third of patients relapse between 4 and 8 years after initial diagnosis, and there are currently no effective treatments other than surgery for these relapsed patients. As the majority of aGCTs (>95%) harbor a somatic mutation in FOXL2 (c.C402G; p.C134W), the aim of this study was to identify genetic mutations besides FOXL2 C402G in aGCTs that could explain the clinical diversity of this disease. Whole-genome sequencing of 10 aGCTs and their matched normal blood was performed to identify somatic mutations. From this analysis, a custom amplicon-based panel was designed to sequence 39 genes of interest in a validation cohort of 83 aGCTs collected internationally. KMT2D inactivating mutations were present in 10 of 93 aGCTs (10.8%), and the frequency of these mutations was similar between primary and recurrent aGCTs. Inactivating mutations, including a splice site mutation in candidate tumor suppressor WNK2 and nonsense mutations in PIK3R1 and NLRC5, were identified at a low frequency in our cohort. Missense mutations were identified in cell cycle-related genes TP53, CDKN2D, and CDK1. From these data, we conclude that aGCTs are comparatively a homogeneous group of tumors that arise from a limited set of genetic events and are characterized by the FOXL2 C402G mutation. Secondary mutations occur in a subset of patients but do not explain the diverse clinical behavior of this disease. As the FOXL2 C402G mutation remains the main driver of this disease, progress in the development of therapeutics for aGCT would likely come from understanding the functional consequences of the FOXL2 C402G mutation.Peer reviewe

Analysis Of Spinal Electromyography Signal When Lifting An Object

Lifting and swinging are daily activities that human do using the spine.Furthermore,spine provides support during standing and walking.Therefore,it is very important in everyday activities and it will be inconvenient when it is injured.Technology has provided ways to machine and human integration in helping or supporting people in their daily tasks.To make this integration successful, machines or robots need to understand the human muscle activity.To do so,electromyography (EMG) a bio signal record the electricity generated by muscle was implemented.However,the signal often influenced by the unwanted noise.In this paper,the MVC normalization method is applied to determine the spinal EMG signal on lumbar multifidus muscle when lifting an object.In order to analyze the identity of spinal EMG signal,two statistical analyses are done;1) ANOVA analysis and 2)Boxplot analysis.The signal will go through 8th order Gaussian function or Exponential Weight Moving Average Filter before being analysed.Results show that Exponential Weight Moving Average Filter gives more consistent value compared to 8th order Gaussian function which is 0.0428V RMSE based on linear fitting done from the maximum amplitude gather from the boxplot analysis done

Changes in Dynamics upon Oligomerization Regulate Substrate Binding and Allostery in Amino Acid Kinase Family Members

Oligomerization is a functional requirement for many proteins. The interfacial interactions and the overall packing geometry of the individual monomers are viewed as important determinants of the thermodynamic stability and allosteric regulation of oligomers. The present study focuses on the role of the interfacial interactions and overall contact topology in the dynamic features acquired in the oligomeric state. To this aim, the collective dynamics of enzymes belonging to the amino acid kinase family both in dimeric and hexameric forms are examined by means of an elastic network model, and the softest collective motions (i.e., lowest frequency or global modes of motions) favored by the overall architecture are analyzed. Notably, the lowest-frequency modes accessible to the individual subunits in the absence of multimerization are conserved to a large extent in the oligomer, suggesting that the oligomer takes advantage of the intrinsic dynamics of the individual monomers. At the same time, oligomerization stiffens the interfacial regions of the monomers and confers new cooperative modes that exploit the rigid-body translational and rotational degrees of freedom of the intact monomers. The present study sheds light on the mechanism of cooperative inhibition of hexameric N-acetyl-L-glutamate kinase by arginine and on the allosteric regulation of UMP kinases. It also highlights the significance of the particular quaternary design in selectively determining the oligomer dynamics congruent with required ligand-binding and allosteric activities

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London