The assessment of bacterial nanocellulose functionalized with metal nanoparticles

[Excerpt] Introduction Biocompatibility is one of the mandatory requirements of indwelling medical devices to avoid foreign body reactions and consequential surgical removal.This research was funded by FEDER funds through the Operational Competitiveness Program–COMPETE, under the project POCI-01-0247-FEDER-068924 and by National Funds through Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), under the project UID/CTM/00264/2020. Cátia Alves, Liliana Melro, Behnaz Mehravani, and Ana Isabel Ribeiro acknowledge FCT, MCTES, FSE, and UE PhD grants 2022.10454.BD, 2020.04919.BD, 2022.13094.BD, and SFRH/BD/137668/2018

Iatrogenic laryngomucocele: a report of two cases

Background: Laryngocele is an abnormal cystic dilatation of saccule in direct communication with the laryngeal airway. Etiology of laryngocele is still unclear, but both congenital and acquired reasons have been implicated in its development

An ecological approach for the surface modification of aramid fibers

Since aramid fibers have very high crystallization degree and high chemical inertness, the surface modification is needed to enhance the adhesion between fibers and matrix for the usage of composite applications. In the present study, para-aramid fibers were treated by atmospheric pressure plasma under various plasma powers to improve interfacial adhesion between aramid fiber and epoxy resin. The surface morphologies of untreated and treated fibers were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Composite interfacial adhesion properties were determined by interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) using a short-beam bending test. Results indicated that argon plasma treatment was an effective method for improving interfacial adhesion between fiber and matrix with ecological treatment

Clinical and genetic features of 13 patients with mucopolysaccarhidosis type IIIB: Description of two novel NAGLU gene mutations

2-s2.0-85102246386Aim: Mucopolysaccharidosis type III B (MPS IIIB) is an autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disease caused by mutations in the NAGLU gene which codes the lysosomal enzyme alpha-N-acetylglucosaminidase. The major symptoms of the disease are cognitive and neurological defects. In this study, the molecular spectrums of 13 MPS IIIB patients were evaluated. Material and methods: Thirteen MPS IIIB patients from 11 families were included in this study. All patients were both clinically and molecularly diagnosed. NAGLU gene sequencing was performed using a next generation sequencing platform (Illumina MiSeq). Demographic, clinical and laboratory findings of the patients were obtained via the hospital records. Results: Ten different mutations from the 13 MPS IIIB patients were identified. Eight of the 10 mutations were missense, one was splice site, and one large deletion was also observed. Two mutations c.509G>T (p.Gly170Val) and c.700C>G (p.Arg234Gly) have been defined for the first time in this study. Conclusion: Our study expanded the mutation spectrum of the NAGLU gene thereby contributing to the improved genetic counselling of MPS IIIB patients. Confirming the literature, missense mutations were also found to be the most common NAGLU mutations in our study. © 202

Invasive Squamous Carcinoma and Adenocarcinoma of an Unreconstructed Exstrophic Bladder with Hpv Infection

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Tetrahydrobiopterin deficiencies: Lesson from clinical experience

Objectives: The present study describes clinical, biochemical, molecular genetic data, current treatment strategies and follow-up in nine patients with tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) deficiency due to various inherited genetic defects. Methods: We analyzed clinical, biochemical, and molecular data of nine patients with suspected BH4 deficiency. All patients were diagnosed at Ege University Faculty of Medicine in Izmir, Turkey and comprised data collected from 2006 to 2019. The diagnostic laboratory examinations included blood phenylalanine and urinary or plasma pterins, dihydropteridine reductase (DHPR) enzyme activity measurement in dried blood spots, folic acid and monoamine neurotransmitter metabolites in cerebrospinal fluid, as well as DNA sequencing. Results: Among the nine patients, we identified one with autosomal recessive GTP cyclohydrolase I (ar GTPCH) deficiency, two with 6-pyruvoyl-tetrahydropterin synthase (PTPS) deficiency, three with sepiapterin reductase (SR) deficiency, and three with DHPR deficiency. Similar to previous observations, the most common clinical symptoms are developmental delay, intellectual disability, and movement disorders. All patients received treatment with l-dopa and 5-hydroxytryptophan, while only the ar GTPCH, the PTPS, and one DHPR deficient patients were supplemented in addition with BH4. The recommended dose range varies among patients and depends on the type of disease. The consequences of BH4 deficiencies are quite variable; however, early diagnosis and treatment will improve outcomes. Conclusions: As BH4 deficiencies are rare group of treatable neurometabolic disorders, it is essential to diagnose the underlying (genetic) defect in newborns with hyperphenylalaninemia. Irreversible brain damage and progressive neurological deterioration may occur in untreated or late diagnosed patients. Prognosis could be satisfying in the cases with early diagnose and treatment. © 2021 The Authors. JIMD Reports published by John Wiley ; Sons Ltd on behalf of SSIEM

Efficacy of alpha interferon therapy for lamivudine resistance in chronic hepatitis B

Objectives: The occurrence of lamivudine resistance is often associated with the clinical breakthrough, which is characterised by the reappearance of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in serum and the elevation of aminotransferases. We evaluated the efficacy of alpha interferon for clinical breakthrough in patients receiving lamivudine therapy

Surgical Outcome Of Patients With Vesicoureteral Reflux From A Single Institution In Reference To The Espu Guidelines: A Retrospective Analysis

Introduction Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is an anatomic or functional disorder, and it is a condition associated with renal scarring, hypertension, and end-stage renal disease. Renal damage can be prevented by appropriate medical and surgical intervention for selected patients. Objectives The objective of this study was to retrospectively analyze the surgically treated patient group of this study in reference to the risk analysis criteria used in European Association of Urology (EAU), European Society for Paediatric Urology (ESPU) guidelines to see the outcome of the study management protocol within the last 15 years in respect to this risk analysis. Study design A total of 686 patients who were operated upon in a single institution for VUR between 1997 and 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the criteria in EAU/ESPU guidelines, the patients were classified into three groups: low, medium, and high risk. Risk factors were compared between the groups. Results The patient numbers for low, medium, and high risk were 92 (13.4%), 485 (70.7%), and 109 (15.9%), respectively. In the high-risk group, surgeons tended to do more ureteroneocystostomy (UNC) (82.6%), whereas in the low-risk group, surgeons tended to do more subureteric injection (STING) (76.1%). The success rates for STING and UNC were found to be 75% and 93%, respectively. Although there was a difference in success rates among patients treated with STING or UNC, this difference was not statistically significant in success rates regarding risk groups for patients treated with STING or UNC. Discussion The most recent guideline was that which was published by the EAU/ESPU organization in 2012. This guideline is established based on the risk analysis. The analysis revealed that patients in the low-risk group tended to undergo endoscopic surgery treatment method, whereas patients in the high-risk group tended to undergo open surgery. Therefore, the study management over the last 10 years has been mainly in line with the current recommendations. Conclusion The analysis shows that when the patients are classified according to the EAU/ESPU risk classification, surgeons tended to perform more endoscopic and more open surgery for the low- and high-risk groups, respectively. Although each surgical modality had similar success rates in each group, open surgical results were overall much higher than those of endoscopic surgery in each group. This was a specifically important finding in high-risk group where the endoscopically treated group of patients was small in number, and the need for a definitive correction is essential in this group because of increased risk of renal injury. [GRAPHICS]WoSScopu