High strain rate response of nanofiber interlayered structural composites

Nanofibrous interlayer toughening strategy for laminated composite materials typically demonstrated at quasi-static loading is here evaluated under high strain rate deformation. Carbon fiber reinforced composite laminates of (0/90)25s stacking sequence are interlayered by polystyrene-co-glycidyl methacrylate (P(St-co-GMA)) nanofibers which are chemically tuned for interfacial compatibility when embedded in epoxy matrix. The cubical composite specimens are cut and subjected to high strain-rate deformation via Split Hopkinson pressure bar testing. Specimens are hit at their through-the-thickness (stacking) and side-to-side (in-plane) directions. The change in the dissipation of energy due to altered interlaminar microstructure is monitored and reported. Enhancement in the capacity of the energy dissipation due to the nanofibrous interlayers is as high as 80% in-plane and 40% through thickness directions, depending on the strain rate. The results overall suggest that interlayer toughening strategy used in this work prevents the formation of critical matrix cracks that can cause the formation of instantaneous mode II delamination. Incorporation of the nanofibers without causing notable weight penalty effectively toug

Thermal degradation of oriental beech wood impregnated with different inorganic salts

This study investigated the thermal properties of Oriental beech (Fagus orientalis) treated with (NH4)2HPO4, K2HPO4, NH4Cl and (NH4)2SO4 salts and their mixtures (1:1; w/w) aqueous solutions at 3% concentrations. The effects of different inorganic salts fire retardants on the thermal degradation characteristics of wood samples were evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Based on the TGA curve for untreated beech wood, weight loss takes place at three distinct steps. The impregnation of inorganic salts resulted in higher char yields and additional thermal degradation steps were identified. The highest char yield (80%) was obtained from (NH4)2HPO4-K2HPO4 mixture impregnated sample.  Salt mixtures containing phosphates ((NH4)2HPO4 and K2HPO4) have remarkable effects on thermal stability of beech wood, whereas NH4Cl salt lowered the decomposition temperatures and char yield. &nbsp

Identification of an mRNA isoform switch for HNRNPA1 in breast cancers.

Roles of HNRNPA1 are beginning to emerge in cancers; however, mechanisms causing deregulation of HNRNPA1 function remain elusive. Here, we describe an isoform switch between the 3′-UTR isoforms of HNRNPA1 in breast cancers. We show that the dominantly expressed isoform in mammary tissue has a short half-life. In breast cancers, this isoform is downregulated in favor of a stable isoform. The stable isoform is expressed more in breast cancers, and more HNRNPA1 protein is synthesized from this isoform. High HNRNPA1 protein levels correlate with poor survival in patients. In support of this, silencing of HNRNPA1 causes a reversal in neoplastic phenotypes, including proliferation, clonogenic potential, migration, and invasion. In addition, silencing of HNRNPA1 results in the downregulation of microRNAs that map to intragenic regions. Among these miRNAs, miR-21 is known for its transcriptional upregulation in breast and numerous other cancers. Altogether, the cancer-specifc isoform switch we describe here for HNRNPA1 emphasizes the need to study gene expression at the isoform level in cancers to identify novel cases of oncogene activation

Gastroenterology Cases of Cutaneous Leukocytoclastic Vasculitis

Rarely, leukocytoclastic vasculitis can result from ischemic colitis, inflammatory bowel disease, and cryoglobulinemia. There is no established standard for the treatment of leukocytoclastic vasculitis associated with gastroenterologic diseases. This paper presents three cases of leukoytoclastic vasculitis, each of which is associated with a different gastroenterologic condition: ischemic colitis, Crohn’s disease, and chronic hepatitis C. Each condition went into remission by treatment of leukocytoclastic vasculitis, regardless of the underlying disease

Post COVID-19 irritable bowel syndrome

Objectives: The long-term consequences of COVID-19 infection on the gastrointestinal tract remain unclear. Here, we aimed to evaluate the prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms and post-COVID-19 disorders of gut-brain interaction after hospitalisation for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Design: GI-COVID-19 is a prospective, multicentre, controlled study. Patients with and without COVID-19 diagnosis were evaluated on hospital admission and after 1, 6 and 12 months post hospitalisation. Gastrointestinal symptoms, anxiety and depression were assessed using validated questionnaires. Results: The study included 2183 hospitalised patients. The primary analysis included a total of 883 patients (614 patients with COVID-19 and 269 controls) due to the exclusion of patients with pre-existing gastrointestinal symptoms and/or surgery. At enrolment, gastrointestinal symptoms were more frequent among patients with COVID-19 than in the control group (59.3% vs 39.7%, p<0.001). At the 12-month follow-up, constipation and hard stools were significantly more prevalent in controls than in patients with COVID-19 (16% vs 9.6%, p=0.019 and 17.7% vs 10.9%, p=0.011, respectively). Compared with controls, patients with COVID-19 reported higher rates of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) according to Rome IV criteria: 0.5% versus 3.2%, p=0.045. Factors significantly associated with IBS diagnosis included history of allergies, chronic intake of proton pump inhibitors and presence of dyspnoea. At the 6-month follow-up, the rate of patients with COVID-19 fulfilling the criteria for depression was higher than among controls. Conclusion: Compared with controls, hospitalised patients with COVID-19 had fewer problems of constipation and hard stools at 12 months after acute infection. Patients with COVID-19 had significantly higher rates of IBS than controls. Trial registration number: NCT04691895

First-line treatment of patients with HER2-positive metastatic gastric and gastroesophageal junction cancer

Fluoropyrimidine+cisplatin/oxaliplatin+trastuzumab therapy is recommended for the first-line treatment of HER2-positive metastatic gastric adenocarcinoma. However, there is no comprehensive study on which platinum-based treatment should be preferred. This study aimed to compare the treatment response and survival characteristics of patients with HER2-positive metastatic gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer who received fluorouracil, oxaliplatin, and leucovorin (mFOLFOX)+trastuzumab or cisplatin and fluorouracil (CF)+trastuzumab as first-line therapy. It was a multicenter, retrospective study of the Turkish Oncology Group, which included 243 patients from 21 oncology centers. There were 113 patients in the mFOLFOX+trastuzumab arm and 130 patients in the CF+trastuzumab arm. The median age was 62 years in the mFOLFOX+trastuzumab arm and 61 years in the CF+trastuzumab arm (P = 0.495). 81.4% of patients in the mFOLFOX+trastuzumab arm and 83.1% in the CF+trastuzumab arm had gastric tumor localization (P = 0.735). The median progression-free survival (PFS) was significantly higher in the mFOLFOX+trastuzumab arm (9.4 months vs. 7.3 months, P = 0.024). The median overall survival (OS) was similar in both groups (18.4 months vs. 15.1 months, P = 0.640). Maintenance trastuzumab was continued after chemotherapy in 101 patients. In this subgroup, the median OS was 23.3 months and the median PFS was 13.3 months. In conclusion, mFOLFOX+trastuzumab is similar to CF+trastuzumab in terms of the median OS, but it is more effective in terms of the median PFS in the first-line treatment of HER2-positive metastatic gastric and GEJ cancer. The choice of treatment should be made by considering the prominent toxicity findings of the chemotherapy regimens

Tam AV blokun nadir bir nedeni olarak hipertiroidism

(1). Multislice computed tomography (CT) may be useful for detecting myocardial fat infiltration and diagnosing ARVC (1-3). Because of its excellent spatial and temporal resolution, CT has received much attention in diagnosing of ARVC. It has been reported that CT findings of ARVC are (a) a dilated right ventricle, b) abundant epicardial adipose tissue, (c) conspicuous trabeculations with low attenuation, (d) a scalloped appearance of the right ventricular free wall, and (e) intramyocardial fat deposits (1, 2). Coronary artery fistula is an uncommon clinical entity with an incidence in selected series ranging from 0.26% to 0.40% of congenital cardiac anomalies. Many adults are asymptomatic if the fistulae are small. Symptoms of fatigue, dyspnea, angina (due to “steal” phenomenon), atrial arrhythmia, signs of congestive heart failure, pulmonary hypertension or infective endocarditis are seen. In one report, patients older than 20 years had dyspnea on exertion (35%), fatigue (8%) or angina (22%). Conversely, only 9% of those <20 years of age had had such symptoms (4, 5)