Serum γ-glutamyltransferase, alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase activity in healthy blood donor of different ethnic groups in Gorgan

Introduction: Measure of liver enzymes may help to increase safety of blood donation for both blood donor and recipient. Determination of liver enzymes may prepare valuable clinical information. Aim: To assess serum γ-Glutamyltransferase (GGT), Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT), and Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST) activities in healthy blood donors in different ethnic groups in Gorgan. Materials and Methods: This study was performed in 450 healthy male blood donors, in three ethnic groups (Fars, Sistanee and Turkman) who attended Gorgan blood transfusion center. Liver enzymes (GGT, ALT and AST) were determined. Results: Serum AST and ALT in three ethnic groups were significant except for serum GGT levels. There was significant correlation between family histories of liver disease and systolic blood pressure and AST in Fars, and GGT in Sistanee ethnic groups. Conclusion: Several factors, such as age, family history of diabetes mellitus, family history of liver disease and smoking habit have no effect on some liver enzymes in different ethnic groups in this area. Variation of AST, ALT, and GGT enzyme activities in healthy subjects is associated with some subjects in our study groups. According to our study, it suggests that screening of AST and GGT enzymes in subjects with family history of liver disease is necessary in different ethnic groups. © 2016, Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research. All rights reserved

Investigation on the functionality of thermoresponsive origami structures

Additive manufacturing (AM) has recently been introduced as a reliable technique for the fabrication of highly complex geometries that were not possible before. Due to the flexibility in the organization of material properties such as responsive elements in space, AM is now a capable technology for the production of smart structures that can transform their geometry, for example, from a compact state to a deployed configuration. Among others, fused deposition modeling (FDM) can reliably be used to manufacture polymeric constructs with high resolution. Polylactide (PLA), the most popular polymer in FDM printing is a shape-memory polymer. Therefore, the manufacturing of shape-transforming constructs can be simplified to the construction of foldable products that can be programmed simply by applying mechanical forces. Origami can then be used as a simple platform in which the shape-transforming of a programmed construct is via the folding of material through the thinner sections (hinges). Herein, PLA and FDM are used to fabricate foldable structures. The effects of different parameters namely total thickness, layer height, nozzle temperature, and activation temperature on the shape recovery of the manually programmed origami structures are then investigated

The prediction model for additively manufacturing of NiTiHf high-temperature shape memory alloy

NiTi-based alloys are one of the most well-known alloys among shape memory alloys having a wide range of applications from biomedical to aerospace areas. Adding a third element to the binary alloys of NiTi changes the thermomechanical properties of the material remarkably. Two unique features of stability and high transformation temperature have turned NiTiHf as a suitable ternary shape memory alloys in various applications. Selective laser melting (SLM) as a layer-based fabrication method addresses the difficulties and limitations of conventional methods. Process parameters of SLM play a prominent role in the properties of the final parts so that by using the different sets of process parameters, different thermomechanical responses can be achieved. In this study, different sets of process parameters (PPs) including laser power, hatch space, and scanning speed were defined to fabricate the NiTiHf samples. Changing the PPs is a powerful tool for tailoring the thermomechanical response of the fabricated parts such as transformation temperature (TTs), density, and mechanical response. In this work, an artificial neural network (ANN) was developed to achieve a prediction tool for finding the effect of the PPs on the TTs and the size deviation of the printed parts

4D printed shape memory sandwich structures: experimental analysis and numerical modeling

Additive manufacturing has provided a unique opportunity to fabricate highly complex structures as well as sandwich structures with various out-of-plane cores. The application of intelligent materials, such as shape memory polymers, gives an additional dimension to the three-dimensional (3D) printing process, known as four-dimensional (4D) printing, so that the deformed structures can return to their initial shape by the influence of an external stimulus like temperature. In this study, 4D printing of smart sandwich structures with the potential of energy absorption is investigated. The samples were fabricated considering various process parameters (i.e., layer height, nozzle temperature, printing velocity, and wall thickness) and tested mechanically. The experimental work reveals that the deformed sandwiches can fully recover their initial form by applying simple heating. Besides, a reliable finite element model (FEM) was developed to predict the functional behavior of the horseshoe sandwich structures in compression analysis. The experimental and simulation results show that among process parameters, wall thickness, layer height, and nozzle temperature are the most significant parameters to increase the compressive load and, consequently, the energy absorption rate. The concept, results, and modeling provided in this study are expected to be used in the design and fabrication of 4D printed sandwich structures for energy absorption applications

Chronic pain through COVID

Objectives: To identify good practice in the community management of chronic pain, and to understand the perspective of a group of healthcare service users towards the management of chronic pain using technology during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Forty-five people, recruited via social media and Pain Association Scotland, participated in three focus groups hosted over Zoom. Focus groups were conducted using semi-structured questions to guide the conversation. Data were analysed using Ritchie / Spencer's Framework Analysis. Results: The participants shared observations of their experiences of remotely supported chronic pain services and insights into the potential for future chronic pain care provision. Experiences were in the majority positive with some describing their rapid engagement with technology during the COVID pandemic. Conclusion: Results suggest there is strong potential for telehealth to complement and support existing provision of pain management services

Endophthalmitis caused by Acinetobacter spp. as the presenting manifestation of diabetes mellitus

Purpose We describe a patient with endogenous endophthalmitis caused by Acinetobacter spp. as the first clinical presentation of diabetes mellitus. Method A 48-year-old otherwise healthy woman was referred with signs and symptoms of acute endophthalmitis in the left eye. Systemic work-up, vitreous tap, and intravitreal antibiotic injection were performed followed by pars plana vitrectomy. Results The laboratory tests confirmed the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. Vitreous culture was positive for Acinetobacter spp., and the organism was sensitive to colistin. One month after surgery, vision was no light perception, and the eye was phthisical. Conclusion Diagnostic work-up should be performed even in otherwise healthy patients with endogenous endophthalmitis. © 2016 Iranian Society of Ophthalmolog

Chronic Pain through COVID

Data availability statement: The datasets presented in this article are not readily available because the data is confidential and anonymous. Requests to access the datasets should be directed to [email protected] statement: The studies involving human participants were reviewed and approved by Abertay University’s Research Ethics Committee (EMS4573). The patients/participants provided their written informed consent to participate in this study.Copyright © 2022 Dunham, Bacon, Cottom, McCrone, Mehrpouya, Spyridonis, Thompson and Schofield. Objectives: To identify good practice in the community management of chronic pain, and to understand the perspective of a group of healthcare service users towards the management of chronic pain using technology during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Forty-five people, recruited via social media and Pain Association Scotland, participated in three focus groups hosted over Zoom. Focus groups were conducted using semi-structured questions to guide the conversation. Data were analysed using Ritchie / Spencer's Framework Analysis. Results: The participants shared observations of their experiences of remotely supported chronic pain services and insights into the potential for future chronic pain care provision. Experiences were in the majority positive with some describing their rapid engagement with technology during the COVID pandemic. Conclusion: Results suggest there is strong potential for telehealth to complement and support existing provision of pain management services

Granzyme A-producing T helper cells are critical for acute graft-versus-host disease

Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) can occur after hematopoietic cell transplant in patients undergoing treatment for hematological malignancies or inborn errors. Although CD4+ T helper (Th) cells play a major role in aGVHD, the mechanisms by which they contribute, particularly within the intestines, have remained elusive. We have identified a potentially novel subset of Th cells that accumulated in the intestines and produced the serine protease granzyme A (GrA). GrA+ Th cells were distinct from other Th lineages and exhibited a noncytolytic phenotype. In vitro, GrA+ Th cells differentiated in the presence of IL-4, IL-6, and IL-21 and were transcriptionally unique from cells cultured with either IL-4 or the IL-6/IL-21 combination alone. In vivo, both STAT3 and STAT6 were required for GrA+ Th cell differentiation and played roles in maintenance of the lineage identity. Importantly, GrA+ Th cells promoted aGVHD-associated morbidity and mortality and contributed to crypt destruction within intestines but were not required for the beneficial graft-versus-leukemia effect. Our data indicate that GrA+ Th cells represent a distinct Th subset and are critical mediators of aGVHD

Framework, principles and recommendations for utilising participatory methodologies in the co-creation and evaluation of public health interventions

Background: Due to the chronic disease burden on society, there is a need for preventive public health interventions to stimulate society towards a healthier lifestyle. To deal with the complex variability between individual lifestyles and settings, collaborating with end-users to develop interventions tailored to their unique circumstances has been suggested as a potential way to improve effectiveness and adherence. Co-creation of public health interventions using participatory methodologies has shown promise but lacks a framework to make this process systematic. The aim of this paper was to identify and set key principles and recommendations for systematically applying participatory methodologies to co-create and evaluate public health interventions. Methods: These principles and recommendations were derived using an iterative reflection process, combining key learning from published literature in addition to critical reflection on three case studies conducted by research groups in three European institutions, all of whom have expertise in co-creating public health interventions using different participatory methodologies. Results: Key principles and recommendations for using participatory methodologies in public health intervention co-creation are presented for the stages of: Planning (framing the aim of the study and identifying the appropriate sampling strategy); Conducting (defining the procedure, in addition to manifesting ownership); Evaluating (the process and the effectiveness) and Reporting (providing guidelines to report the findings). Three scaling models are proposed to demonstrate how to scale locally developed interventions to a population level. Conclusions: These recommendations aim to facilitate public health intervention co-creation and evaluation utilising participatory methodologies by ensuring the process is systematic and reproducible

4D printing of shape memory polylactic acid (PLA) components: Investigating the role of the operational parameters in fused deposition modelling (FDM)

Shape Memory Polymers (SMPs) are attracting considerable interest both in the scientific and industrial fields. Among them, polylactic acid (PLA) is particularly appreciated, as it is a bioderivation polymer, biodegradable and compostable with high thicknesses, with excellent shape memory properties, which can be activated by varying the temperature of the material across the glass transition temperature. In this study, PLA is used in the 4D printing process for the manufacturing of complex geometry components by Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM), with a potential as stress-absorbers. The shape memory properties of the manufactured component have been tested varying the operational parameters of the printing process (i.e., the temperature at the nozzle, the deposition speed, the layer thickness) as well as the activation temperature that allows the recovery of the initial shape. In particular, the time needed to recover the shape and the percentage of recovery with respect to the initial shape were assessed. Experimental results have shown that PLA components have adequate shape memory properties, with short recovery times and high recovery rates being easily achievable. Among process parameters, the activation temperature is found to be the most significant parameter to trigger the recovery of the initial shape in the shortest possible time