4-Formyl­phenyl 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-β-d-galactopyran­oside

The galactose ring in the title compound, C21H24O11, has a chair conformation with the substituted benzene ring occupying an equatorial position. The crystal packing features C—H⋯O inter­actions that lead to the formation of supra­molecular layers in the ab plane

A Plug-and-Play Long-Range Defense System for Proof-of-Stake Blockchains

In recent years, many blockchain systems have progressively transitioned to proof-of-stake (PoS) con- sensus algorithms. These algorithms are not only more energy efficient than proof-of-work but are also well-studied and widely accepted within the community. However, PoS systems are susceptible to a particularly powerful long-range attack, where an adversary can corrupt the validator set retroactively and present forked versions of the blockchain. These versions would still be acceptable to clients, thereby creating the potential for double-spending. Several methods and research efforts have proposed counter- measures against such attacks. Still, they often necessitate modifications to the underlying blockchain, introduce heavy assumptions such as centralized entities, or prove inefficient for securely bootstrapping light clients. In this work, we propose a method of defending against these attacks with the aid of external servers running our protocol. Our method does not require any soft or hard-forks on the underlying blockchain and operates under reasonable assumptions, specifically the requirement of at least one honest server. Central to our approach is a new primitive called Insertable Proof of Sequential Work (InPoSW). Traditional PoSW ensures that a server performs computational tasks that cannot be parallelized and require a minimum execution time, effectively timestamping the input data. InPoSW additionally allows the prover to insert new data into an ongoing InPoSW instance. This primitive can be of independent interest for other timestamp applications. Compared to naively adopting prior PoSW schemes for In-PoSW, our construction achieves >22× storage reduction on the server side and >17900× communication cost reduction for each verification

4-Formyl­phenyl 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-β-d-glucopyran­oside

The pyran­oside ring in the title compound, C21H24O11, has a chair conformation with the substituted benzene ring occupying an equatorial position. The crystal packing is dominated by C—H⋯O inter­actions that lead to the formation of supra­molecular layers in the ab plane

Vitamin D3-loaded electrospun cellulose acetate/polycaprolactone nanofibers: Characterization, in-vitro drug release and cytotoxicity studies

Vitamin D deficiency is nowa global health problem; despite several drug delivery systems for carrying vitaminD due to low bioavailability and loss bioactivity. Developing a new drug delivery system to deliver vitamin D3 is a strong incentive in the current study. Hence, an implantable drug delivery system (IDDS) was developed from the electrospun cellulose acetate (CA) and ε-polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibrous membrane, in which the core of implants consists of vitamin D3-loaded CA nanofiber (CAVD) and enclosed in a thin layer of the PCL membrane (CAVD/PCL). CA nanofibrousmat loadedwith vitaminD3 at the concentrations of 6, 12, and 20% (w/w) of vitamin D3 were produced using electrospinning. The smooth and bead-free fibers with diameters ranged from 324 to 428 nm were obtained. The fiber diameters increased with an increase in vitamin D3 content. The controlled drug release profile was observed over 30-days, which fit with the zero-order model (R2 > 0.96) in the first stage. The mechanical properties of IDDS were improved. Young's modulus and tensile strength of CAVD/PCL (dry) were161 ± 14 and 13.07 ± 2.5 MPa, respectively. CA and PCL nanofibers are non-cytotoxic based on the results of the in-vitro cytotoxicity studies. This study can further broaden in-vivo study and provide a reference for developing a new IDDS to carry vitamin D3 in the future

Processing-Induced Disorder in Pharmaceutical Materials

This chapter focuses on the major types of pharmaceutical processing methods that have been widely reported to produce disordered material either intentionally or unintentionally. Milling is one of the most frequently used unit operations used by the pharmaceutical industry for reducing the particle size of solids. Thermal processing techniques are mainly used for controlling or improving the release and the subsequent bioavailability of an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). Techniques such as melt-mixing, spray-congealing, sintering, melt-granulation, and hot-melt extrusion (HME) have developed and evolved rapidly for large-scale pharmaceutical production. Solvent-evaporation-based methods are important processing techniques for both raw materials, such as crystallization of the raw drug, and formulation manufacturing in the pharmaceutical industry. The chapter discusses the processing that can potentially induce the formation of the disordered state during the manufacture of formulations. The widely used solvent-evaporation-based processing techniques in pharmaceutical formulation production include spray-drying, freeze-drying, film casting, and film coating

Gaming disorder: its delineation as an important condition for diagnosis, management and prevention

Online gaming has greatly increased in popularity in recent years, and with this has come a multiplicity of problems due to excessive involvement in gaming. Gaming disorder, both online and offline, has been defined for the first time in the draft of 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). National surveys have shown prevalence rates of gaming disorder/addiction of 10%–15% among young people in several Asian countries and of 1%–10% in their counterparts in some Western countries. Several diseases related to excessive gaming are now recognized, and clinics are being established to respond to individual, family, and community concerns, but many cases remain hidden. Gaming disorder shares many features with addictions due to psychoactive substances and with gambling disorder, and functional neuroimaging shows that similar areas of the brain are activated. Governments and health agencies worldwide are seeking for the effects of online gaming to be addressed, and for preventive approaches to be developed. Central to this effort is a need to delineate the nature of the problem, which is the purpose of the definitions in the draft of ICD-11

Outcomes of cerebral venous thrombosis due to vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia after the acute phase

© 2022 American Heart Association, Inc.Background: Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) due to vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) is a severe condition, with high in-hospital mortality rates. Here, we report clinical outcomes of patients with CVT-VITT after SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) vaccination who survived initial hospitalization. Methods: We used data from an international registry of patients who developed CVT within 28 days of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, collected until February 10, 2022. VITT diagnosis was classified based on the Pavord criteria. Outcomes were mortality, functional independence (modified Rankin Scale score 0–2), VITT relapse, new thrombosis, and bleeding events (all after discharge from initial hospitalization). Results: Of 107 CVT-VITT cases, 43 (40%) died during initial hospitalization. Of the remaining 64 patients, follow-up data were available for 60 (94%) patients (37 definite VITT, 9 probable VITT, and 14 possible VITT). Median age was 40 years and 45/60 (75%) patients were women. Median follow-up time was 150 days (interquartile range, 94–194). Two patients died during follow-up (3% [95% CI, 1%–11%). Functional independence was achieved by 53/60 (88% [95% CI, 78%–94%]) patients. No new venous or arterial thrombotic events were reported. One patient developed a major bleeding during follow-up (fatal intracerebral bleed). Conclusions: In contrast to the high mortality of CVT-VITT in the acute phase, mortality among patients who survived the initial hospitalization was low, new thrombotic events did not occur, and bleeding events were rare. Approximately 9 out of 10 CVT-VITT patients who survived the acute phase were functionally independent at follow-up.This study was funded by the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMw, grant number 10430072110005), the Dr. C.J. Vaillant Foundation, and Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (grant TYH2022223).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Atomic scale strain relaxation in axial semiconductor III-V nanowire heterostructures

Combination of mismatched materials in semiconductor nanowire heterostructures offers a freedom of bandstructure engineering that is impossible in standard planar epitaxy. Nevertheless, the presence of strain and structural defects directly control the optoelectronic properties of these nanomaterials. Understanding with atomic accuracy how mismatched heterostructures release or accommodate strain, therefore, is highly desirable. By using atomic resolution high angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy combined with geometrical phase analyses and computer simulations, we are able to establish the relaxation mechanisms (including both elastic and plastic deformations) to release the mismatch strain in axial nanowire heterostructures. Formation of misfit dislocations, diffusion of atomic species, polarity transfer, and induced structural transformations are studied with atomic resolution at the intermediate ternary interfaces. Two nanowire heterostructure systems with promising applications (InAs/InSb and GaAs/GaSb) have been selected as key examples

Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis due to vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia in middle-income countries

Background: Adenovirus-based COVID-19 vaccines are extensively used in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Remarkably, cases of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis due to vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (CVST-VITT) have rarely been reported from LMICs. Aims: We studied the frequency, manifestations, treatment, and outcomes of CVST-VITT in LMICs. Methods: We report data from an international registry on CVST after COVID-19 vaccination. VITT was classified according to the Pavord criteria. We compared CVST-VITT cases from LMICs to cases from high-income countries (HICs). Results: Until August 2022, 228 CVST cases were reported, of which 63 were from LMICs (all middle-income countries [MICs]: Brazil, China, India, Iran, Mexico, Pakistan, Turkey). Of these 63, 32 (51%) met the VITT criteria, compared to 103 of 165 (62%) from HICs. Only 5 of the 32 (16%) CVST-VITT cases from MICs had definite VITT, mostly because anti-platelet factor 4 antibodies were often not tested. The median age was 26 (interquartile range [IQR] 20–37) versus 47 (IQR 32–58) years, and the proportion of women was 25 of 32 (78%) versus 77 of 103 (75%) in MICs versus HICs, respectively. Patients from MICs were diagnosed later than patients from HICs (1/32 [3%] vs. 65/103 [63%] diagnosed before May 2021). Clinical manifestations, including intracranial hemorrhage, were largely similar as was intravenous immunoglobulin use. In-hospital mortality was lower in MICs (7/31 [23%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 11–40]) than in HICs (44/102 [43%, 95% CI 34–53], p = 0.039). Conclusions: The number of CVST-VITT cases reported from LMICs was small despite the widespread use of adenoviral vaccines. Clinical manifestations and treatment of CVST-VITT cases were largely similar in MICs and HICs, while mortality was lower in patients from MICs.</p