Risk factors for cannula-associated arterial thrombosis following extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support: a retrospective study

Background Hemostatic dysfunction during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) due to blood-circuit interaction and the consequences of shear stress imposed by flow rates lead to rapid coagulation cascade and thrombus formation in the ECMO system and blood vessels. We aimed to identify the incidence and risk factors for cannula-associated arterial thrombosis (CaAT) post-decannulation. Methods A retrospective study of patients undergoing arterial cannula removal following ECMO was performed. We evaluated the incidence of CaAT and compared the characteristics, ECMO machine parameters, cannula sizes, number of blood products transfused during ECMO, and daily hemostasis parameters in patients with and without CaAT. Multivariate analysis identified the risk factors for CaAT. Results Forty-seven patients requiring venoarterial ECMO (VA-ECMO) or hybrid methods were recruited for thrombosis screening. The median Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score was 11 (interquartile range, 8–13). CaAT occurred in 29 patients (61.7%), with thrombosis in the superficial femoral artery accounting for 51.7% of cases. The rate of limb ischemia complications in the CaAT group was 17.2%. Multivariate analysis determined that the ECMO flow rate–body surface area (BSA) ratio (100 ml/min/m2) was an independent factor for CaAT, with an odds ratio of 0.79 (95% confidence interval, 0.66–0.95; P=0.014). Conclusions We found that the incidence of CaAT was 61.7% following successful decannulation from VA-ECMO or hybrid modes, and the ECMO flow rate–BSA ratio was an independent risk factor for CaAT. We suggest screening for arterial thrombosis following VA-ECMO, and further research is needed to determine the risks and benefits of such screening

A High-Performing Nanostructured Ir Doped-TiO₂ for Efficient Photocatalytic Degradation of Gaseous Toluene

TiO2-based photocatalysts still have some limitations such as large bandgap and low surface area, leading to low efficiency in the photocatalytic degradation of VOCs and limiting it to use in sunlight. Here we report that the nanostructured Ir-doped TiO2 as an efficient photocatalyst generates an excellent risk-reduction material of gaseous toluene. We have succeeded in developing a nanostructured Ir-doped TiO2 and initially found that excellent efficient photocatalytic VOC decomposition can be achieved in our materials The nanostructured Ir-doped TiO2 was synthesized by a one pot, low temperature hydrothermal process with different ratios of Ir doped into the TiO2. It exhibited a high surface area, uniformly spherical morphology of 10–15 nm. Its activity for the photocatalytic degradation of gaseous toluene exhibited up to 97.5% under UV light. This enhancement could be explained by iridium doping which created a high concentration oxygen vacancy and changed the recombination rate of the photogenerated charge carriers. More generally, our study indicates a strategic way to develop the novel nanostructured material for numerous applications

Synergic Activity Against MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cell Growth of Nanocurcumin-Encapsulated and Cisplatin-Complexed Nanogels

Nanogel-based systems loaded with single anticancer drugs display miscellaneous effectiveness in tumor remission, gradually circumventing mutation and resistance in chemotherapy. Hence, the existence of dual-drug delivered nano-sized systems has been contemporaneous with drug development and preceded the conventional-dose chemotherapy. Among outstanding synergistic drug nanoplatforms, thermosensitive copolymer heparin-Pluronic F127 (Hep-F127) co-delivering cisplatin (CDDP) and curcumins (Cur) (Hep-F127/CDDP/Cur) has emerged as a notable candidate for temperature-responsive drug delivery. The procedure was based on the entrapment of curcumin into the hydrophobic core of bio-degradable co-polymer Hep-F127 while the hydrophilic drug CDDP subsequently conjugated to the backbone heparin to form the core-shell structure. The copolymer was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrophotometry, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), to corroborate the successful synthesis and via HPLC along with AES-ICP to evaluate the high drug loading along with a controllable release from the nano-gels. A well-defined nano-shell with size in the 129.3 ± 3.8 nm size range could enhance higher the efficacy of the conjugated-CDDP to Hep-F127 than that of single doses. Moreover, the considerable amount of dual-drug released from thermosensitive nanogels between different conditions (pH = 7.4 and pH = 5.5) in comparison to CDDP from Hep-F127 partially indicated the significantly anti-proliferative ability of Hep-F127/CDDP/Cur to the MCF-7 cell line. Remarkably, drug testing in a xenograft model elucidates the intricate synergism of co-delivery in suppressing tumor growth, which remedies some of the problems affecting in cancer chemotherapy

Depressive Symptoms, Suicidal Ideation, and Mental Health Service Use of Industrial Workers: Evidence from Vietnam

Background: Depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation substantially reduce industrial workers’ productivity and performance. This study was performed to examine the prevalence of depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation and identify associated factors among industrial workers in different provinces of Vietnam. Materials and Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study in industrial zones of four provinces of Vietnam. The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) was employed to screen depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to determine factors related to depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation. Results: Of 1200 industrial workers, 30.5% and 33.6% industrial workers had positive depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation in the last two weeks, respectively. There were 38.3% ever using mental health services in the last 12 months. High school education (OR = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.44–0.95); living in dormitory (OR = 3.07, 95% CI = 1.51–6.24), living with siblings (OR = 2.98; 95% CI = 1.32–6.75), having two children or more (OR = 1.45, 95% CI = 1.03–2.03), high years of experience (OR = 0.94; 95% CI = 0.89–0.98), suffering from burnout, alcohol use disorder (OR = 2.38; 95% CI = 1.72–3.28), and smoking status (OR = 0.38, 95% CI = 0.23–0.61) were associated with positive depressive symptoms. Living with children, working in mechanical/metallurgy/electronics factories, completely exhausted and often thinking of quitting, and alcohol use disorder were positively related to suicidal ideation. Conclusions: This study found a high prevalence of depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation among industrial workers in Vietnam. Regular screening and detecting high-risk groups, along with interventions to reduce health risk behaviors, burnout and on-site medical service quality improvement, are recommended to alleviate the burden of depression in industrial workers

Numaswitch: an efficient high-titer expression platform to produce peptides and small proteins

The production of peptides as active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) by recombinant technologies is of emerging interest. A reliable production platform, however, is still missing due the inherent characteristics of peptides such as proteolytic sensitivity, aggregation and cytotoxicity. We have developed a new technology named Numaswitch solving present limitations. Numaswitch was successfully employed for the production of diverse peptides and small proteins varying in length, physicochemical and functional characteristics, including Teriparatide, Linaclotide, human β-amyloid and Serum amyloid A3. Additionally, the potential of Numaswitch for a cost-efficient commercial production is demonstrated yielding > 2 g Teriparatide per liter fermentation broth in a quality meeting API standard

Optimization of Oligomer Chitosan/Polyvinylpyrrolidone Coating for Enhancing Antibacterial, Hemostatic Effects and Biocompatibility of Nanofibrous Wound Dressing

A synergistic multilayer membrane design is necessary to satisfy a multitude of requirements of an ideal wound dressing. In this study, trilayer dressings with asymmetric wettability, composed of electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) base membranes coated with oligomer chitosan (COS) in various concentrations of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), are fabricated for wound dressing application. The membranes are expected to synergize the hygroscopic, antibacterial, hemostatic, and biocompatible properties of PCL and COS. The wound dressing was coated by spraying the solution of 3% COS and 6% PVP on the PCL base membrane (PVP6–3) three times, which shows good interaction with biological subjects, including bacterial strains and blood components. PVP6–3 samples confirm the diameter of inhibition zones of 20.0 ± 2.5 and 17.9 ± 2.5 mm against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, respectively. The membrane induces hemostasis with a blood clotting index of 74% after 5 min of contact. In the mice model, wounds treated with PVP6–3 closed 95% of the area after 10 days. Histological study determines the progression of skin regeneration with the construction of granulation tissue, new vascular systems, and hair follicles. Furthermore, the newly-growth skin shares structural resemblances to that of native tissue. This study suggests a simple approach to a multi-purpose wound dressing for clinical treatment

A genome-wide association study using a Vietnamese landrace panel of rice (Oryza sativa) reveals new QTLs controlling panicle morphological traits

International audienceContextYield improvement is an important issue for rice breeding. Panicle architecture is one of the key components of rice yield and exhibits a large diversity. To identify the morphological and genetic determinants of panicle architecture, we performed a detailed phenotypic analysis and a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using an original panel of Vietnamese landraces.ResultsUsing a newly developed image analysis tool, morphological traits of the panicles were scored over two years: rachis length; primary, secondary and tertiary branch number; average length of primary and secondary branches; average length of internode on rachis and primary branch. We observed a high contribution of spikelet number and secondary branch number per panicle to the overall phenotypic diversity in the dataset. Twenty-nine stable QTLs associated with seven traits were detected through GWAS over the two years. Some of these QTLs were associated with genes already implicated in panicle development. Importantly, the present study revealed the existence of new QTLs associated with the spikelet number, secondary branch number and primary branch number traits.ConclusionsOur phenotypic analysis of panicle architecture variation suggests that with the panel of samples used, morphological diversity depends largely on the balance between indeterminate vs. determinate axillary meristem fate on primary branches, supporting the notion of differences in axillary meristem fate between rachis and primary branches. Our genome-wide association study led to the identification of numerous genomic sites covering all the traits studied and will be of interest for breeding programs aimed at improving yield. The new QTLs detected in this study provide a basis for the identification of new genes controlling panicle development and yield in rice

A genome-wide association study using a Vietnamese landrace panel of rice (Oryza sativa) reveals new QTLs controlling panicle morphological traits

ContextYield improvement is an important issue for rice breeding. Panicle architecture is one of the key components of rice yield and exhibits a large diversity. To identify the morphological and genetic determinants of panicle architecture, we performed a detailed phenotypic analysis and a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using an original panel of Vietnamese landraces.ResultsUsing a newly developed image analysis tool, morphological traits of the panicles were scored over two years: rachis length; primary, secondary and tertiary branch number; average length of primary and secondary branches; average length of internode on rachis and primary branch. We observed a high contribution of spikelet number and secondary branch number per panicle to the overall phenotypic diversity in the dataset. Twenty-nine stable QTLs associated with seven traits were detected through GWAS over the two years. Some of these QTLs were associated with genes already implicated in panicle development. Importantly, the present study revealed the existence of new QTLs associated with the spikelet number, secondary branch number and primary branch number traits.ConclusionsOur phenotypic analysis of panicle architecture variation suggests that with the panel of samples used, morphological diversity depends largely on the balance between indeterminate vs. determinate axillary meristem fate on primary branches, supporting the notion of differences in axillary meristem fate between rachis and primary branches. Our genome-wide association study led to the identification of numerous genomic sites covering all the traits studied and will be of interest for breeding programs aimed at improving yield. The new QTLs detected in this study provide a basis for the identification of new genes controlling panicle development and yield in rice

Multimodal analysis of methylomics and fragmentomics in plasma cell-free DNA for multi-cancer early detection and localization

Despite their promise, circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA)-based assays for multi-cancer early detection face challenges in test performance, due mostly to the limited abundance of ctDNA and its inherent variability. To address these challenges, published assays to date demanded a very high-depth sequencing, resulting in an elevated price of test. Herein, we developed a multimodal assay called SPOT-MAS (screening for the presence of tumor by methylation and size) to simultaneously profile methylomics, fragmentomics, copy number, and end motifs in a single workflow using targeted and shallow genome-wide sequencing (~0.55×) of cell-free DNA. We applied SPOT-MAS to 738 non-metastatic patients with breast, colorectal, gastric, lung, and liver cancer, and 1550 healthy controls. We then employed machine learning to extract multiple cancer and tissue-specific signatures for detecting and locating cancer. SPOT-MAS successfully detected the five cancer types with a sensitivity of 72.4% at 97.0% specificity. The sensitivities for detecting early-stage cancers were 73.9% and 62.3% for stages I and II, respectively, increasing to 88.3% for non-metastatic stage IIIA. For tumor-of-origin, our assay achieved an accuracy of 0.7. Our study demonstrates comparable performance to other ctDNA-based assays while requiring significantly lower sequencing depth, making it economically feasible for population-wide screening