Biomimetic Potentials for Building Envelope Adaptation in Egypt

AbstractBiomimicry is a science that seeks sustainable solutions by emulating nature's time-tested 3.8 billion years of patterns and strategies. The paper is concerned with embodying the biomimetic strategies to building envelopes which shall offer a high potential to reduce the energy demand, save material and thus improve the sustainability of buildings, through accessing current practices process of natural ventilation biomimicry in buildings for a potential application in building envelope for environmental adaptation which could help for the emergence of a new generation of biomimetic building envelopes aiming at promoting biomimicry in Egypt by showing the benefits that could be harvested

A comparison between 915 MHz and 2450 MHz microwave ablation systems for the treatment of small diameter lung metastases

PURPOSE:We aimed to retrospectively compare the local tumor control rates between low frequency (LF) and high frequency (HF) microwave ablation devices in the treatment of <3 cm lung metastases.METHODS:A total of 36 patients (55 tumors) were treated with the LF system (915 MHz) and 30 patients (39 tumors) were treated with the HF system (2450 MHz) between January 2011 and March 2016. Computed tomography (CT) scans performed prior to and 24 hours after the ablation were used to measure the size of the ablation zone and to calculate the ablation margin. The subsequent CTs were used to detect local tumor progression. Possible predictive factors for local progression were analyzed. All patients had a minimum follow-up of 3 months with a median of 13.8 months for the LF group and 11.7 months for the HF group.RESULTS:The ablation margin (P = 0.015), blood vessel proximity (P = 0.006), and colorectal origin (P = 0.029) were significantly associated with the local progression rate. The local progression rates were 36.3% for LF ablations and 12.8% for HF ablations. The 6, 12, and 18 months local progression-free survival rates were 79%, 65.2% and 53% for the LF group and 97.1%, 93.7%, and 58.4% for the HF group, with a significant difference between the survival curves (P = 0.048).CONCLUSION:HF ablations resulted in larger ablation margins with fewer local progression compared with LF ablations

Pancreatic pseudocyst eroding into the splenoportal venous confluence and mimicking an arterial aneurysm

We report the case of a 62-year-old man with chronic pancreatitis who presented with increasing abdominal pain. Sonography, magnetic resonance imaging, contrast-enhanced computed tomography, and ultimately catheter angiography demonstrated a pancreatic pseudocyst that had eroded into the splenoportal venous confluence, mimicking an arterial aneurysm. The diagnostic was confirmed at the time of surgical treatment. This case demonstrates the use of imaging to diagnose complications of pancreatitis, and the difficulty of distinguishing an eroding pseudocyst from an arterial aneurysm

Screening for plant transporter function by expressing a normalized Arabidopsis full-length cDNA library in Xenopus oocytes

BACKGROUND: We have developed a functional genomics approach based on expression cloning in Xenopus oocytes to identify plant transporter function. We utilized the full-length cDNA databases to generate a normalized library consisting of 239 full-length Arabidopsis thaliana transporter cDNAs. The genes were arranged into a 96-well format and optimized for expression in Xenopus oocytes by cloning each coding sequence into a Xenopus expression vector. RESULTS: Injection of 96 in vitro transcribed cRNAs from the library in pools of columns and rows into oocytes and subsequent screening for glucose uptake activity identified three glucose transporters. One of these, AtSTP13, had not previously been experimentally characterized. CONCLUSION: Expression of the library in Xenopus oocytes, combined with uptake assays, has great potential in assignment of plant transporter function and for identifying membrane transporters for the many plant metabolites where a transporter has not yet been identified

Study on the effect of chemoembolization combined with microwave ablation for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma in rats

PURPOSE:We aimed to evaluate the combining effects of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) and open local thermal microwave ablation in a hepatocellular carcinoma animal model.METHODS:Tumor cubes were implanted into the liver of 30 male inbred ACI rats. Groups of 10 animals were treated at 13 days (TACE or microwave ablation) and 16 days (microwave ablation) postimplantation with combined therapy of TACE (0.1 mg mitomycin C; 0.1 mg iodized oil; 5.0 mg degradable starch microspheres) and microwave ablation (2450 Mhz; 45 s; 35 W) (study group A), TACE alone (control group B), or microwave ablation alone (control group C). At day 12 and day 25 tumor size was measured via magnetic resonance imaging and the relative growth ratio was calculated. Hepatic specimens were immunohistochemically examined for the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).RESULTS:Mean growth rates were 1.34±0.19 in group A, 3.19±0.13 in group B, and 4.18±0.19 in group C. Compared with control groups B and C, tumor growth rate in group A was significantly inhibited (P < 0.01). The VEGF-antibody reaction in peritumoral tissue (staining intensity at portal triad, percent antibody reaction and staining intensity at central vein) was significantly lower in group A compared with group B (P < 0.01). No significant difference between group A and group C could be observed.CONCLUSION:This investigation shows improved results of TACE followed by microwave ablation as treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma in a rat model, compared with single therapy regimen regarding the inhibition of growth rate and reduction of VEGF-level in peritumoral tissue

USER fusion: a rapid and efficient method for simultaneous fusion and cloning of multiple PCR products

We present a method that allows simultaneous fusion and cloning of multiple PCR products in a rapid and efficient manner. The procedure is based on the use of PCR primers that contain a single deoxyuridine residue near their 5′ end. Treatment of the PCR products with a commercial deoxyuridine-excision reagent generates long 3′ overhangs designed to specifically complement each other. The combination of this principle with the improved USER cloning technique provides a simple, fast and very efficient method to simultaneously fuse and clone multiple PCR fragments into a vector of interest. Around 90% positive clones were obtained when three different PCR products were fused and cloned into a USER-compatible vector in a simple procedure that, apart from the single PCR amplification step and the bacterial transformation, took approximately one hour. We expect this method to replace overlapping PCR and the use of type IIS restriction enzymes in many of their applications

MR angiography-planned prostatic artery embolization for benign prostatic hyperplasia: single-center retrospective study in 56 patients

PurposeWe aimed to evaluate the advantages of magnetic resonance angiography (MRA)-planned prostatic artery embolization (PAE) for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).MethodsIn this retrospective study, MRAs of 56 patients (mean age, 67.23±7.73 years; age range, 47–82 years) who underwent PAE between 2017 and 2018 were evaluated. For inclusion, full information about procedure time and radiation values must have been available. To identify prostatic artery (PA) origin, three-dimensional MRA reconstruction with maximum intensity projection was conducted in every patient. In total, 33 patients completed clinical and imaging follow-up and were included in clinical evaluation.ResultsThere were 131 PAs with a second PA in 19 pelvic sides. PA origin was correctly identified via MRA in 108 of 131 PAs (82.44%). In patients in which MRA allowed a PA analysis, a significant reduction of the fluoroscopy time (-27.0%, p = 0.028) and of the dose area product (-38.0%, p = 0.003) was detected versus those with no PA analysis prior to PAE. Intervention time was reduced by 13.2%, (p = 0.25). Mean fluoroscopy time was 30.1 min, mean dose area product 27,749 µGy•m2, and mean entrance dose 1553 mGy. Technical success was achieved in all 56 patients (100.0%); all patients were embolized on both pelvic sides. The evaluated data documented a significant reduction in IPSS (p < 0.001; mean 9.67 points).ConclusionMRA prior to PAE allowed the identification of PA in 82.44% of the cases. MRA-planned PAE is an effective treatment for patients with BPH

Identification and characterisation of two high-affinity glucose transporters from the spoilage yeast Brettanomyces bruxellensis

The yeast Brettanomyces bruxellensis (syn. Dekkera bruxellensis) is an emerging and undesirable contaminant in industrial low-sugar ethanol fermentations that employ the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. High-affinity glucose import in B. bruxellensis has been proposed to be the mechanism by which this yeast can outcompete S. cerevisiae. The present study describes the characterization of two B. bruxellensis genes (BHT1 and BHT3) believed to encode putative high-affinity glucose transporters. In vitro-generated transcripts of both genes as well as the S. cerevisiae HXT7 high-affinity glucose transporter were injected into Xenopus laevis oocytes and subsequent glucose uptake rates were assayed using 14C-labelled glucose. At 0.1 mM glucose, Bht1p was shown to transport glucose five times faster than Hxt7p. pH affected the rate of glucose transport by Bht1p and Bht3p, indicating an active glucose transport mechanism that involves proton symport. These results suggest a possible role for BHT1 and BHT3 in the competitive ability of B. bruxellensis