Justified Concern or Exaggerated Fear: The Risk of Anaphylaxis in Percutaneous Treatment of Cystic Echinococcosis—A Systematic Literature Review

Percutaneous treatment (PT) emerged in the mid-1980s as an alternative to surgery for selected cases of abdominal cystic echinococcosis (CE). Despite its efficacy and widespread use, the puncture of echinococcal cysts is still far from being universally accepted. One of the main reasons for this reluctance is the perceived risk of anaphylaxis linked to PTs. To quantify the risk of anaphylactic reactions and lethal anaphylaxis with PT, we systematically searched MEDLINE for publications on PT of CE and reviewed the PT-related complications. After including 124 publications published between 1980 and 2010, we collected a total number of 5943 PT procedures on 5517 hepatic and non-hepatic echinococcal cysts. Overall, two cases of lethal anaphylaxis and 99 reversible anaphylactic reactions were reported. Lethal anaphylaxis occurred in 0.03% of PT procedures, corresponding to 0.04% of treated cysts, while reversible allergic reactions complicated 1.7% of PTs, corresponding to 1.8% of treated echinococcal cysts. Analysis of the literature shows that lethal anaphylaxis related to percutaneous treatment of CE is an extremely rare event and is observed no more frequently than drug-related anaphylactic side effects

Fourteen days of smoking cessation improves muscle fatigue resistance and reverses markers of systemic inflammation

Cigarette smoking has a negative effect on respiratory and skeletal muscle function and is a risk factor for various chronic diseases. To assess the effects of 14 days of smoking cessation on respiratory and skeletal muscle function, markers of inflammation and oxidative stress in humans. Spirometry, skeletal muscle function, circulating carboxyhaemoglobin levels, advanced glycation end products (AGEs), markers of oxidative stress and serum cytokines were measured in 38 non-smokers, and in 48 cigarette smokers at baseline and after 14 days of smoking cessation. Peak expiratory flow (p = 0.004) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s/forced vital capacity (p = 0.037) were lower in smokers compared to non-smokers but did not change significantly after smoking cessation. Smoking cessation increased skeletal muscle fatigue resistance (p < 0.001). Haemoglobin content, haematocrit, carboxyhaemoglobin, total AGEs, malondialdehyde, TNF-α, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6 and IL-10 (p < 0.05) levels were higher, and total antioxidant status (TAS), IL-12p70 and eosinophil numbers were lower (p < 0.05) in smokers. IL-4, IL-6, IL-10 and IL-12p70 had returned towards levels seen in non-smokers after 14 days smoking cessation (p < 0.05), and IL-2 and TNF-α showed a similar pattern but had not yet fully returned to levels seen in non-smokers. Haemoglobin, haematocrit, eosinophil count, AGEs, MDA and TAS did not significantly change with smoking cessation. Two weeks of smoking cessation was accompanied with an improved muscle fatigue resistance and a reduction in low-grade systemic inflammation in smokers

Classification-driven and structure-assisted rule based annotation of protein function

The Protein Information Resource (PIR) classifies protein sequences into homeomorphic and monophyletic PIRSF families for functional annotation of proteins. It is a network classification system based on the evolutionary relationships of whole proteins. Position-specific feature rules for annotating and propagating functional sites, active sites, and binding sites are being developed based on manually curated multiple sequence alignments and Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) of homeomorphic families and subfamilies, starting with those that contain at least one known 3D structure with experimentally verified site information. The active site information on proteins is taken from the PDB SITE records, the ligplots of interactions available in PDBSum database and the published scientific literature. We have developed a Rulebase curation interface that maps PIRSF families and protein structures based on sequence identity. The activity involves manual rule definition with visualization of sequences and structures, and computational propagation of site features along with evidence attribution. In our approach, the rule is a HMM developed from the conserved regions containing the active site residues in the multiple sequence alignment of a PIRSF family. The classification-driven rule-based approach for the propagation of functional features on the large body of protein sequences shall facilitate functional proteomics and genomic research

Experimental Study and Numerical Modeling of Downward Flame Spread Along a Single Pine Needle: Part 1 (Experiments)

<p>This work presents an experimental study of downward flame spread over a vertically positioned single pine needle of <i>Pinus Sibirica</i>. Detailed spatial measurements in the gas phase have been carried out to determine the chemical and thermal flame structure of the spreading flame. In addition, temperature distribution in pine needle is also measured. In the gas phase micro thermocouple measurements were used to determine temperature distribution; mass spectrometry with microprobe sampling was used to measure the concentration profiles of О₂ and the main combustion products (СО₂, СО, Н₂О). The micro thermocouple method was also used to measure temperature distribution in a pine needle for flame spread along it. The data obtained from the experiments on single vertical pine needles reveals two stages in downward flame propagation: (1) a zone in the vicinity of the leading edge of the spreading flame where virgin pine needle decomposes to form char and volatile pyrolysis products formed. The pyrolysis products mix with air and ignited by flame behind causes flame to propagate; and (2) a zone where heterogeneous burning of char occurs. The downward flame spread velocity along a single pine needle was also measured for several counter-flow air velocities to obtain dependence of flame spread rate on counter-flow velocity. The data obtained in this work can also serve as a much needed base for testing and refining the numerical models describing flame spread along individual components of forest fuels (FF). Further, as the flame propagation along a bed of FF is similar to that along charring polymer materials, the data obtained and the applied methods of research may be also of interest to those studying the charring polymer combustion mechanism.</p