Investigating ankle dynamics during walking on a subject with bilateral ankle arthroplasty

Ankle dynamics during walking was investigated on a subject with bilateral ankle arthroplasty via computing muscle power and work produced by each of the two legs during the double support phases, and by analyzing the angle-moment hysteresis characteristics at the ankle, to highlight the different energy production/absorption phases at the two ankles

Effect of thimerosal, methylmercury, and mercuric chloride in Jurkat T Cell Line

Mercury is a ubiquitous environmental toxicant that causes a wide range of adverse health effects in humans. Three forms of mercury exist: elemental, inorganic and organic. Each of them has its own profile of toxicity. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of thimerosal, a topical antiseptic and preservative in vaccines routinely given to children, methyl mercury, and mercuric chloride on cellular viability measured by MTT in Jurkat T cells, a human T leukemia cell line. The treatment of Jurkat T cells with thimerosal caused a significant decrease in cellular viability at 1 \u3bcM (25%, p<0.05; IC50: 10 \u3bcM). Methyl mercury exhibited a significant decrease in cellular viability at 50 \u3bcM (33%, p<0.01; IC50: 65 \u3bcM). Mercuric chloride (HgCl2) did not show any significant change in cellular survival. Our findings showed that contrary to thimerosal and methyl mercury, mercuric chloride did not modify Jurkat T cell viability

Tetracyclines in COVID-19 patients quarantined at home: Literature evidence supporting real-world data from a multicenter observational study targeting inflammatory and infectious dermatoses

Tetracyclines (TetraC) are widely used in dermatology for both inflammatory and infectious dermatoses; recently both in vivo and in vitro studies started to suggest also a potential antiviral effect. During COVID-19 outbreak, several dermatological patients contracted SARS-CoV-2 experiencing only mild symptoms, but no protocol were approved. A multicenter prospective observational study that enrolled COVID-19 patients visited with teledermatology and undergoing TetraC was performed. About 38 adult outpatients (M/F: 20/18, age 42.6 years [21-67]) were enrolled. During the TetraC treatment, symptoms resolved in all patients within 10 days. Remarkably, ageusia and anosmia disappeared in the first week of TetraC treatment. TetraC seem a promising drug to treat COVID-19 outpatients with mild symptoms

AVENS - A Novel Flying Ad Hoc Network Simulator with Automatic Code Generation for Unmanned Aircraft System

The wireless communication has played a significant impact on our daily lives introducing simplicity and making life more comfortable. \ As a result of faster technological advances in electronics and communications, the development of different types of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has become possible. \ Recently, many efforts have been made to develop more efficient inter- and intra-vehicle communication protocols introducing new challenges, e. g. multiple-UAV communication and Flying Ad Hoc Networks (FANETs). \ However, most of the experiments using real prototypes or systems are not feasible due to the costs and risks involved. \ Thus, simulating network protocol behavior in FANET scenarios is increasingly required to evaluate the applicability of developed network protocols. \ Thereby, we have been developing AVENS, a hybrid aerial network simulation framework, which merges LARISSA Architectural Model, X-Plane Flight Simulator and OMNeT++ Discrete Event Simulator. \ In a proof-of-concept study, we highlighted its advantages. \ Using AVENS, we can advance in the state-of-the-art concerning performance evaluation of intelligent aerial vehicles and provide means to evaluate the development of protocols, codes and systems more accurately

The Impact of Intermittent Fasting (Ramadan Fasting) on Psoriatic Arthritis Disease Activity, Enthesitis, and Dactylitis: A Multicentre Study

Intermittent circadian fasting, namely Ramadan, is a common worldwide practice. Such fasting has a positive impact on psoriasis, but no data exist on its role in psoriatic arthritis (PsA)—a disease that is clearly linked to body mass index. We enrolled 37 patients (23 females and 14 males) with a mean age 43.32 ± 7.81 and they fasted for 17 h for one month in 2016. The baseline PsA characteristics were collected and 12 (32.4%) patients had peripheral arthritis, 13 (35.1%) had axial involvement, 24 (64.9%) had enthesitis, and 13 (35.1%) had dactylitis. Three patients (8.1%) were treated with methotrexate, 28 (75.7%) with TNF-α blockers, and 6 (16.2%) with IL-17 blockers. After a month of intermittent fasting, C-reactive protein (CRP) levels decreased from 14.08 ± 4.65 to 12.16 ± 4.46 (p < 0.0001), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) decreased from 2.83 ± 1.03 to 2.08 ± 0.67 (p = 0.0078), Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) decreased from 7.46 ± 2.43 to 5.86 ± 2.37 (p < 0.0001), and Disease Activity index for PSoriatic Arthritis (DAPSA) decreased from 28.11 ± 4.51 to 25.76 ± 4.48 (p < 0.0001). Similarly, enthesitis improved after fasting, with Leeds Enthesitis Index (LEI) decreasing from 2.25 ± 1.11 to 1.71 ± 0.86 (p < 0.0001) and dactylitis severity score (DSS) decreasing from 9.92 ± 2.93 to 8.54 ± 2.79 (p = 0.0001). Fasting was found to be a predictor of a decrease in PsA disease activity scores (DAPSA, BASDAI, LEI, DSS) even after adjustment for weight loss. IL-17 therapy was found to be an independent predictor of decreases in LEI after fasting. These preliminary data may support the use of chronomedicine in the context of rheumatic diseases, namely PsA. Further studies are needed to support our findings