Cytokines and Other Mediators in Alopecia Areata

Alopecia areata, a disease of the hair follicles with multifactorial etiology and a strong component of autoimmune origin, has been extensively studied as far as the role of several cytokines is concerned. So far, IFN-γ, interleukins, TNF-α, are cytokines that are well known to play a major role in the pathogenesis of the disease, while several studies have shown that many more pathways exist. Among them, MIG, IP-10, BAFF, HLA antigens, MIG, as well as stress hormones are implicated in disease onset and activity. Within the scope of this paper, the authors attempt to shed light upon the complexity of alopecia areata underlying mechanisms and indicate pathways that may suggest future treatments

Impact of different charging methods on electric bus battery size and grid demand

This paper presents an agent-based model (ABM) that estimates battery size and electricity grid demand for bus charging infrastructure. The ABM considers four charging methods: overnight charging (ONC), end-line charging (ELC), occasionally fast charging (OFC), and wireless charging (WLC). The model accurately captures the energy consumption and charge load of battery electric buses (BEBs) by incorporating GPS coordinates, average speed, and temperature profiles. A case study is conducted on a bus route in Cardiff, UK, to showcase the functionality of the ABM. The results of simulations demonstrate significant reductions in electric bus battery sizes for different charging methods. For example, end-line charging reduces battery size by 235 kWh per bus compared to overnight charging. Occasionally fast charging and wireless charging achieve even lower capacities of 86 kWh and 69 kWh, respectively, however, these charging methods lead to higher and more fluctuating grid loads, resulting in a poor load factor. In summary, this ABM provides a practical tool for infrastructure planners. The case study illustrates its effectiveness in optimizing battery size and evaluating grid demand for BEB charging infrastructure. The findings provide critical directions for both bus operator shifting towards electrification of their fleets and city planners responsible for the deployment of related charging infrastructure

Clavibacter michiganensis downregulates photosynthesis and modifies monolignols metabolism revealing a crosstalk with tomato immune responses

The gram-positive pathogenic bacterium Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis (Cmm) causes bacterial canker disease in tomato, affecting crop yield and fruit quality. To understand how tomato plants respond, the dynamic expression profile of host genes was analyzed upon Cmm infection. Symptoms of bacterial canker became evident from the third day. As the disease progressed, the bacterial population increased in planta, reaching the highest level at six days and remained constant till the twelfth day post inoculation. These two time points were selected for transcriptomics. A progressive down-regulation of key genes encoding for components of the photosynthetic apparatus was observed. Two temporally separated defense responses were observed, which were to an extent interdependent. During the primary response, genes of the phenylpropanoid pathway were diverted towards the synthesis of monolignols away from S-lignin. In dicots, lignin polymers mainly consist of G- and S-units, playing an important role in defense. The twist towards G-lignin enrichment is consistent with previous findings, highlighting a response to generate an early protective barrier and to achieve a tight interplay between lignin recomposition and the primary defense response mechanism. Upon progression of Cmm infection, the temporal deactivation of phenylpropanoids coincided with the upregulation of genes that belong in a secondary response mechanism, supporting an elegant reprogramming of the host transcriptome to establish a robust defense apparatus and suppress pathogen invasion. This high-throughput analysis reveals a dynamic reorganization of plant defense mechanisms upon bacterial infection to implement an array of barriers preventing pathogen invasion and spread

Skin Biopsy in the Context of Dermatological Diagnosis: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Background. Skin biopsy is an established method for allying the dermatologist in overcoming the diagnostic dilemmas which occur during consultations. However neither do all skin biopsies produce a conclusive diagnosis nor the dermatologists routinely perform this procedure to every patient they consult. The aim of this study was to investigate the favourable clinical diagnoses set by dermatologists when performing skin biopsy, the diagnoses reached by the dermatopathologists after microscopic examination, and the relationship between them and finally to comment on the instances that skin biopsy fails to fulfill the diagnostic task. Methods. Six thousand eight hundred and sixteen biopsy specimens were reviewed and descriptive statistics were performed. Results. The mean age of the patients was 54.58 ± 0.26 years, the most common site of biopsy was the head and neck (38.3%), the most frequently proposed clinical diagnoses included malignancies (19.28%), and the most prevalent pathological diagnosis was epitheliomas (21.9%). After microscopic examination, a specific histological diagnosis was proposed in 83.29% of the cases and a consensus between clinical and histological diagnoses was observed in 68% of them. Conclusions. Although there are cases that skin biopsy exhibits diagnostic inefficiency, it remains a valuable aid for the dermatology clinical practice

Optimisation of electric vehicle battery size

Energy storage and battery technologies have taken centre stage in the race to meet the UK government target to ban new petrol and diesel cars by 2030. However, underlying key issues such as resource demand and negative public opinion must be solved before the high uptake of electric vehicles. The research conducted in this paper proposed viable solutions to these challenges through modelling of real driver data utilising an agent based modelling approach. Per month state of charge analysis confirmed that the current charging infrastructure in circulation will not accommodate the miniaturisation of electric vehicle battery size. Thus, an improved alternative charging infrastructure was proposed, which enabled the optimal battery size to be reduced by up to 40%. The users stop times were analysed to assign an optimal battery size based upon monthly driving behaviour concluding daily inner city drivers require a 30kWh battery and daily long distance drivers require a 40kWh battery. When decreasing the battery size by the proposed 40% there is a £2650.60 saving and a 6.4kg lithium demand decrease per battery when compared to the current average battery size

Oil Media on Paper: Investigating the Effect of Linseed Oils on Lignocellulosic Paper Supports

Condition assessment of works of art created with oil media on paper could be a complex matter when presenting problems of damage due to the absorption of oil binders by the paper support, since they depend on several factors and occur in variable conditions. The present work refers to the results of an investigation on the effect of linseed oils on the color, opacity, morphology, tensile strength, and chemical properties of lignocellulosic papers, in comparison to that of pure cellulosic papers. Lignocellulosic papers are involved in research on new, yet significant, parameters that might influence the behavior of the oil-impregnated areas of the supports upon aging. The research was applied to mock-ups, made of two types of lignocellulosic paper impregnated with three types of linseed oil and subjected to accelaratated ageing in specific conditions of relative humidity and temperature in closed environment. The research involved colorimetry, opacity, tensile strength, pH measurements, SEM, FTIR, and VOC analysis with GC-MS. The results indicated that thermal-humid ageing caused the gradual darkening of the oil-impregnated mock-ups, alterations in opacity, and decrease of pH values, depending mainly on the formulation of linseed oil, as well as a reduction in tensile strength. FTIR analysis results indicated that the chemical changes that occur upon ageing supported the recorded optical and mechanical alterations, while VOC emissions are both associated with the paper type and the kinetics of degradation of the different types of linseed oil

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries