First record of Curius chemsaki Nearns and Ray, 2006 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae: Curiini) in Colombia

Curius chemsaki Nearns and Ray, 2006 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae: Curiini), is reported from Colombia for the first time. In addition, the range of this taxon within Venezuela is extended to the Andean Province of Táchira

Micromechanical Properties of Injection-Molded Starch–Wood Particle Composites

The micromechanical properties of injection molded starch–wood particle composites were investigated as a function of particle content and humidity conditions. The composite materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction methods. The microhardness of the composites was shown to increase notably with the concentration of the wood particles. In addition,creep behavior under the indenter and temperature dependence were evaluated in terms of the independent contribution of the starch matrix and the wood microparticles to the hardness value. The influence of drying time on the density and weight uptake of the injection-molded composites was highlighted. The results revealed the role of the mechanism of water evaporation, showing that the dependence of water uptake and temperature was greater for the starch–wood composites than for the pure starch sample. Experiments performed during the drying process at 70°C indicated that the wood in the starch composites did not prevent water loss from the samples.Peer reviewe

Effect of cinacalcet on cardiovascular disease in patients undergoing dialysis

BACKGROUND: Disorders of mineral metabolism, including secondary hyperparathyroidism, are thought to contribute to extraskeletal (including vascular) calcification among patients with chronic kidney disease. It has been hypothesized that treatment with the calcimimetic agent cinacalcet might reduce the risk of death or nonfatal cardiovascular events in such patients. METHODS: In this clinical trial, we randomly assigned 3883 patients with moderate-to-severe secondary hyperparathyroidism (median level of intact parathyroid hormone, 693 pg per milliliter [10th to 90th percentile, 363 to 1694]) who were undergoing hemodialysis to receive either cinacalcet or placebo. All patients were eligible to receive conventional therapy, including phosphate binders, vitamin D sterols, or both. The patients were followed for up to 64 months. The primary composite end point was the time until death, myocardial infarction, hospitalization for unstable angina, heart failure, or a peripheral vascular event. The primary analysis was performed on the basis of the intention-to-treat principle. RESULTS: The median duration of study-drug exposure was 21.2 months in the cinacalcet group, versus 17.5 months in the placebo group. The primary composite end point was reached in 938 of 1948 patients (48.2%) in the cinacalcet group and 952 of 1935 patients (49.2%) in the placebo group (relative hazard in the cinacalcet group vs. the placebo group, 0.93; 95% confidence interval, 0.85 to 1.02; P = 0.11). Hypocalcemia and gastrointestinal adverse events were significantly more frequent in patients receiving cinacalcet. CONCLUSIONS: In an unadjusted intention-to-treat analysis, cinacalcet did not significantly reduce the risk of death or major cardiovascular events in patients with moderate-to-severe secondary hyperparathyroidism who were undergoing dialysis

Building a Systematic Online Living Evidence Summary of COVID-19 Research

Throughout the global coronavirus pandemic, we have seen an unprecedented volume of COVID-19 researchpublications. This vast body of evidence continues to grow, making it difficult for research users to keep up with the pace of evolving research findings. To enable the synthesis of this evidence for timely use by researchers, policymakers, and other stakeholders, we developed an automated workflow to collect, categorise, and visualise the evidence from primary COVID-19 research studies. We trained a crowd of volunteer reviewers to annotate studies by relevance to COVID-19, study objectives, and methodological approaches. Using these human decisions, we are training machine learning classifiers and applying text-mining tools to continually categorise the findings and evaluate the quality of COVID-19 evidence

Bilateral Urinary Calculi

Cases in which stones are found on both sides at the same time are alone considered. They form 9·4% of the admissions for stone in the upper urinary tract at St. Peter's Hospital. Figures from Continental clinics vary from 11% to 14%, while those obtained from post-mortem records are nearly 50%. Four groups of cases are considered: (1) Calculi due to a special diathesis, e.g., cystine stones. (2) Aseptic bilateral calculi. (3) Infected bilateral calculi. (4) Cases complicated by anuria. (1) Cystinuria should be treated medically, by diet and alkalis, but stones may form, in spite of treatment. They can be passed easily, and operation is only indicated when impaction occurs. (2) The calculi are comparatively small, and it is rare to find more than one on each side. If the renal function is approximately the same on both sides, simultaneous removal is advisable. When this is impossible, the interval between the two operations should not exceed fourteen days. When the function is unequal, the first operation should be performed on the more damaged kidney. (3) When both sides are infected, the calculi are often very large, and the kidneys severely damaged. Infection is usually the primary factor, but its source cannot always be determined. The symptoms are slight, often merely persisting pyuria. If the value of both kidneys is the same: (a) no operation may be possible; (b) pelvic stones should be removed; (c) “stag horn” calculi are best left alone, unless there is evidence of fluid distension of the kidneys. When the function is unequal, an absolutely useless pyonephrotic kidney should be removed or drained, but if urine is secreted by both it is advisable to operate on the better kidney first. (4) In cases of calculous anuria, the obstruction is usually found in the upper portion of the ureters. An attempt should be made to relieve it by passing ureteric catheters. If it fails, or if the anuria recurs, immediate operation is necessary. The kidney last obstructed should be drained. The stones should be removed as soon as the effects of the anuria have passed. </jats:p