Vertical Transmission of Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19) from Infected Pregnant Mothers to Neonates: A Review

Background: Since early December 2019, the Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19) infection has been prevalent in China and eventually spread to other countries. There are a few published cases of COVID-19 occurring during pregnancy and due the possibility of mother-fetal vertical transmission, there is a concern that the fetuses may be at risk of congenital COVID-19. Methods: We reviewed the risk of vertical transmission of COVID-19 to the fetus of infected mothers by using data of published articles or official websites up to March 4, 2020. Results: A total of 31 infected pregnant mothers with COVID-19 were reported. No COVID-19 infection was detected in their neonates or placentas. Two mothers died from COVID-19-related respiratory complications after delivery. Conclusions: Currently, based on limited data, there is no evidence for intrauterine transmission of COVID-19 from infected pregnant women to their fetuses. Mothers may be at increased risk for more severe respiratory complications. © 2020, © 2020 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

New arylated benzo[h]quinolines induce anti-cancer activity by oxidative stress-mediated DNA damage

© 2016 The Author(s).The anti-cancer activity of the benzo[h]quinolines was evaluated on cultured human skin cancer (G361), lung cancer (H460), breast cancer (MCF7) and colon cancer (HCT116) cell lines. The inhibitory effect of these compounds on the cell growth was determined by the MTT assay. The compounds 3e, 3f, 3h and 3j showed potential cytotoxicity against these human cancer cell lines. Effect of active compounds on DNA oxidation and expression of apoptosis related gene was studied. We also developed a quantitative method to measure the activity of cyclin-dependent kinases-2 (CDK2) by western blotting in the presence of active compound. In addition, molecular docking revealed that benzo[h]quinolines can correctly dock into the hydrophobic pocket of the targets receptor protein aromatase and CDK2, while their bioavailability/drug-likeness was predicted to be acceptable but requires future optimization. These findings reveal that benzo[h]quinolines act as anti-cancer agents by inducing oxidative stress-mediated DNA damage

A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing the Effects of Counseling and Alarm Device on HAART Adherence and Virologic Outcomes

Michael Chung and colleagues show that intensive early adherence counseling at HAART initiation resulted in sustained, significant impact on adherence and virologic treatment failure, whereas use of an alarm device had no effect

Bond strength of the interface between concrete substrate and overlay concrete containing fly ash exposed to high temperature

YesBond between substrate and overlay concretes is a key factor for the success of the repair method and significantly influences the structural performance of the repaired element. This study investigated the effect of fly ash and the surface preparation method on the bond strength of repaired concrete after exposure to high temperatures, that has not been comprehensively studied in the literature. For this purpose, overlay concretes containing 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20% fly ash as a replacement by weight of cement were cast on the original concrete surface prepared by four methods namely, as-cast, wire brushed, grooved and grooved-wire brushed. The bond strength of the interface between concrete substrate and overlay concrete was evaluated after exposure to 23, 200, 400, and 600oC temperatures for 1 hour. The results showed that partial replacement of cement by fly ash in the overlay concrete increased the bond strength of repaired concrete by up to 71%, depending on the amount of fly ash used, surface preparation method, and the temperature to which the sample was exposed. The maximum increase of bond strength was recorded for concrete containing 20% fly ash when the wire brushed preparation method was adopted at temperature of 200oC. However, surface preparation was the most influential parameter, achieving a bond strength gradual increase in order from as-cast, wire brushed, grooved to grooved-wire brushed methods. The results also showed that for most of the samples having similar surface preparation and the same percentage of fly ash, bond strength decreased with the increase of exposure to temperature; for example, for overlay concretes without fly ash, in as-cast and wire brushed surface preparation methods at temperatures of 400 and 600 oC, the bond strength has reached zero. On the other hand, for grooved and grooved-wire brushed surface preparation methods, the bond strength reduction was about 63%, when temperature increased from 23 to 600oC.The full-text of this article will be released for public view at the end of the publisher embargo, 12 month from first publication