Is Left Ventricular Global Longitudinal Strain by Two-Dimensional Speckle Tracking Echocardiography in Sepsis Cardiomyopathy Ready for Prime Time Use in the ICU

Myocardial deformation imaging (strain imaging) is a technique to directly quantify the extent of myocardial contractility and overcomes several of the limitations of ejection fraction. The application of the most commonly used strain imaging method; speckle-tracking echocardiography to patients with sepsis cardiomyopathy heralds an exciting development to the field. However; the body of evidence and knowledge on the utility, feasibility and prognostic value of left ventricular global longitudinal strain in sepsis cardiomyopathy is still evolving. We conducted a review of literature on utility of left ventricular global longitudinal strain in sepsis cardiomyopathy. We discuss the role of left ventricular global longitudinal strain in mortality prediction, utility and limitations of the technique in the context of sepsis cardiomyopathy

A review on molecular aspects of virus-vector relationship to the aphids: NA

Plant viruses are transmitted through insects, mites, nematodes, and protists. Arthropods as vectors are used by 88% of plant viruses to move from one host to another. Insects are the most prevalent vectors, with aphids accounting for half of all insect-vectored viruses. Aphids have been meticulously developed to serve as vectors. Transforming virions into plant cells is facilitated bypiercing–sucking mouthparts that do not cause irreversible damage. With the ability to reproduce asexually, aphid populations can grow incredibly, amplifying disease epidemics and accelerating the spread of viruses over short and vast distances. Aphids significantly reduce crop productivity by spreading numerous plant viruses. Being obligate intracellular pathogens, viruses rely heavily on vectors to spread and survive. Aphids are responsible for the majority of economically significant plant virus transmission and cause heavy crop loss worldwide. Aphids feed on the plant as insect pathogens and carry plant pathogens such as Viruses. Either persistent circulation, non-circulation or not persistently, they spread viruses. The process of plant virus transmission by insects has changed over time and is significantly impacted by the biology and morphology of insects. Much research during the last century has offered an in-depth understanding of the molecular mechanisms underpinning virus-vector interactions. The present review discusses the molecular interaction of the virus–vector relationship by Aphids. This will provide a clue to the scientific community to successfully combat aphid infestation in agriculture

Circulating Cell and Plasma microRNA Profiles Differ between Non-ST-Segment and ST-Segment-Elevation Myocardial Infarction

BACKGROUND: Differences in plasma and whole blood expression microRNAs (miRNAs) in patients with an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) have been determined in both in vitro and in vivo studies. Although most circulating miRNAs are located in the cellular components of whole blood, little is known about the miRNA profiles of whole blood subcomponents, including plasma, platelets and leukocytes in patients with myocardial ischemia. METHODS: Thirteen patients with a ST-segment-elevation (STEMI) or non-ST-segment elevation (NSTEMI) myocardial infarction were identified in the University of Massachusetts Medical Center Emergency Department (ED) or cardiac catheterization laboratory between February and June of 2012. Whole blood was obtained from arterial blood samples at the time of cardiac catheterization and cell-specific miRNA profiling was performed. Expression of 343 miRNAs was quantified from whole blood, plasma, platelets, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells using a high-throughput, quantitative Real-Time polymerase-chain reaction system (qRT-PCR). RESULTS: MiRNAs associated with STEMI as compared to NSTEMI patients included miR-25-3p, miR-221-3p, and miR-374b-5p. MiRNA 30d-5p was associated with plasma, platelets, and leukocytes in both STEMI and NSTEMI patients; miRNAs 221-3p and 483-5p were correlated with plasma and platelets only in NSTEMI patients. CONCLUSIONS: Cell-specific miRNA profiles differed between patients with STEMI and NSTEMI. The miRNA distribution is also unique amongst plasma, platelets, and leukocytes in patients with ischemic heart disease or ACS. Our findings suggest unique miRNA profiles among the circulating subcomponents in patients presenting with myocardial ischemia

Structural changes in a four-alpha-helix bundle protein following sevoflurane binding

Abstract. A molecular understanding of volatile general anesthetic mechanisms of action will ultimately require high-resolution structural descriptions of anesthetic-protein complexes. Structural changes in proteins following anesthetic binding have been technically difficult to detect, but presumably underlie many of the resulting reversible alterations in protein function. Using three different spectroscopic approaches, evidence is presented that binding of a modern general anesthetic to the four-a-helix bundle (Aa 2 -L1M/L38M) 2 results in conformational changes in the target. Comparable structural changes in in vivo central nervous system protein targets may underlie some, or all, of the behavioral effects of these widely used clinical agents.

Assessing and augmenting SCADA cyber security: a survey of techniques

SCADA systems monitor and control critical infrastructures of national importance such as power generation and distribution, water supply, transportation networks, and manufacturing facilities. The pervasiveness, miniaturisations and declining costs of internet connectivity have transformed these systems from strictly isolated to highly interconnected networks. The connectivity provides immense benefits such as reliability, scalability and remote connectivity, but at the same time exposes an otherwise isolated and secure system, to global cyber security threats. This inevitable transformation to highly connected systems thus necessitates effective security safeguards to be in place as any compromise or downtime of SCADA systems can have severe economic, safety and security ramifications. One way to ensure vital asset protection is to adopt a viewpoint similar to an attacker to determine weaknesses and loopholes in defences. Such mind sets help to identify and fix potential breaches before their exploitation. This paper surveys tools and techniques to uncover SCADA system vulnerabilities. A comprehensive review of the selected approaches is provided along with their applicability

A Comparative Study of the Postoperative Morbidity and Mortality in Femoral Neck Fractures in Elderly Patients Treated With Cemented and Uncemented Thompson Hemiarthroplasty

Background: Thompson hip hemiarthroplasty is a well-established procedure for the treatment of displaced intracapsular fracture neck of femur in the elderly. However, considerable debate exists regarding the use of cemented prosthesis in this elderly group of patients. The main purpose of our study was to analyse the outcomes following cemented and uncemented Thompson hemiarthroplasty of the hip with particular reference to cement-related morbidity and 30-day mortality. Methods: Of the 110 patients who underwent Thompson hemiarthroplasty for intracapsular hip fracture, 30 (27.3%) had cemented and 80 (72.7%) had uncemented prosthesis. The mean age was 83.2 years with 87 female patients. The thigh pain and mobility at discharge, the inpatient complications and the 30-day mortality rates were compared between the cemented and uncemented groups. Results: The study revealed no statistically significant differences in any of the postoperative outcome measures between the two groups. Conclusion: Cemented and uncemented Thompson hip hemiarthroplasty have similar outcomes at discharge. Patients who underwent cementation without pressurisation did not show any higher incidence of bone cement implantation syndrome compared to their uncemented counterparts. Uncemented Thompson hemiarthroplasty can be an option in patients with very poor cardiopulmonary reserve without any significant complications in the short term