关键词： Intensive care units  

摘要： The concept of minimally invasive cardiac surgery has been put forward for more than decades and continued to develop. Recently, minimally invasive aortic valve surgery is established as a safe and effective treatment for various aortic valvular heart diseases and ascending aorta disorders. This study is aimed at analyzing the safety and effectiveness of aortic valve replacement (AVR) through right anterior minithoracotomy for the treatment of patients with low left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Retrospective analyses of 43 cases with low LVEF undergoing AVR through median sternotomy and 43 cases with low LVEF undergoing AVR through right anterior minithoracotomy were performed. Extracorporeal circulation time and aortic cross-clamping time were longer in patients undergoing AVR through right anterior minithoracotomy than those in patients undergoing AVR through median sternotomy (P<0.05). Patients undergoing AVR through right anterior minithoracotomy exhibited declines in the cardiac surgery intensive care unit (CSICU) stay, duration of mechanical ventilation, and the length of hospital stay than those undergoing AVR through median sternotomy (P<0.05). The volumes of 24 h chest drainage were reduced in patients undergoing AVR through right anterior minithoracotomy compared with those undergoing AVR through median sternotomy (P<0.05). The incidence rates of blood transfusion within 24 h and postoperative atrial fibrillation were lower in patients undergoing AVR through right anterior minithoracotomy than those in patients undergoing AVR through median sternotomy (P<0.05). As for cardiac function, patients with right anterior minithoracotomy had decreased left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVEDD) but increased LVEF and left ventricular fractional shortening (LVFS) when compared to median sternotomy (P<0.05). With regard to inflammatory response, the serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) i

关键词： Toluene   Activated charcoal patch   Organic vapor monitor   Gloves   Personal protective equipment (PPE)   Permeation  

摘要： Previously, we have demonstrated the capability of activated charcoal cloth (ACC) to assess dermal exposure to VOCs. Here we investigated whether ACC patches can be used as an under-glove indicator to evaluate the ingress of toluene through disposable gloves in a controlled environment, and compared these results to the amount of toluene ingress determined from the standardized test methods for determining chemical permeation through PPE. In a test chamber, with plugs for air sampling, five to six ACC patches were placed on a mannequin hand underneath disposable gloves (latex, nitrile, neoprene, polymer laminate). Three work-exposure scenarios were simulated to assess toluene ingress through the different gloves: vapor exposure;spray exposure, and immersion. The standard permeation test, using a diffusion cell, was carried with glove material of the palm, with continuous contact conditions. In all of ACC test, the order of toluene ingress was latex > neoprene > nitrile > Barrier, but for the standardized testing, the order of the neoprene and nitrile was reversed, and nitrile had higher levels of toluene ingress. These results show the need to think beyond standard testing techniques for occupational exposure to hazardous substances, and the added value of ?application style? testing.

关键词： Diazonium   Triazenes   Diethyl amine radical  

摘要： An alternative mild method for access to 1-aryl-3,3-dimethyl alkyl triazenes is described. This protocol employs the dropwise addition of a methanolic solution of a carboxylate (RCO2M) or carbonate (CO32-) to a gently heated DMF solution containing an aryl diazonium salt (ArN2+), that had been previously isolated. Presumably homolysis of the weak N-O bond of diazo ether adducts formed in this operation initiates radical pathways that lead to the generation of triazene product. DMF serves as not only a one-electron donor to the diazonium salts employed in this process, but also as a source of dimethylamine radicals that act as a nucleophilic coupling partner. The reaction provides modest yields (ca. 20-40%) across an array of aryl diazonium salts that contain various substitution. Furthermore this unique approach to triazenes contrasts with traditional methods that employ dimethyl amine in reagent form which directly couples with diazonium salts. Seemingly, only one other example employing somewhat similar reaction conditions to this current investigation en route to triazenes has been reported, albeit with lower yields and for one representative example furnished as a side-product. The current work here improves upon the efficiency of this reported result, and further expands the reaction scope. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

关键词： hTERT   telomerase   telomeres   alternative splicing   SON   pluripotent cells  

摘要： Telomere length control is critical for cellular lifespan and tumor suppression. Telomerase is transiently activated in the inner cell mass of the developing blastocyst to reset telomere reserves. Its silencing upon differentiation leads to gradual telomere shortening in somatic cells. Here, we report that transcriptional regulation through cis-regulatory elements only partially accounts for telomerase activation in pluripotent cells. Instead, developmental control of telomerase is primarily driven by an alternative splicing event, centered around hTERT exon 2. Skipping of exon 2 triggers hTERT mRNA decay in differentiated cells, and conversely, its retention promotes telomerase accumulation in pluripotent cells. We identify SON as a regulator of exon 2 alternative splicing and report a patient carrying a SON mutation and suffering from insufficient telomerase and short telomeres. In summary, our study highlights a critical role for hTERT alternative splicing in the developmental regulation of telomerase and implicates defective splicing in telomere biology disorders.

关键词： History   Thailand   Laser scanning  

摘要： This article presents an alternative method for the long-term monitoring of heritage pagodas in Thailand. In this method, terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) is used in combination with permanent survey markers. The Wat (temple) Krachee in the Ayutthaya Province of Thailand was chosen as a case study. This temple has several fantastic elements, including an inverted bell-shaped pagoda, two intertwined trees growing within it, and a chamber inside the pagoda. The preservation team working on the pagoda encountered a challenging problem and faced a decision to trim or not to trim the tree since it has a long-term effect on the pagoda's structural stability. A high-accuracy terrestrial laser scanner was used to collect three-dimensional point cloud data. Permanent survey markers were constructed in 2018 to be used in long-term monitoring. The 3D surveying of the temple and the monitoring of the pagoda were carried out in five sessions during a period ending in 2020. A point cloud data analysis was performed to obtain the current dimensions, a displacement analysis, and the pagoda leaning angle. The results revealed that the terrestrial laser scanner is a high-performance piece of equipment offering efficient evaluation and long-term monitoring. However, in this study, permanent survey markers were also required as a benchmark for constraining each monitoring session. The 3D point cloud models could be matched with the assumption model elements to evaluate the damaged shape and to determine the original form. The significant elements of an inverted bell-shaped pagoda were investigated. Trimming the tree was found to cause the leaning angle of the pagoda to decrease. An equation was developed for predicting the leaning angle of the Wat Krachee pagoda for preservation and restoration planning in the future. From the results of this study, it is recommended that periodic monitoring should continue in order to preserve Thai pagodas in their original forms.

关键词： Beef cattle   alternative splicing events   gene co-expression   four tissue transcriptomics   fatty acid composition  

摘要： Increasing the healthy/unhealthy fatty acid (FA) ratio in meat is one of the urgent tasks required to address consumer concerns. However, the regulatory mechanisms ultimately resulting in FA profiles vary among animals and remain largely unknown. In this study, using similar to 1.2 Tb high-quality RNA-Seq-based transcriptomic data of 188 samples from four key metabolic tissues (rumen, liver, muscle, and backfat) together with the contents of 49 FAs in backfat, the molecular regulatory mechanisms of these tissues contributing to FA formation in cattle were explored. Using this large dataset, the alternative splicing (AS) events, one of the transcriptional regulatory mechanisms in four tissues were identified. The highly conserved and absent AS events were detected in rumen tissue, which may contribute to its functional differences compared with the other three tissues. In addition, the healthy/unhealthy FA ratio related AS events, differential expressed (DE) genes, co-expressed genes, and their functions in four tissues were analysed. Eight key genes were identified from the integrated analysis of DE, co-expressed, and AS genes between animals with high and low healthy/unhealthy FA ratios. This study provides an applicable pipeline for AS events based on comprehensive RNA-Seq analysis and improves our understanding of the regulatory mechanism of FAs in beef cattle.

关键词： Non-coding RNA   E   coli   3MODIFIER LETTER PRIMEutr   RNA-RNA interactions   stress response   next-generation sequencing  

摘要： Previous high-throughput studies in Gram-negative bacteria identified a large number of 3MODIFIER LETTER PRIMEUTR fragments that potentially function as sRNAs. Here we extensively characterize the MalH sRNA. We show that MalH is a stable degradation intermediate derived from the 3MODIFIER LETTER PRIME end ofmalG, which is part of the maltose uptake operon transcriptmalEFG. Unlike the majority of bacterial sRNAs, MalH is transiently expressed during the transition from the exponential to the stationary growth phase, suggesting that it contributes to adaptation to changes in nutrient availability. Over-expression of MalH reduces expression of general outer membrane porins and MicA, a repressor of the high-affinity maltose/maltodextrin transporter LamB. Disrupting MalH production and function significantly reduceslamBaccumulation when maltose is the only available carbon source, presumably due to the accumulation of the MicA repressor. We propose that MalH is part of a regulatory network that, during the transition phase, directly or indirectly promotes accumulation of high-affinity maltose transporters in the outer membrane by dampening competing pathways.

关键词： African meningitis belt   booster   catch-up campaigns   dosing schedule   impact   pneumococcal conjugate vaccines pneumococcal disease  

摘要： Introduction: Besides meningococcal disease, the African meningitis belt (AMB) region is also affected by pneumococcal disease. Most AMB countries have introduced pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV) following a schedule of three primary doses without a booster or a catch-up campaign. PCV is expected to help control pneumococcal disease through both direct and indirect effects. Whether and how fast this will be achieved greatly depends on implementation strategies. Pre-PCV data from the AMB indicate high carriage rates of the pneumococcus, not only in infants but also in older children, and a risk of disease and death that spans lifetime. Post-PCV data highlight the protection of vaccinated children, but pneumococcal transmission remains important, resulting in a lack of indirect protection for unvaccinated persons. Areas covered: A non-systematic literature review focused on AMB countries. Relevant search terms were used in PubMed, and selected studies before and after PCV introduction were summarized narratively to appraise the suitability of current PCV programmatic strategies. Expert opinion: The current implementation strategy of PCV in the AMB appears suboptimal regarding the generation of indirect protection. We propose and discuss alternative programmatic strategies, including the implementation of broader age group mass campaigns, to accelerate disease control in this high transmission setting.

关键词： decision-making   strategy selection   exploration   learning   anterior cingulate cortex   rat   intra-telencephalic tract   pyramidal tract  

摘要： The ability to adjust one's behavioral strategy in complex environments is at the core of cognition. Doing so efficiently requires monitoring the reliability of the ongoing strategy and, when appropriate, switching away from it to evaluate alternatives. Studies in humans and non-human primates have uncovered signals in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) that reflect the pressure to switch away from the ongoing strategy, whereas other ACC signals relate to the pursuit of alternatives. However, whether these signals underlie computations that actually underpin strategy switching or merely reflect tracking of related variables remains unclear. Here we provide causal evidence that the rodent ACC actively arbitrates between persisting with the ongoing behavioral strategy and temporarily switching away to re-evaluate alternatives. Furthermore, by individually perturbing distinct output pathways, we establish that the two associated computations-determining whether to switch strategy and committing to the pursuit of a specific alternative-are segregated in the ACC microcircuitry.

关键词： 班主任   初三学生   教学楼   班级   友情   误解  

摘要： 我是一名初三学生,我在21班,好朋友Z在7班,两个班级不在同一栋教学楼里。想着跟她相处的时间只剩下最后几个月了,我便格外珍惜我们的友情。但是,却引来了班上同学的窃窃私语和班主任的误解,班主任以为我想去7班,其实我根本就没有这想法。