Prediction of Antifungal Activity of Antimicrobial Peptides by Transfer Learning from Protein Pretrained Models.

Peptides with antifungal activity have gained significant attention due to their potential therapeutic applications. In this study, we explore the use of pretrained protein models as feature extractors to develop predictive models for antifungal peptide activity. Various machine learning classifiers were trained and evaluated. Our AFP predictor achieved comparable performance to current state-of-the-art methods. Overall, our study demonstrates the effectiveness of pretrained models for peptide analysis and provides a valuable tool for predicting antifungal peptide activity and potentially other peptide properties.

Características clínicas y sociodemográficas de pacientes con epilepsia en un hospital pediátrico en Honduras / Clinical and sociodemographic characteristics of patients with epilepsy in a pediatric hospital in Honduras

Antecedentes: La epilepsia es una patología frecuente en pediatría; representa el mayor número de referencias al Servicio de Neurología. En Honduras son pocas las publicaciones recientes del tema. Objetivo: Describir las características clínicas y sociodemográficas de pacientes con epilepsia en un centro nacional de referencia pediátrica. Métodos: Estudio descriptivo retrospectivo. Se utilizaron expedientes clínicos de pacientes atendidos en Consulta Externa de Neuropediatría Hospital María, Especialidades Pediátricas (HMEP), Tegucigalpa, Honduras, durante mayo 2015-marzo 2019. Para el análisis de datos se utilizó estadística descriptiva. Resultados: De los 334 pacientes, el sexo masculino fue el más afectado 55.7% (186), procedentes de zona urbana 69.5% (232); la mediana de edad fue 7 años. En 26.3% (88) de los casos, el padre estuvo ausente y el 81.1% (271) de los pacientes eran hijos de madre desempleada. Como etiología se encontró que el 54.4% (182) fue desconocida. El 26.3% (88) tuvo antecedente familiar de epilepsia y el 50.6% (174/344) de los pacientes tuvieron eventualidad perinatal, de estos 24.7% (43/174) presentó asfixia neonatal. El 32.7% (108/330) se encontraban en estado de malnutrición. Las crisis focales fueron más frecuentes y el factor precipitante de crisis más común fue abandono de tratamiento. El 36.6% (126) tenía algún tipo de discapacidad, siendo la cognitiva la más sobresaliente. Discusión: Es necesario reforzar estrategias de salud pública dirigidas a la prevención prenatal, natal y posnatal de la epilepsia, brindar apoyo a las familias monoparentales y asegurar acceso continuo a servicios de salud...(AU)

FLTX2: A Novel Tamoxifen Derivative Endowed with Antiestrogenic, Fluorescent, and Photosensitizer Properties.

Tamoxifen is the most widely used selective modulator of estrogen receptors (SERM) and the first strategy as coadjuvant therapy for the treatment of estrogen-receptor (ER) positive breast cancer worldwide. In spite of such success, tamoxifen is not devoid of undesirable effects, the most life-threatening reported so far affecting uterine tissues. Indeed, tamoxifen treatment is discouraged in women under risk of uterine cancers. Recent molecular design efforts have endeavoured the development of tamoxifen derivatives with antiestrogen properties but lacking agonistic uterine tropism. One of this is FLTX2, formed by the covalent binding of tamoxifen as ER binding core, 7-nitrobenzofurazan (NBD) as the florescent dye, and Rose Bengal (RB) as source for reactive oxygen species. Our analyses demonstrate (1) FLTX2 is endowed with similar antiestrogen potency as tamoxifen and its predecessor FLTX1, (2) shows a strong absorption in the blue spectral range, associated to the NBD moiety, which efficiently transfers the excitation energy to RB through intramolecular FRET mechanism, (3) generates superoxide anions in a concentration- and irradiation time-dependent process, and (4) Induces concentration- and time-dependent MCF7 apoptotic cell death. These properties make FLTX2 a very promising candidate to lead a novel generation of SERMs with the endogenous capacity to promote breast tumour cell death in situ by photosensitization.

Hydration Does Not Change Postexercise Hypotension and Its Mechanisms.

BACKGROUND: Drinking water is recommended before and after exercise to avoid dehydration. However, water ingestion may mitigate or prevent postexercise hypotension. This study investigated the effects of intentional hydration on postaerobic exercise hemodynamics and autonomic modulation. METHODS: A total of 18 young men randomly underwent 4 experimental sessions as follows: (1) control with intentional hydration (1 L of water in the previous night, 500 mL 60 min before the intervention, and 1 mL for each 1 g of body mass lost immediately after the intervention); (2) control without intentional hydration (ad libitum water ingestion before the intervention); (3) exercise (cycle ergometer, 45 min, 50% of VO2peak) with intentional hydration; and (4) exercise without intentional hydration. Hemodynamic and autonomic parameters were measured before and after the interventions and were compared by 3-way analysis of variance. RESULTS: Intentional hydration did not change any postexercise hemodynamic nor autonomic response. Exercise decreased systolic blood pressure and stroke volume (-4.1 [0.8] mm Hg and -4.9 [1.5] mL, P < .05), while increased cardiac sympathovagal balance (0.3 [0.3], P < .05) during the recovery. In addition, it abolished the increase in diastolic blood pressure and the decrease in heart rate observed in the control sessions. CONCLUSION: Intentional hydration does not modify the hypotensive effect promoted by previous aerobic exercise and did not alter its hemodynamic and autonomic mechanisms.

Early experience with the free lumbar artery perforator flap for breast reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: Autologous breast reconstruction has become a progressively more popular method of breast reconstruction. A wide variety of perforator flaps have been described and subsequently refined to decrease donor-site morbidity. Recently, the lumbar artery perforator (LAP) flap has been reported as an option for autologous breast reconstruction. METHODS: This study summarises the prospectively gathered data of 35 free LAP flaps for breast reconstruction in 28 patients. The mean follow-up was 18 months. RESULTS: The internal mammary artery and the venae comitantes were used as recipient vessels in all reconstructions. In 80% of the reconstructions (28 flaps), an interposition graft was used. Six flaps (17%) had to be revised for venous thrombosis. Two of the revised flaps (5.7%) could not be salvaged, and total flap necrosis occurred. The mean operating time was 6 h and 15 min, 6 h and 39 min when an interposition graft was used and 5 h and 23 min when no interposition graft was necessary. CONCLUSION: The LAP flap should be considered as a further alternative for breast reconstruction in patients in whom a deep inferior epigastric artery perforator (DIEAP) flap is not possible or not desirable. Shaping of this flap is easier compared to any other flaps due to the quality of the lumbar fat and the gluteal extension. An interposition graft is frequently used to facilitate anastomosis, either to lengthen the pedicle or to resolve size mismatch. This is a disadvantage of the LAP flap.

Design and experimental analysis of a new malleovestibulopexy prosthesis using a finite element model of the human middle ear.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Many designs of prostheses are available for middle ear surgery. In this study we propose a design for a new prosthesis, which optimises mechanical performance in the human middle ear and improves some deficiencies in the prostheses currently available. Our objective was to design and assess the theoretical acoustic-mechanical behaviour of this new total ossicular replacement prosthesis. METHODS: The design of this new prosthesis was based on an animal model (an iguana). For the modelling and mechanical analysis of the new prosthesis, we used a dynamic 3D computer model of the human middle ear, based on the finite elements method (FEM). RESULTS: The new malleovestibulopexy prosthesis design demonstrates an acoustical-mechanical performance similar to that of the healthy human middle ear. This new design also has additional advantages, such as ease of implantation and stability in the middle ear. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that computer simulation can be used to design and optimise the vibroacoustic characteristics of middle ear implants and demonstrates the effectiveness of a new malleovestibulopexy prosthesis in reconstructing the ossicular chain.

Acute and chronic effects of aerobic and resistance exercise on ambulatory blood pressure

Hypertension is a ubiquitous and serious disease. Regular exercise has been recommended as a strategy for the prevention and treatment of hypertension because of its effects in reducing clinical blood pressure; however, ambulatory blood pressure is a better predictor of target-organ damage than clinical blood pressure, and therefore studying the effects of exercise on ambulatory blood pressure is important as well. Moreover, different kinds of exercise might produce distinct effects that might differ between normotensive and hypertensive subjects. The aim of this study was to review the current literature on the acute and chronic effects of aerobic and resistance exercise on ambulatory blood pressure in normotensive and hypertensive subjects. It has been conclusively shown that a single episode of aerobic exercise reduces ambulatory blood pressure in hypertensive patients. Similarly, regular aerobic training also decreases ambulatory blood pressure in hypertensive individuals. In contrast, data on the effects of resistance exercise is both scarce and controversial. Nevertheless, studies suggest that resistance exercise might acutely decrease ambulatory blood pressure after exercise, and that this effect seems to be greater after low-intensity exercise and in patients receiving anti-hypertensive drugs. On the other hand, only two studies investigating resistance training in hypertensive patients have been conducted, and neither has demonstrated any hypotensive effect. Thus, based on current knowledge, aerobic training should be recommended to decrease ambulatory blood pressure in hypertensive individuals, while resistance exercise could be prescribed as a complementary strategy.