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When treating orthopaedic damage or illness and accidental fracture, bone grafting remains the gold standard of treatment. In cases where this approach doesn't seem achievable, bone tissue engineering can offer scaffolding as a substitute. Defective and fractured bone tissue is extracted and substituted with porous scaffold structures to aid in the process of tissue regeneration. 3D bioprinting has demonstrated enormous promise in recent years for producing scaffold structures with the necessary capabilities. In order to create composite biomaterial inks for 3D bioprinting, three different materials were combined such as silk fibroin, bone particles, and synthetic biopolymer poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL). These biomaterials were used to fabricate the two composites scaffolds such as: silk fibroin + bovine bone (SFB) and silk fibroin + bovine bone + Polycaprolactone (SFBP). The biomechanical, structural, and biological elements of the manufactured composite scaffolds were characterized in order to determine their suitability as a possible biomaterial for the production of bone tissue. The in vitro bioactivity of the two composite scaffolds was assessed in the simulated body fluids, and the swelling and degradation characteristics of the two developed scaffolds were analyzed separately over time. The results showed that the mechanical durability of the composite scaffolds was enhanced by the bovine bone particles, up to a specific concentration in the silk fibroin matrix. Furthermore, the incorporation of bone particles improved the bioactive composite scaffolds' capacity to generate hydroxyapatite in vitro. The combined findings show that the two 3D printed bio-composites scaffolds have the required mechanical strength and may be applied to regeneration of bone tissue and restoration, since they resemble the characteristics of native bone.
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INTRODUCTION: A significant proportion of breast cancer cases are hereditary and are potentially preventable. However, adoption of the preventive measures remains a significant challenge, particularly because of to lack of knowledge and awareness in low- to middle-income countries. METHODS: This prospective study conducted at a high-volume tertiary care cancer center in North India to assess the knowledge, awareness, and attitudes of female breast cancer patients and impact of a brief educational intervention. The study involved three phases: pre-interventional assessment, educational intervention, and post-interventional assessment utilizing a structured questionnaire. RESULTS: The study involved 300 newly diagnosed breast cancer patients; 16.7% were familial. At the outset, 87.0% patients had low knowledge of risk factors, 90.3% about screening, and 32.7% about treatment. Awareness levels were low: 13.7% aware of familial risk and 2.7% of breast cancer genes. Affordability of genetic testing was low (15.2%), and interest in testing for self and family members was limited (32.0% and 26.3%). Following educational intervention, a significant positive percentage change was noticed in knowledge (risk factors: 12.8%, screening: 36.2%, treatment: 82%), awareness (familial risk: 66.7%, BRCA gene: 12.3%), and attitude (testing for self: 17.8%, family: 19.5%). CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the significant knowledge gaps among breast cancer patients regarding genetics. The educational intervention led to notable improvements in knowledge, awareness, and attitudes, underscoring the importance of tailored patient education in breast cancer care.
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Neoplasias de la Mama , Pruebas Genéticas , Conocimientos, Actitudes y Práctica en Salud , Alfabetización en Salud , Educación del Paciente como Asunto , Humanos , Femenino , Neoplasias de la Mama/genética , Estudios Prospectivos , Encuestas y Cuestionarios , Adulto , Persona de Mediana Edad , India , Educación del Paciente como Asunto/métodos , Predisposición Genética a la Enfermedad , Estudios de Seguimiento , Pronóstico , Factores de Riesgo , Países en Desarrollo , Anciano , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
Chronic kidney disease-induced secondary hyperparathyroidism (CKD-SHPT) heightens fracture risk through impaired mineral homeostasis and elevated levels of uremic toxins (UTs), which in turn enhance bone remodeling. Etelcalcetide (Etel), a calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) agonist, suppresses parathyroid hormone (PTH) in hyperparathyroidism to reduce excessive bone resorption, leading to increased bone mass. However, Etel's effect on bone quality, chemical composition, and strength is not well understood. To address these gaps, we established a CKD-SHPT rat model and administered Etel at a human-equivalent dose concurrently with disease induction. The effects on bone and mineral homeostasis were compared with a CKD-SHPT (vehicle-treated group) and a control group (rats without SHPT). Compared with vehicle-treated CKD-SHPT rats, Etel treatment improved renal function, reduced circulating UT levels, improved mineral homeostasis parameters, decreased PTH levels, and prevented mineralization defects. The upregulation of mineralization-promoting genes by Etel in CKD-SHPT rats might explain its ability to prevent mineralization defects. Etel preserved both trabecular and cortical bones with attendant suppression of osteoclast function, besides increasing mineralization. Etel maintained the number of viable osteocytes to the control level, which could also contribute to its beneficial effects on bone. CKD-SHPT rats displayed increased carbonate substitution of matrix and mineral, decreased crystallinity, mineral-to-matrix ratio, and collagen maturity, and these changes were mitigated by Etel. Further, Etel treatment prevented CKD-SHPT-induced deterioration in bone strength and mechanical behavior. Based on these findings, we conclude that in CKD-SHPT rats, Etel has multiscale beneficial effects on bone that involve remodeling suppression, mineralization gene upregulation, and preservation of osteocytes.
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Huesos , Calcimiméticos , Hiperparatiroidismo Secundario , Péptidos , Ratas Sprague-Dawley , Insuficiencia Renal Crónica , Animales , Hiperparatiroidismo Secundario/tratamiento farmacológico , Hiperparatiroidismo Secundario/patología , Insuficiencia Renal Crónica/tratamiento farmacológico , Insuficiencia Renal Crónica/complicaciones , Insuficiencia Renal Crónica/patología , Insuficiencia Renal Crónica/metabolismo , Huesos/efectos de los fármacos , Huesos/metabolismo , Huesos/patología , Péptidos/farmacología , Calcimiméticos/farmacología , Calcimiméticos/uso terapéutico , Ratas , Hormona Paratiroidea/farmacología , Masculino , Calcificación Fisiológica/efectos de los fármacos , Densidad Ósea/efectos de los fármacosRESUMEN
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the established standard of care for addressing symptomatic gallstones, typically representing a straightforward and uncomplicated surgical procedure. However, patients exhibiting variant anatomy or local inflammation can present challenges to the surgeon, potentially leading to complications. In this context, we present the case of a 55-year-old woman who underwent a laparoscopic cholecystectomy for symptomatic gallstone disease at a different medical facility. Postoperatively, she was diagnosed with a case of duodenocolic fistula and cholecystocolonic fistula. Conservative treatment ensued with intravenous antibiotic administration, as well as enteral and parenteral feeding. Diagnosing cholecystocolonic fistula before surgery proves challenging, even with modern diagnostic and imaging tools. Despite its significance, there is limited information in the literature regarding the management of this infrequent finding. The approach to diagnosis and management is elaborated upon in the case report.
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Cell line authentication plays a crucial role in the biomedical field, ensuring researchers work with accurately identified cells. Supervised deep learning has made remarkable strides in cell line identification by studying cell morphological features through cell imaging. However, biological batch (bio-batch) effects, a significant issue stemming from the different times at which data is generated, lead to substantial shifts in the underlying data distribution, thus complicating reliable differentiation between cell lines from distinct batch cultures. To address this challenge, we introduce CLANet, a pioneering framework for cross-batch cell line identification using brightfield images, specifically designed to tackle three distinct bio-batch effects. We propose a cell cluster-level selection method to efficiently capture cell density variations, and a self-supervised learning strategy to manage image quality variations, thus producing reliable patch representations. Additionally, we adopt multiple instance learning(MIL) for effective aggregation of instance-level features for cell line identification. Our innovative time-series segment sampling module further enhances MIL's feature-learning capabilities, mitigating biases from varying incubation times across batches. We validate CLANet using data from 32 cell lines across 93 experimental bio-batches from the AstraZeneca Global Cell Bank. Our results show that CLANet outperforms related approaches (e.g. domain adaptation, MIL), demonstrating its effectiveness in addressing bio-batch effects in cell line identification.
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Autenticación de Línea Celular , Humanos , Páncreas , Factores de TiempoRESUMEN
Introduction: Cannabis sativa is utilized mainly for palliative care worldwide. Ovarian cancer (OC) is a lethal gynecologic cancer. A particular cannabis extract fraction ('F7') and the Poly(ADP-Ribose) Polymerase 1 (PARP1) inhibitor niraparib act synergistically to promote OC cell apoptosis. Here we identified genetic pathways that are altered by the synergistic treatment in OC cell lines Caov3 and OVCAR3. Materials and methods: Gene expression profiles were determined by RNA sequencing and quantitative PCR. Microscopy was used to determine actin arrangement, a scratch assay to determine cell migration and flow cytometry to determine apoptosis, cell cycle and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity. Western blotting was used to determine protein levels. Results: Gene expression results suggested variations in gene expression between the two cell lines examined. Multiple genetic pathways, including Hippo/Wnt, TGF-ß/Activin and MAPK were enriched with genes differentially expressed by niraparib and/or F7 treatments in both cell lines. Niraparib + F7 treatment led to cell cycle arrest and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, inhibited cell migration, reduced the % of ALDH positive cells in the population and enhanced PARP1 cleavage. Conclusion: The synergistic effect of the niraparib + F7 may result from the treatment affecting multiple genetic pathways involving cell death and reducing mesenchymal characteristics.
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INTRODUCTION: Adenoma per colonoscopy (APC) has recently been proposed as a quality measure for colonoscopy. We evaluated the impact of a novel artificial intelligence (AI) system, compared with standard high-definition colonoscopy, for APC measurement. METHODS: This was a US-based, multicenter, prospective randomized trial examining a novel AI detection system (EW10-EC02) that enables a real-time colorectal polyp detection enabled with the colonoscope (CAD-EYE). Eligible average-risk subjects (45 years or older) undergoing screening or surveillance colonoscopy were randomized to undergo either CAD-EYE-assisted colonoscopy (CAC) or conventional colonoscopy (CC). Modified intention-to-treat analysis was performed for all patients who completed colonoscopy with the primary outcome of APC. Secondary outcomes included positive predictive value (total number of adenomas divided by total polyps removed) and adenoma detection rate. RESULTS: In modified intention-to-treat analysis, of 1,031 subjects (age: 59.1 ± 9.8 years; 49.9% male), 510 underwent CAC vs 523 underwent CC with no significant differences in age, gender, ethnicity, or colonoscopy indication between the 2 groups. CAC led to a significantly higher APC compared with CC: 0.99 ± 1.6 vs 0.85 ± 1.5, P = 0.02, incidence rate ratio 1.17 (1.03-1.33, P = 0.02) with no significant difference in the withdrawal time: 11.28 ± 4.59 minutes vs 10.8 ± 4.81 minutes; P = 0.11 between the 2 groups. Difference in positive predictive value of a polyp being an adenoma among CAC and CC was less than 10% threshold established: 48.6% vs 54%, 95% CI -9.56% to -1.48%. There were no significant differences in adenoma detection rate (46.9% vs 42.8%), advanced adenoma (6.5% vs 6.3%), sessile serrated lesion detection rate (12.9% vs 10.1%), and polyp detection rate (63.9% vs 59.3%) between the 2 groups. There was a higher polyp per colonoscopy with CAC compared with CC: 1.68 ± 2.1 vs 1.33 ± 1.8 (incidence rate ratio 1.27; 1.15-1.4; P < 0.01). DISCUSSION: Use of a novel AI detection system showed to a significantly higher number of adenomas per colonoscopy compared with conventional high-definition colonoscopy without any increase in colonoscopy withdrawal time, thus supporting the use of AI-assisted colonoscopy to improve colonoscopy quality ( ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04979962).
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Adenoma , Inteligencia Artificial , Pólipos del Colon , Colonoscopía , Neoplasias Colorrectales , Detección Precoz del Cáncer , Humanos , Colonoscopía/métodos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Femenino , Adenoma/diagnóstico , Adenoma/diagnóstico por imagen , Estudios Prospectivos , Pólipos del Colon/diagnóstico , Pólipos del Colon/diagnóstico por imagen , Pólipos del Colon/patología , Detección Precoz del Cáncer/métodos , Anciano , Neoplasias Colorrectales/diagnóstico , Estados Unidos , Valor Predictivo de las Pruebas , Análisis de Intención de TratarRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of transcranial electrical and magnetic non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) protocols on somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) in chronic ischemic stroke. METHODS: 33 patients were randomly assigned to one of the four treatment groups of the transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and/or repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) protocol. SEP parameters were recorded before and after ten days of the treatment session. All the statistical analyses were carried out using SPSS version 19. RESULTS: It was found that there is a statistically significant improvement in the N20-P22 mean amplitude after treatment sessions in all groups except the group where tDCS and rTMS groups were sham. On paired t-tests, the difference betweeen post and pre-stimulation SEP amplitudes for the real tDCS and real rTMS coupled group was 1.045 ± 0.732 (p value = 0.005). For sham tDCS+real rTMS group, 1.05 ± 0.96 (P = 0.04); for real tDCS+sham rTMS 0.543 ± 0.332 (P = 0.01) and for double sham stimulation, 0.204 ± 0.648 (P = 0.4) respectively CONCLUSION: In ischemic stroke patients, either or coupled true transcranial tDCS and rTMS was found to be safe and significantly enhanced the amplitude of cortical somatosensory potentials when combined with standard physiotherapy, in the interim analysis of an ongoing randomised controlled trial. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRY OF INDIA: CTRI/2019/11/022009 SIGNIFICANCE: The results of this research indicates the importance of RCTs in developing robust improved NIBS protocols coupled to physiotherapy to enhance the sensory-motor functional recovery following ischemic stroke.
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Accidente Cerebrovascular Isquémico , Rehabilitación de Accidente Cerebrovascular , Accidente Cerebrovascular , Estimulación Transcraneal de Corriente Directa , Humanos , Estimulación Transcraneal de Corriente Directa/efectos adversos , Accidente Cerebrovascular/diagnóstico , Accidente Cerebrovascular/terapia , Estimulación Magnética Transcraneal , Rehabilitación de Accidente Cerebrovascular/métodos , Encéfalo , Potenciales Evocados SomatosensorialesRESUMEN
In recent years, the concept of "misogynistic extremism" has emerged as a subject of interest among scholars, governments, law enforcement personnel, and the media. Yet a consistent understanding of how misogynistic extremism is defined and conceptualized has not yet emerged. Varying epistemological orientations may contribute to the current conceptual muddle of this topic, reflecting long-standing and on-going challenges with the conceptualization of its individual components. To address the potential impact of misogynistic extremism (i.e., violent attacks), a more precise understanding of what this phenomenon entails is needed. To summarize the existing knowledge base on the nature of misogynistic extremism, this scoping review analyzed publications within English-language peer-reviewed and gray literature sources. Seven electronic databases and citation indexes were systematically searched using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist and charted using the 2020 PRISMA flow diagram. Inclusion criteria included English peer-reviewed articles and relevant gray literature publications, which contained the term "misogynistic extremism" and other closely related terms. No date restrictions were imposed. The search strategy initially yielded 475 publications. After exclusion of ineligible articles, 40 publications remained for synthesis. We found that misogynistic extremism is most frequently conceptualized in the context of misogynistic incels, male supremacism, far-right extremism, terrorism, and the black pill ideology. Policy recommendations include increased education among law enforcement and Countering and Preventing Violent Extremism experts on male supremacist violence and encouraging legal and educational mechanisms to bolster gender equality. Violence stemming from misogynistic worldviews must be addressed by directly acknowledging and challenging socially embedded systems of oppression such as white supremacy and cisheteropatriarchy.
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Violencia de Género , Terrorismo , Violencia , Humanos , Masculino , Agresión , Terrorismo/prevención & control , Violencia/prevención & control , Violencia de Género/prevención & control , Sexismo , FemeninoRESUMEN
Vascular dysfunction contributes to the development of osteopenia in hypertensive patients, as decreased blood supply to bones results in tissue damage and dysfunction. The effect of anti-hypertensive medicines on bone mass in hypertensive individuals is inconclusive because of the varied mechanism of their action, and suggests that reducing blood pressure (BP) alone is insufficient to enhance bone mass in hypertension. Pentoxifylline (PTX), a hemorheological drug, improves blood flow by reducing blood viscosity and angiogenesis, also has an osteogenic effect. We hypothesized that improving vascular function is critical to increasing bone mass in hypertension. To test this, we screened various anti-hypertensive drugs for their in vitro osteogenic effect, from which timolol and hydralazine were selected. In adult female spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs), timolol and hydralazine did not improve vascular function and bone mass, but PTX improved both. In female SHR animals, PTX restored bone mass, strength and mineralization, up to the level of normotensive control rats. In addition, we observed lower blood vasculature in the femur of adult SHR animals, and PTX restored them. PTX also restored the bone vascular and angiogenesis parameters that had been impaired in OVX SHR compared to sham SHR. This study demonstrates the importance of vascular function in addition to increased bone mass for improving bone health as achieved by PTX without affecting BP, and suggests a promising treatment option for osteoporosis in hypertensive patients, particularly at-risk postmenopausal women.
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Hipertensión , Pentoxifilina , Humanos , Ratas , Femenino , Animales , Antihipertensivos/farmacología , Antihipertensivos/uso terapéutico , Densidad Ósea , Timolol/farmacología , Timolol/uso terapéutico , Hipertensión/tratamiento farmacológico , Ratas Endogámicas SHR , Pentoxifilina/farmacología , Hidralazina/farmacología , Hidralazina/uso terapéutico , Presión SanguíneaRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: Physiologic breast milk production in the first 24 hours is estimated to be between 2 and 10 mL per feed. Many mothers intending to breastfeed use formula supplementation (FS) early on, which can affect successful breastfeeding. Whether the volume and timing of FS introduced in the first 24 hours of life (24 HOL) impacts the rate of "breastfeeding at discharge" (BFAD) is not well-studied and was investigated herein. STUDY DESIGN: Single-center, retrospective, chart review of breastfeeding infants born at ≥35 weeks who received supplementation in the first 24 HOL. Comprehensive demographic data pertaining to maternal and infant characteristics, along with infant feeding data, were collected. Four supplementation characteristics, (timing, rate, volume [mL/kg per feed], and type [expressed breast milk (EBM) or formula]) were correlated with BFAD. RESULTS: Among 3,102 supplemented infants in whom mothers intended to breastfeed, 1,031 (33.2%) infants were BFAD. At baseline, African American, Medicaid-insured, and single mothers had lower odds of BFAD. The overall maximum volume of FS per feed was 11.0 mL/kg (interquartile range 8.0-14.4). With each hour of delay in first supplementation, the odds of BFAD increased by 2.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.022, 0.035). With every 1 mL/kg increase in the first formula volume, subsequent supplementation frequency increased by 4.5%. A positive association was observed between BFAD and a lower rate of supplementation (cutoff value ≤35.1%). However, among infants with these lower rates of supplementation, each unit increase in maximum FS, from 2 to 15 mL/kg, decreased the probability of BFAD by 4.2% (3.6-4.7%). Additionally, we observed that infants who were given at least one EBM supplementation (n = 223; 7.2%) had substantially increased rates of BFAD (odds ratio [OR] = 9.8, 95% CI 7.2-13.3). CONCLUSION: Early and higher volumes of FS negatively impacted BFAD. Birthweight-based FS of feeding with physiological volumes may increase breastfeeding rates at discharge. KEY POINTS: · Higher volumes of first supplementation increases subsequent supplementation frequency.. · For each unit increase in maximum supplementation, BFAD probability decreases by 4.2%.. · Even one EBM supplementation increases rates of BFAD..
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In this study, the role of inelastic deformation of bone on its strain rate-dependent mechanical behaviour was investigated. For this, human cortical bone samples were cyclically loaded to accumulate inelastic strain and subsequently, mechanical response was investigated under compressive loading at different strain rates. The strain rate behaviour of fatigued samples was compared with non-loaded control samples. Furthermore, cyclic loading-induced microdamage was quantified through histological analysis. The compression test results show that the strength of fatigue-loaded bone reduced significantly at low strain rates but not at high strain rates. The difference in microcrack density was not significant between fatigued and control groups. The results indicate that the mechanism of load transfer varies between low strain rate and high strain rate regimes. The inelastic deformation mechanisms are more prominent at low strain rates but not at high strain rates. This study shed light on the role of inelastic deformation on the rate-dependent behaviour of cortical bone.
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Huesos , Hueso Cortical , Humanos , Presión , Fatiga , Estrés MecánicoRESUMEN
Objective: This study investigates whether volumes of intake in the first 24â h of life (24 HOL), in relation to birth weight (BW) and gestational age (GA), impact neonatal feeding intolerance (FI). Methods: This study employed a retrospective chart review of 6,650 infants born at ≥35 weeks. The volumes of each formula feed per kg BW in the first 24 HOL were assessed. FI was defined as evidenced by chart documentation of emesis, abdominal distension, abdominal x-ray, and/or switching to a sensitive formula. Results: Overall, the maximum volume of formula intake per feed was inversely correlated with GA and was higher in infants with FI (ß = -1.39, p < 0.001) compared with infants without FI (ß = -1.28, p < 0.001). The odds of emesis in late preterm infants with first feeding of >8â ml/kg [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.5, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.4-4.6] and formula switching in the exclusively formula-fed group with volumes >10.5â ml/kg [AOR = 2.2, 95% CI (1.8-2.6)] were high. In the breastfeeding group, the odds of FI increased by 2.8-, 4.6-, and 5.2-fold with 5-10, 10-15, and >15â ml/kg of supplementations, respectively. Conclusion: A higher volume of intake in relation to BW often exceeds the physiological stomach capacity of newborns and is associated with early FI. Optimizing early feeding volumes based on infant BW and GA may decrease FI, which may be an issue of volume intolerance.
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In order to overcome the limitations of standard ball-mill mixing processes to fabricate a uniformly dispersed carbon nanotube (CNT) reinforcement composite without damaging CNTs in matrix powder, a unique and easy solution-mixing process was developed. The present study aims to synthesize Al-0.5 wt % CNT composites using ball-milling and solution-mixing processes and compares their CNT dispersion and structural and thermal properties. Compared with the ball-milling process, the solution-mixing process was simple and effective for the uniform distribution of CNTs without structural damage. Various methods were utilized to examine the structural characteristics of the composite powder. These techniques included high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Raman spectroscopy, and particle size analysis. Raman spectroscopy observes an increase of defects in ball-milled composites, and the particle size analyzer confirms the structural deformation, resulting in the degradation of composite powder mechanical properties. In the solution-mixing process, aluminum particles and the structure of CNTs are well-preserved even after mixing. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to research the thermal stability of the composite materials. The results validated the impact of CNTs on thermal characteristics enhancement (improved thermal resistance) when compared with pure aluminum, suggesting potential uses in the aerospace industry, transport, and construction sectors.
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Introduction: We investigated the effects of hormonal and non-hormonal oral contraceptives (OCs) on bone mass, mineralization, composition, mechanical properties, and metabolites in pubertal female SD rats. Methods: OCs were given for 3-, and 7 months at human equivalent doses. The combined hormonal contraceptive (CHC) was ethinyl estradiol and progestin, whereas the non-hormonal contraceptive (NHC) was ormeloxifene. MicroCT was used to assess bone microarchitecture and BMD. Bone formation and mineralization were assessed by static and dynamic histomorphometry. The 3-point bending test, nanoindentation, FTIR, and cyclic reference point indentation (cRPI) measured the changes in bone strength and material composition. Bone and serum metabolomes were studied to identify potential biomarkers of drug efficacy and safety and gain insight into the underlying mechanisms of action of the OCs. Results: NHC increased bone mass in the femur metaphysis after 3 months, but the gain was lost after 7 months. After 7 months, both OCs decreased bone mass and deteriorated trabecular microarchitecture in the femur metaphysis and lumbar spine. Also, both OCs decreased the mineral: matrix ratio and increased the unmineralized matrix after 7 months. After 3 months, the OCs increased carbonate: phosphate and carbonate: amide I ratios, indicating a disordered hydroxyapatite crystal structure susceptible to resorption, but these changes mostly reversed after 7 months, indicating that the early changes contributed to demineralization at the later time. In the femur 3-point bending test, CHC reduced energy storage, resilience, and ultimate stress, indicating increased susceptibility to micro-damage and fracture, while NHC only decreased energy storage. In the cyclic loading test, both OCs decreased creep indentation distance, but CHC increased the average unloading slope, implying decreased microdamage risk and improved deformation resistance by the OCs. Thus, reduced bone mineralization by the OCs appears to affect bone mechanical properties under static loading, but not its cyclic loading ability. When compared to an age-matched control, after 7 months, CHC affected 24 metabolic pathways in bone and 9 in serum, whereas NHC altered 17 in bone and none in serum. 6 metabolites were common between the serum and bone of CHC rats, suggesting their potential as biomarkers of bone health in women taking CHC. Conclusion: Both OCs have adverse effects on various skeletal parameters, with CHC having a greater negative impact on bone strength.
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Calcinosis , Fracturas Óseas , Femenino , Animales , Ratas , Humanos , Lactante , Ratas Sprague-Dawley , Densidad Ósea , Metaboloma , Anticonceptivos OralesRESUMEN
Sodium sulfate decahydrate (Na2SO4.10H2O, SSD), a low-cost phase change material (PCM), can store thermal energy. However, phase separation and unstable energy storage capacity (ESC) limit its use. To address these concerns, eight polymer additives-sodium polyacrylate (SPA), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), Fumed silica (SiO2), potassium polyacrylate (PPA), cellulose nanofiber (CNF), hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC), dextran sulfate sodium (DSS), and poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS)-were used to explore several stabilization mechanisms. The ESC of PCMs deteriorated when thickeners, SPA, PPA, and CNF, were added. DSS-modified PCMs exhibited greater stability up to 150 cycles. Rheology measurements indicated that DSS did not impact SSD viscosity significantly during stabilization. Dynamic light scattering showed that DSS reduces SSD particle size and electrostatically suspends salt particles in a stable homogeneous solution, avoiding phase separation. This study proposes a promising method to improve the thermal stability of salt hydrate PCMs by utilizing polyelectrolyte-salt hydrate mixture for thermal energy storage applications.
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Background: Superior mesenteric artery syndrome is a very rare cause of proximal intestinal obstruction. The objective of this clinical case report is to highlight that this unusual condition can occur in the early postoperative period and medical management may completely cure the condition. Clinical Case: A middle-aged female who was being treated for pulmonary tuberculosis underwent exploratory laparotomy with limited ileal resection and a loop ileostomy for multiple ileal perforations. Postoperatively, she was restarted on anti-tubercular drugs (ATD) but developed a drug reaction, recurrent bilious vomiting, and jaundice and ATD had to be stopped. But her vomiting did not abate and she progressively developed septicemia. An abdominal CT scan diagnosed Wilkie's syndrome, and she was managed non-operatively by decubitus, parenteral nutrition, and nasojejunal tube feeding supplemented with prokinetics and antibiotics. But her sepsis did not resolve. Intraoperative histopathology suggested Candida infection, and she recovered only after systemic antifungal therapy. Discussion: Debilitation conditions like tuberculosis cause weight loss and loss of intra-abdominal fat pad, which is known to precipitate SMA syndrome. However, its presentation in the early post-operative period is rare. Symptoms may vary from non-specific abdominal fullness and weight loss to features of acute bowel obstruction. CECT of whole abdomen can help in confirming the diagnosis. SMA syndrome is often not considered in differential diagnosis and can delay treatment. Medical management is the mainstay treatment option, although surgery is reserved for cases, which fail medical treatment. Conclusion: High suspicion is needed to diagnose SMA syndrome in the postoperative period, which precipitates with intractable bilious vomiting. Medical management may be curative. The precipitating factor for SMA syndrome should also be addressed to improve the overall patient outcome.