Prospective evaluation of acute cerebral injury by DW-MRI following transcarotid artery revascularization using a double-layer micromesh stent.

BACKGROUND: Transcervical carotid artery revascularization (TCAR) has demonstrated a low overall stroke rate in carotid artery stenting (CAS). Furthermore, the use of a double-layer micromesh stent is expected to reduce embolization and plaque prolapse. The combination of TCAR and the double layer stent may lead to improved results compared to previously reported outcomes. The objective of this study is to present the findings of a prospective study including patients treated with the Roadsaver stent and TCAR. METHODS: Between January 2017 and May 2022, 85 patients were enrolled. Every patient underwent TCAR with the Roadsaver stent. As per our protocol, a neurological examination and an ultrasound were performed within 24 hours before and after the procedure, and again 30 days after. A diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) was conducted 24 hours before the procedure and 48-72 hours after the procedure. The primary endpoint was the detection of new ischemic lesions on postoperative DW-MRI. The secondary endpoint was a composite of all strokes, death, and myocardial infarction within 30 days. RESULTS: Sixty-four patients (75.29%) were symptomatic, out of which 25 were treated within 14 days of the onset of the symptoms. Pre and postprocedural DW-MRI were performed in 83 patients. Postprocedural lesions were found in nine patients (10.84%). There were no strokes or death within 30 days, but two patients experienced a myocardial infarction. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that the use of TCAR and the Roadsaver stent could be a safe alternative to carotid endarterectomy because it entails a low incidence of cerebral embolization, even in recently symptomatic and elderly patients.

Analysis of the biodegradative and adaptive potential of the novel polychlorinated biphenyl degrader Rhodococcus sp. WAY2 revealed by its complete genome sequence.

The complete genome sequence of Rhodococcus sp. WAY2 (WAY2) consists of a circular chromosome, three linear replicons and a small circular plasmid. The linear replicons contain typical actinobacterial invertron-type telomeres with the central CGTXCGC motif. Comparative phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene along with phylogenomic analysis based on the genome-to-genome blast distance phylogeny (GBDP) algorithm and digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) with other Rhodococcus type strains resulted in a clear differentiation of WAY2, which is likely a new species. The genome of WAY2 contains five distinct clusters of bph, etb and nah genes, putatively involved in the degradation of several aromatic compounds. These clusters are distributed throughout the linear plasmids. The high sequence homology of the ring-hydroxylating subunits of these systems with other known enzymes has allowed us to model the range of aromatic substrates they could degrade. Further functional characterization revealed that WAY2 was able to grow with biphenyl, naphthalene and xylene as sole carbon and energy sources, and could oxidize multiple aromatic compounds, including ethylbenzene, phenanthrene, dibenzofuran and toluene. In addition, WAY2 was able to co-metabolize 23 polychlorinated biphenyl congeners, consistent with the five different ring-hydroxylating systems encoded by its genome. WAY2 could also use n-alkanes of various chain-lengths as a sole carbon source, probably due to the presence of alkB and ladA gene copies, which are only found in its chromosome. These results show that WAY2 has a potential to be used for the biodegradation of multiple organic compounds.

Phenol-Explorer 3.0: a major update of the Phenol-Explorer database to incorporate data on the effects of food processing on polyphenol content.

Polyphenols are a major class of bioactive phytochemicals whose consumption may play a role in the prevention of a number of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, type II diabetes and cancers. Phenol-Explorer, launched in 2009, is the only freely available web-based database on the content of polyphenols in food and their in vivo metabolism and pharmacokinetics. Here we report the third release of the database (Phenol-Explorer 3.0), which adds data on the effects of food processing on polyphenol contents in foods. Data on >100 foods, covering 161 polyphenols or groups of polyphenols before and after processing, were collected from 129 peer-reviewed publications and entered into new tables linked to the existing relational design. The effect of processing on polyphenol content is expressed in the form of retention factor coefficients, or the proportion of a given polyphenol retained after processing, adjusted for change in water content. The result is the first database on the effects of food processing on polyphenol content and, following the model initially defined for Phenol-Explorer, all data may be traced back to original sources. The new update will allow polyphenol scientists to more accurately estimate polyphenol exposure from dietary surveys.

Avaliação clínica de um programa computadorizado para adaptação de lentes de contato / Clinical evaluation of a computerized program for contact lenses adaptation

Objetivo: Avaliar o desempenho do software de adaptação de lentes de contato do Topógrafo EyeSys (versão 3.10) em pacientes acompanhados do setor de lentes de contato do Hospital do Servidor Público Estadual de São Paulo, sendo alguns deles como diagnóstico de ceratocone. Métodos: Os 29 pacientes, sendo 9 deles com diagnóstico de ceratocone, tiveram suas lentes de contato adaptadas no setor de lentes de contato deste serviço baseados na ceratometria simulada e melhor padrão fluoresceinográfico. Posteriormente, os padrões curva base e poder dióptrico das lentes adaptadas na clínica foram comparados aos mesmos padrões sugeridos pelo programa de adaptação do Topógrafo Computadorizado. Resultados:Não foi encontrada diferença estatisticamente significante nos parâmetros curva base (p=0,158) e poder dióptrico das lentes adaptadas (p=0,013), tanto nos pacientes normais como nos portadores de ceratocone (p=0,463 para curva base e p=0,842 para poder dióptrico); entretanto nestes encontramos valores de curva base e poder da lente maiores do que no grupo dos pacientes normais. Conclusões: O programa computadorizado EyeSys (versão 3.10) de adaptação de lentes de contato pode ser utilizado como método adjuvante para adaptação de lentes rígidas gás-permeáveis, tanto em pacientes normais como nos pacientes com ceratocone, diminuindo o tempo necessário para adaptação com maior conforto para os pacientes. Entretanto a experiência clínica continua sendo a melhor escolha.