Rice Husk-Based Insulators: Manufacturing Process and Thermal Potential Assessment.

The development of bio-insultation materials has attracted increasing attention in building energy-saving fields. In tropical and hot-humid climates, building envelope insulation is important for an energy efficient and comfortable indoor environment. In this study, several experiments were carried out on a bio-insulation material, which was prepared by using rice husk as a raw material. Square rice husk-based insultation panels were developed, considering the ASTM C-177 dimensions, to perform thermal conductivity coefficient tests. The thermal conductivity coefficient obtained was 0.073 W/(m K), which is in the range of conventional thermal insulators. In a second phase of this study, two experimental enclosures (chambers) were constructed, one with rice husk-based insulation panels and the second one without this insulation. The measures of the temperatures and thermal flows through the chambers were obtained with an electronic module based on the ARDUINO platform. This module consisted of three DS18B20 temperature sensors and four Peltier plates. Daily temperature and heat flux data were collected for the two chambers during the dry season in Panama, specifically between April and May. In the experimental chamber that did not have rice husk panel insulation on the roof, a flow of up to 28.18 W/m2 was observed, while in the chamber that did have rice husk panels, the presence of a flow toward the interior was rarely observed. The rice husk-based insulation panels showed comparable performance with conventional insulators, as a sustainable solution that takes advantage of a local resource to improve thermal comfort and the reduction of the environmental impact.

Tumor odontogénico adenomatoide. Reporte de un caso clínico / Adenomatoid odontogenic tumor. Clinical case report

El Tumor Odontogénico Adenomatoide (TOA) es una neoplasia benigna poco común, caracterizada por un crecimiento lento y progresivo, en la mayoría de los casos asintomático. Es una patología intraósea, que puede ser folicular o extrafolicular, siendo el tipo folicular el más común. Se presenta en hombres y mujeres, con predilección por el sexo femenino. Histológicamente está compuesto por epitelio odontogénico organizado en distintos patrones histoarquitectónicos, incrustado en un estroma de tejido fibroconectivo maduro. Se describe el caso clínico de una paciente femenina de 25 años, con aumento de volumen en la región maxilar anterior izquierda, que se extiende a la base de la nariz, produce desvío de la línea media a la derecha y tiene un año de evolución.

The Adenomatoid Odontogenic Tumor (AOT) is an uncommon benign neoplasm, characterized by slow and progressive growth, in most cases asymptomatic. It is an intraosseous pathology, which can be follicular or extrafollicular, with the follicular type being the most common. It occurs in both men and women, with a predilection for the female sex. Histologically, it is composed of odontogenic epithelium organized in different histoarchitectonic patterns, embedded in a stroma of mature fibroconnective tissue. We describe the clinical case of a 25-year-old female patient with increased volume in the left anterior maxillary region, extending to the base of the nose, causing deviation of the midline to the right and having one year of evolution.

Forehead Reduction Surgery with Hairline Advancement.

Hairline reduction surgery, also known as aesthetic forehead reduction, is a surgical procedure that aims to reduce the upper facial third and improve facial harmony. This article describes the anatomy of hairline advancement surgery and the surgical technique used by the author. The study included 21 patients from 2019 to 2023, and the forehead reduction length was on average 22.48 ± 2.64 mm. The most common complaint was hypoesthesia of the scalp, present in 100% of patients, resolving in all cases by 2 months after surgery. Forehead reduction surgery is among the procedures that provide more satisfaction to patients due to the great changes that it can achieve.

A Density Functional Theory (DFT) Perspective on Optical Absorption of Modified Graphene Interacting with the Main Amino Acids of Spider Silk.

We investigated the possible adsorption of each of the main building blocks of spider silk: alanine, glycine, leucine, and proline. This knowledge could help develop new biocompatible materials and favors the creation of new biosensors. We used ab initio density functional theory methods to study the variations in the optical absorption, reflectivity, and band structure of a modified graphene surface interacting with these four molecules. Four modification cases were considered: graphene with vacancies at 5.55% and fluorine, nitrogen, or oxygen doping, also at 5.55%. We found that, among the cases considered, graphene with vacancies is the best candidate to develop optical biosensors to detect C=O amide and differentiate glycine and leucine from alanine and proline in the visible spectrum region. Finally, from the projected density of states, the main changes occur at deep energies. Thus, all modified graphene's electronic energy band structure undergoes only tiny changes when interacting with amino acids.

EnhancerTracker: Comparing cell-type-specific enhancer activity of DNA sequence triplets via an ensemble of deep convolutional neural networks.

Motivation: Transcriptional enhancers - unlike promoters - are unrestrained by distance or strand orientation with respect to their target genes, making their computational identification a challenge. Further, there are insufficient numbers of confirmed enhancers for many cell types, preventing robust training of machine-learning-based models for enhancer prediction for such cell types. Results: We present EnhancerTracker , a novel tool that leverages an ensemble of deep separable convolutional neural networks to identify cell-type-specific enhancers with the need of only two confirmed enhancers. EnhancerTracker is trained, validated, and tested on 52,789 putative enhancers obtained from the FANTOM5 Project and control sequences derived from the human genome. Unlike available tools, which accept one sequence at a time, the input to our tool is three sequences; the first two are enhancers active in the same cell type. EnhancerTracker outputs 1 if the third sequence is an enhancer active in the same cell type(s) where the first two enhancers are active. It outputs 0 otherwise. On a held-out set (15%), EnhancerTracker achieved an accuracy of 64%, a specificity of 93%, a recall of 35%, a precision of 84%, and an F1 score of 49%. Availability and implementation: https://github.com/BioinformaticsToolsmith/EnhancerTracker. Contact: hani.girgis@tamuk.edu.

Desarrollo de habilidades en salud ambiental en asentamientos humanos precarios de la zona de planificación territorial 2 de la parroquia rural Posorja, Guayaquil / Development of skills in environmental health in precarious human settlements in territorial planning zone 2 of the rural parish of Posorja, Guayaquil

Se estima que aproximadamente siete millones de personas mueren anualmente por la contaminación del aire ambiental y doméstico, debido a enfermedades no transmisibles, especialmente en zonas con servicios públicos precarios; además la infraestructura y condiciones de las viviendas o hacinamiento se han asociado a la aparición de enfermedades agudas y crónicas. En Ecuador, para el año 2010, se reportó más de 2,5 millones de personas en zonas de asentamientos irregulares con deficientes saneamiento ambiental. Se realizó un estudio experimental con la participación de 85 jefes de familia en las comunidades de La Unión, Nuestra señora de Lourdes, las Acacias y Brisa del mar, de la parroquia rural Posorja, del cantón Guayaquil, Ecuador, para evaluar el desarrollo de habilidades de saneamiento ambiental. Para ello, se identificaron los problemas y las prioridades en salud ambiental, posteriormente se implementó el plan de desarrollo de habilidades en salud ambiental. Se observó deficiencias en cuanto a la construcción de viviendas, acceso al agua potable, disposición de excretas y desechos sólidos. Además, posterior a las jornadas de capacitación hubo un incremento en las habilidades cognoscitivas y prácticas en salud ambiental, al comparar con las competencias previas, especialmente en aspectos relacionados con el abastecimiento de agua potable, disposición de residuos sólidos y control de fauna nociva. Se logró fortalecer el desarrollo de habilidades en saneamiento ambiental de los habitantes, lo que incide en el mejoramiento de la salud pública y calidad de vida de las comunidades en estudio(AU)

It is estimated that approximately seven million people die annually from environmental and domestic air pollution, due to non-communicable diseases, especially in areas with precarious public services; In addition, the infrastructure and conditions of the houses or overcrowding have been associated with the appearance of acute and chronic diseases. In Ecuador, for the year 2010, more than 2.5 million people were reported in areas of irregular settlements with deficient environmental sanitation. An experimental study was carried out with the participation of 85 heads of families in the communities of La Unión, Nuestra Señora de Lourdes, Las Acacias and Brisa del Mar, from the Posorja rural parish, from the Guayaquil canton, Ecuador, to evaluate the development of skills of environmental sanitation. In order to, environmental health problems and priorities were identified, and the environmental health skills development plan was subsequently implemented. Deficiencies were observed in terms of housing construction, access to drinking water, disposal of excreta and solid waste. In addition, after the training sessions, there was an increase in cognitive skills and practices in environmental health, when compared to previous skills, especially in aspects related to drinking water supply, solid waste disposal, and control of harmful fauna. It was possible to strengthen the development of skills in environmental sanitation of the inhabitants, which affects the improvement of public health and quality of life of the communities under study(AU)

Assessment of Angiogenesis and Cell Survivability of an Inkjet Bioprinted Biological Implant in an Animal Model.

The rapidly growing field of tissue engineering hopes to soon address the shortage of transplantable tissues, allowing for precise control and fabrication that could be made for each specific patient. The protocols currently in place to print large-scale tissues have yet to address the main challenge of nutritional deficiencies in the central areas of the engineered tissue, causing necrosis deep within and rendering it ineffective. Bioprinted microvasculature has been proposed to encourage angiogenesis and facilitate the mobility of oxygen and nutrients throughout the engineered tissue. An implant made via an inkjet printing process containing human microvascular endothelial cells was placed in both B17-SCID and NSG-SGM3 animal models to determine the rate of angiogenesis and degree of cell survival. The implantable tissues were made using a combination of alginate and gelatin type B; all implants were printed via previously published procedures using a modified HP inkjet printer. Histopathological results show a dramatic increase in the average microvasculature formation for mice that received the printed constructs within the implant area when compared to the manual and control implants, indicating inkjet bioprinting technology can be effectively used for vascularization of engineered tissues.

The Beneficial Effects of QIAPI 1® against Pentavalent Arsenic-Induced Lung Toxicity: A Hypothetical Model for SARS CoV2-I nduced Lung Toxicity.

Exposure to environmental toxicants such as Arsenic (As) can result in As-induced alterations in immune regulators. Consequently, people who are more prone to viral infections like influenza A or B, H1N1, SARS CoV (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus), and SARS CoV2 may develop a susceptibility to immune responses in their lungs because our previous reports delineated the ability of QIAPI 1®, a melanin precursor, to dissociate water molecules with simultaneous therapeutic efficacy against central nervous system (CNS) diseases, retinopathy, and As-induced renal toxicity. Considering the commonalitie of lung pathology of SARS CoV and As-induced toxicity, the aim of this study is to decipher the efficacy of QIAPI 1® against pentavalent As-induced lung toxicity by examining the pulmonary pathology. Hematoxylin & Eosin (H&E) staining was used for ascertaining the lung pathology in Wistar rat models. Animals were divided into 3 groups: control group, group treated with pentavalent As, and a group treated with pentavalent As and QIAPI 1®. There were no significant changes in lung histopathology in the control group as indicated by intact morphology. The As-treated group revealed damage to the histoarchitecture with pulmonary edema, interstitial fibrosis, diffuse alveolar damage, Bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP)-lesions, formation of hyaline membrane, multinucleated giant pneumocytes, atypical pneumocytes, inflammatory cell infiltration, and interstitial edema. The group treated with As and QIAPI 1® significantly associated with mitigated histological signs of lung inflammation induced by Arsenic. Therefore, QIAPI 1® can be recommended as antagonistic to Asinduced lung toxicity. In conclusion, this model could be preferred as a hypothetical model to examine the efficacy of QIAPI 1® in SARS CoV2-induced pulmonary damage. Future studies are warranted to delineate the efficacy of QIAPI 1® against SARS CoV and SARS CoV2 lung pathology.

Habitar, fundamento del bienestar / To Inhabit, foundation of well-being

El presente texto es una reflexión teórica sobre el bienestar en relación con el habitar desde la socioecología política. Partiendo de una síntesis del concepto de bienestar social se hace una propuesta de análisis, encontrándose que bienestar y habitar son conceptos funcionalmente asociados en el campo de la ecología cultural. Pasando a una etapa de propuesta, se elaboran elementos que desnudan las contradicciones de los modos de vida contemporáneos particularmente originadas en las supradeterminaciones de una visión productivista y conductista de la producción de la vida (el habitar). Se puede concluir que el desarrollo de marcos abiertos de bienestar solidario y autodeterminado son caminos para el bienestar.

This text is a theoretical reflection on well-being in relation to living from political socio-ecology. Starting from a synthesis of the concept of social well-being, an analysis proposal is made, finding that well-being and inhabiting are functionally associated concepts in the field of cultural ecology. Going to a stage of proposal, elements are elaborated that expose the contradictions of contemporary ways of life, particularly originated in the supradeterminations of a productivist and behaviorist vision of the production of life (inhabiting). It can be concluded that the development of open frameworks of solidarity and self-determined well-being are paths to well-being.

Ocular Paraneoplastic Syndromes.

Ocular-involving paraneoplastic syndromes present a wide variety of clinical symptoms. Understanding the background pathophysiological and immunopathological factors can help make a more refined differential diagnosis consistent with the signs and symptoms presented by patients. There are two main pathophysiology arms: (1) autoimmune pathomechanism, which is presented with cancer-associated retinopathy (CAR), melanoma-associated retinopathy (MAR), cancer-associated cone dysfunction (CACD), paraneoplastic vitelliform maculopathy (PVM), and paraneoplastic optic neuritis (PON), and (2) ectopic peptides, which is often caused by tumor-expressed growth factors (T-exGF) and presented with bilateral diffuse uveal melanocytic proliferation (BDUMP). Meticulous systematic analysis of patient symptoms is a critical diagnostic step, complemented by multimodal imaging, which includes fundus photography, optical coherent tomography, fundus autofluorescence, fundus fluorescein angiography, electrophysiological examination, and sometimes fundus indocyjanin green angiography if prescribed by the clinician. Assessment of the presence of circulating antibodies is required for diagnosis. Antiretinal autoantibodies are highly associated with visual paraneoplastic syndromes and may guide diagnosis by classifying clinical manifestations in addition to monitoring treatment.

The Efficacy of Melanin Precursor QIAPI 1© Against Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD): A Case Report.

BACKGROUND: AMD is becoming one of the leading causes of blindness in older adults. The prevalence rate of the wet form of AMD has been increasing due to the lack of selective therapeutic modalities. Current therapeutic interventions such as drugs targeting VEGF, and VEGF receptors, laser coagulants delivered unsuccessful clinical outcomes in AMD patients. Hence, the cost-effective anti-oxidant therapeutic interventions like molecular hydrogen to protect retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) by mitigating oxidative stress may deliver effective clinical outcomes in AMD patients. METHODS: Female patients with late-stage AMD of age above 70 years were chosen for this case report. The patients were administered QIAPI1©, a melanin precursor via sublingual route and the photographs were obtained for left and right eye to depict the efficacy of QIAPI1© against the wet form of AMD. RESULTS: The administration of QIAPI1© extensively mitigated yellow-colored drusen accumulations in the retina, retinal edema, exudates, and hemorrhages in the right eye, but the effect was minimal in the case of left eye; the overall drusen accumulation was lesser than the first consultation. CONCLUSION: Current case report has concluded the intrinsic effect of melanin in producing the molecular hydrogen and chemical energy across the retinal tissues by dissociating water molecules and dissipating the drusen accumulations, retinal edema, and hemorrhages in AMD patients. Our preliminary study reported the usage of QIAPI1© as a prospective therapeutic modality to mitigate the oxidative stress-mediated pathophysiology of the wet form of AMD.

COVID-19-Related Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a common and severe neurological disorder and is associated with high rates of mortality and morbidity. ICH is associated with old age and underlying conditions such as hypertension and diabetes mellitus. The COVID-19 pandemic is associated with neurological symptoms and complications including ICH. For instance, the mechanisms by which COVID-19 may contribute to hemorrhagic stroke may include both depletion of angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor and overactive immune response. In this study, we herein report three patients (0.25%) out of 1200 admissions with COVID-19 to our center between 1 May and August 4, 2020, who developed ICH. In addition, we will briefly discuss the possible pathophysiological mechanisms of COVID-19 infection in patients with ICH.

Incidencia, tasa de éxito, complicaciones y factores predictores de empleo de la vía femoral en procedimientos percutáneos de extracción de electrodos / Incidence, success rate, complications and predictive factors of the use of the femoral route for the removal of the electrodes after percutaneous procedures

Resumen Introducción: en los procedimientos de extracción de electrodos, la vía femoral se usa cuando la vía superior ha fracasado. Objetivo: describir la incidencia, el éxito, las complicaciones y los predictores de uso de la vía femoral. Métodos: se realizó un análisis de la incidencia del uso de la vía femoral y los factores predictores en pacientes a quienes se les realizó extracción de electrodos entre noviembre de 2011 y noviembre de 2017. Resultados: se incluyeron 85 pacientes, con edad media de 62,36 ± 11,15 años. El 38,9% de los dispositivos eran marcapasos. Se extrajeron 135 electrodos, 59,3% de fijación pasiva. La mediana de tiempo desde el implante fue de 102 (60-174) meses. Se empleó la ruta femoral en el 25,9% de los procedimientos. Se obtuvo éxito clínico en el 92,9% de los pacientes. La extracción no fue exitosa en el 22,7% de los procedimientos cuando se usó la vía femoral, en comparación con el 1,6% cuando se usó la vía superior (p 0,004). La extracción no fue completa en el 36,4% de los procedimientos cuando se empleó la vía femoral en comparación con el 9,5% por vía superior (p 0,007). Los factores que predijeron el empleo de la ruta femoral fueron la presencia de electrodos de fijación pasiva [OR IC 95% 13,69 (3,06-62,5) p 0,001] y el tiempo desde el implante del electrodo [OR IC 95% por cada 10 meses 1,04 (1,00-1,09) p 0,044]. Conclusiones: se empleó la ruta femoral en el 25,9% de los procedimientos. No fue eficaz en el 22,7% de las intervenciones. Los factores que predijeron su utilización fueron la presencia de electrodos de fijación pasiva y el tiempo desde el implante del electrodo.

Abstract Introduction: The femoral route is used in electrode removal procedures when the upper route has failed. Objective: To describe the incidence, success rate, complications and predictive factors for the use of the femoral route. Methods: An analysis was performed on the incidence of use of the femoral route and the predictive factors in patients in whom electrode removal was carried out between November 2011 and November 2017. Results: The study included 85 patients with a mean age of 62.36 ± 11.5 years. Pacemakers made up 38.9% of the devices. A total of 135 electrodes, 59.3% of passive fixation, were removed. The median time since the implant was 102 (60-174) months. The femoral route was used in 25.9% of the procedures. Clinical success was achieved in 92.9% of the patients. The removal was not successful in 22.7% of the procedures when the femoral route was used, compared to 1.6% when the upper route was used (P = .004). The removal was not completed in 36.4% of the procedures when the femoral route was used, compared to 9.5% with the upper route (P = .007). The factors that predicted the use of the femoral route were the presence of passive-fixation electrodes (OR = 13.69: 95% CI; 3.06 - 62.5, P = .001), and the time since the electrodes were implanted (OR = 1.04, 95% CI; 1.00 - 1.09, P = .044, for every 10 months). Conclusions: The femoral route was employed in 25.9% of the procedures. It was not effective in 22.7% of the interventions. The factors that predicted its use were the presence of passive-fixation electrodes and the time since the electrode implant.

Can miRNAs Be Considered as Diagnostic and Therapeutic Molecules in Ischemic Stroke Pathogenesis?-Current Status.

Ischemic stroke is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Clinical manifestations of stroke are long-lasting and causing economic burden on the patients and society. Current therapeutic modalities to treat ischemic stroke (IS) are unsatisfactory due to the intricate pathophysiology and poor functional recovery of brain cellular compartment. MicroRNAs (miRNA) are endogenously expressed small non-coding RNA molecules, which can act as translation inhibitors and play a pivotal role in the pathophysiology associated with IS. Moreover, miRNAs may be used as potential diagnostic and therapeutic tools in clinical practice; yet, the complete role of miRNAs is enigmatic during IS. In this review, we explored the role of miRNAs in the regulation of stroke risk factors viz., arterial hypertension, metabolic disorders, and atherosclerosis. Furthermore, the role of miRNAs were reviewed during IS pathogenesis accompanied by excitotoxicity, oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, neurogenesis, and Alzheimer's disease. The functional role of miRNAs is a double-edged sword effect in cerebral ischemia as they could modulate pathological mechanisms associated with risk factors of IS. miRNAs pertaining to IS pathogenesis could be potential biomarkers for stroke; they could help researchers to identify a particular stroke type and enable medical professionals to evaluate the severity of brain injury. Thus, ascertaining the role of miRNAs may be useful in deciphering their diagnostic role consequently it is plausible to envisage a suitable therapeutic modality against IS.

Updated Understanding of Cancer as a Metabolic and Telomere-Driven Disease, and Proposal for Complex Personalized Treatment, a Hypothesis.

In this review, we propose a holistic approach to understanding cancer as a metabolic disease. Our search for relevant studies in medical databases concludes that cancer cells do not evolve directly from normal healthy cells. We hypothesize that aberrant DNA damage accumulates over time-avoiding the natural DNA controls that otherwise repair or replace the rapidly replicating cells. DNA damage starts to accumulate in non-replicating cells, leading to senescence and aging. DNA damage is linked with genetic and epigenetic factors, but the development of cancer is favored by telomerase activity. Evidence indicates that telomere length is affected by chronic inflammations, alterations of mitochondrial DNA, and various environmental factors. Emotional stress also influences telomere length. Chronic inflammation can cause oxidative DNA damage. Oxidative stress, in turn, can trigger mitochondrial changes, which ultimately alter nuclear gene expression. This vicious cycle has led several scientists to view cancer as a metabolic disease. We have proposed complex personalized treatments that seek to correct multiple changes simultaneously using a psychological approach to reduce chronic stress, immune checkpoint therapy with reduced doses of chemo and radiotherapy, minimal surgical intervention, if any, and mitochondrial metabolic reprogramming protocols supplemented by intermittent fasting and personalized dietary plans without interfering with the other therapies.

Exosomes: Insights from Retinoblastoma and Other Eye Cancers.

Exosomes, considered as cell debris or garbage bags, have been later characterized as nanometer-sized extracellular double-membrane lipid bilayer bio-vesicles secreted by the fusion of vesicular bodies with the plasma membrane. The constituents and the rate of exosomes formation differ in different pathophysiological conditions. Exosomes are also observed and studied in different parts of the eye, like the retina, cornea, aqueous, and vitreous humor. Tear fluid consists of exosomes that are shown to regulate various cellular processes. The role of exosomes in eye cancers, especially retinoblastoma (RB), is not well explored, although few studies point towards their presence. Retinoblastoma is an intraocular tumor that constitutes 3% of cases of cancer in children. Diagnosis of RB may require invasive procedures, which might lead to the spread of the disease to other parts. Due to this reason, better ways of diagnosis are being explored. Studies on the exosomes in RB tumors and serum might help designing better diagnostic approaches for RB. In this article, we reviewed studies on exosomes in the eye, with a special emphasis on RB. We also reviewed miRNAs expressed in RB tumor, serum, and cell lines and analyzed the targets of these miRNAs from the proteins identified in the RB tumor exosomes. hsa-miR-494 and hsa-miR-9, upregulated and downregulated, respectively in RB, have the maximum number of targets. Although oppositely regulated, they share the same targets in the proteins identified in RB tumor exosomes. Overall this review provides the up-to-date progress in the area of eye exosome research, with an emphasis on RB.