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Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to cause hospitalizations and severe disease in children and adults. Methods: This study compared the risk factors, symptoms, and outcomes of children and adults hospitalized for COVID-19 from March 2020 to May 2023 across age strata at 5 US sites participating in the Predicting Viral-Associated Inflammatory Disease Severity in Children with Laboratory Diagnostics and Artificial Intelligence consortium. Eligible patients had an upper respiratory swab that tested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 by nucleic acid amplification. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) of clinical outcomes were determined for children versus adults, for pediatric age strata compared to adolescents (12-17 years), and for adult age strata compared to young adults (22-49 years). Results: Of 9101 patients in the Predicting Viral-Associated Inflammatory Disease Severity in Children with Laboratory Diagnostics and Artificial Intelligence cohort, 1560 were hospitalized for COVID-19 as the primary reason. Compared to adults (22-105 years, n = 675), children (0-21 years, n = 885) were less commonly vaccinated (14.3% vs 34.5%), more commonly infected with the Omicron variant (49.5% vs 26.1%) and had fewer comorbidities (P < .001 for most comparisons), except for lung disease (P = .24). After adjusting for confounding variables, children had significantly lower odds of receiving supplemental oxygen (aOR, 0.57; 95% confidence interval, .35-.92) and death (aOR, 0.011; 95% confidence interval, <.01-.58) compa--red to adults. Among pediatric age strata, adolescents 12-17 years had the highest odds of receiving supplemental oxygen, high-flow oxygen, and ICU admission. Among adults, those 50-64 years had the highest odds of mechanical ventilation and ICU admission. Conclusions: Clinical outcomes of COVID-19 differed across pediatric and adult age strata. Adolescents experienced the most severe disease among children, whereas adults 50-64 years experienced the most severe disease among adults.
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OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the use of 5,7,3',4'-tetramethoxyflavone (TMF) to treat pulmonary fibrosis (PF), a chronic and fatal lung disease. In vitro and in vivo models were used to examine the impact of TMF on PF. METHODS: NIH-3T3 (Mouse Embryonic Fibroblast) were exposed to transforming growth factorß1 (TGF-ß1) and treated with or without TMF. Cell growth was assessed using the MTT method, and cell migration was evaluated with the scratch wound assay. Protein and messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) levels of extracellular matrix (ECM) genes were analyzed by western blotting and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), respectively. Downstream molecules affected by TGF-ß1 were examined by western blotting. In vivo, mice with bleomycin-induced PF were treated with TMF, and lung tissues were analyzed with staining techniques. RESULTS: The in vitro results showed that TMF had no significant impact on cell growth or migration. However, it effectively inhibited myofibroblast activation and ECM production induced by TGF-ß1 in NIH-3T3 cells. This inhibition was achieved by suppressing various signaling pathways, including Smad, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), phosphoinositide 3-kinase/AKT (PI3K/AKT), and WNT/ß-catenin. The in vivo experiments demonstrated the therapeutic potential of TMF in reducing PF induced by bleomycin in mice, and there was no significant liver or kidney toxicity observed. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that TMF has the potential to effectively inhibit myofibroblast activation and could be a promising treatment for PF. TMF achieves this inhibitory effect by targeting TGF-ß1/Smad and non-Smad pathways.
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Bleomicina , Fibroblastos , Fibrosis Pulmonar , Factor de Crecimiento Transformador beta1 , Animales , Ratones , Factor de Crecimiento Transformador beta1/metabolismo , Células 3T3 NIH , Fibrosis Pulmonar/inducido químicamente , Fibrosis Pulmonar/tratamiento farmacológico , Fibrosis Pulmonar/metabolismo , Fibrosis Pulmonar/patología , Bleomicina/toxicidad , Fibroblastos/efectos de los fármacos , Fibroblastos/metabolismo , Flavonas/farmacología , Ratones Endogámicos C57BL , Movimiento Celular/efectos de los fármacos , Masculino , Proliferación Celular/efectos de los fármacosRESUMEN
It is widely believed that a significant portion of the gut microbiota, which play crucial roles in overall health and disease, originates from the food we consume. Sashimi is a type of popular raw seafood cuisine. Its microbiome, however, remained to be thoroughly explored. The objective of this study is to explore the microbiome composition in sashimi at the time when it is served and ready to be eaten. Specifically, our tasks include investigating the diversity and characteristics of microbial profiles in sashimi with respect to the fish types. We utilized the Sanger-sequencing based DNA barcoding technology for fish species authentication and next-generation sequencing for sashimi microbiome profiling. We investigated the microbiome profiles of amberjack, cobia, salmon, tuna and tilapia sashimi, which were all identified using the MT-CO1 DNA sequences regardless of their menu offering names. Chao1 and Shannon indexes, as well as Bray-Curtis dissimilarity index were used to evaluate the alpha and beta diversities of sashimi microbiome. We successfully validated our previous observation that tilapia sashimi has a significantly higher proportions of Pseudomonas compared to other fish sashimi, using independent samples (P = 0.0010). Salmon sashimi exhibited a notably higher Chao1 index in its microbiome in contrast to other fish species (P = 0.0031), indicating a richer and more diverse microbial ecosystem. Non-Metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS) based on Bray-Curtis dissimilarity index revealed distinct clusters of microbiome profiles with respect to fish types. Microbiome similarity was notably observed between amberjack and tuna, as well as cobia and salmon. The relationship of microbiome similarity can be depicted as a tree which resembles partly the phylogenetic tree of host species, emphasizing the close relationship between host evolution and microbial composition. Moreover, salmon exhibited a pronounced relative abundance of the Photobacterium genus, significantly surpassing tuna (P = 0.0079), observed consistently across various restaurant sources. In conclusion, microbiome composition of Pseudomonas is significantly higher in tilapia sashimi than in other fish sashimi. Salmon sashimi has the highest diversity of microbiome among all fish sashimi that we analyzed. The level of Photobacterium is significantly higher in salmon than in tuna across all the restaurants we surveyed. These findings provide critical insights into the intricate relationship between the host evolution and the microbial composition. These discoveries deepen our understanding of sashimi microbiota, facilitating our decision in selecting raw seafood.
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Microbioma Gastrointestinal , Microbiota , Animales , Filogenia , Microbiota/genética , Microbioma Gastrointestinal/genética , Salmón , Atún/genética , Alimentos Marinos , Photobacterium , PseudomonasRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Fatigue is a common symptom in cancer patients receiving radiotherapy. However, previous studies report inconsistent patterns of fatigue change. AIM: The aim of this study was to estimate changes in fatigue among patients with cancer before, during, and after radiotherapy. METHODS: Five databases (PubMed, SDOL, CINAHL Plus with Full Text, Medline [ProQuest], and ProQuest Dissertations) were searched for studies published from January 2006 to May 2021. Three effect sizes of fatigue change (immediate, short-term, and long-term) were calculated for each primary study using standardized mean difference. A random-effect model was used to combine effect sizes across studies. Subgroup analyses and meta-regression were performed to identify potential categorical and continuous moderators, respectively. RESULTS: Sixty-five studies were included in this meta-analysis. The weighted mean effect size for immediate, short-term, and long-term effects was 0.409 (p < .001; 95% CI [0.280, 0.537]), 0.303 (p < .001; 95% CI [0.189, 0.417]), and 0.201 (p = .05; 95% CI [-0.001, 0.404]), respectively. Studies with prostate cancer patients had a significantly higher short-term (0.588) and long-term weight mean effect size (0.531) than studies with breast (0.128, -0.072) or other cancers (0.287, 0.215). Higher radiotherapy dosage was significantly associated with a higher effect size for both immediate (ß = .0002, p < .05) and short-term (ß = .0002, p < .05) effect. LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION: Findings from this meta-analysis indicated that radiotherapy-induced fatigue (RIF) exist for more than 3 months after the completion of treatment. Assessment of radiation-induced fatigue in cancer patients should extend long after treatment completion, especially for patients with prostate cancer and patients receiving a higher radiation dose. Interventions to reduce fatigue tailored for different treatment phases may be developed.
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In this paper, we investigate an uncertainty diagram and Kirkwood-Dirac (KD) nonclassicality based on discrete Fourier transform (DFT) in a d-dimensional system. We first consider the uncertainty diagram of the DFT matrix, which is a transition matrix from basis A to basis B. Here, the bases A, B are not necessarily completely incompatible. We show that for the uncertainty diagram of the DFT matrix, there is no "hole" in the region of the (nA,nB) plane above and on the line nA+nB=d+1. Then, we present where the holes are in the region strictly below the line and above the hyperbola nAnB=d. Finally, we provide an alternative proof of the conjecture about KD nonclassicality based on DFT.
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BACKGROUND: During active transcription, SARS-CoV-2 generates subgenomic regions of viral RNA. While standard SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR amplifies region(s) of genomic RNA, it cannot distinguish active infection from remnant viral genomic material. However, screening for subgenomic RNA (sgRNA) by RT-PCR may aid in the determination of actively transcribing virus. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the clinical utility of SARS-CoV-2 sgRNA RT-PCR testing in a pediatric population. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective analysis was performed on inpatients from February-September 2022 positive for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR with a concomitant order for sgRNA RT-PCR. Chart abstractions were conducted to determine clinical outcomes, management, and infection prevention and control (IPC) practices. RESULTS: Of 95 SARS-CoV-2 positive samples from 75 unique patients, 27 (28.4%) were positive by sgRNA RT-PCR. A negative sgRNA RT-PCR test allowed for de-isolation in 68 (71.6%) patient episodes. Regardless of age or sex, a positive sgRNA RT-PCR result significantly correlated with disease severity (P = 0.007), generalized COVID-19 symptoms (P = 0.012), hospitalization for COVID-19 (P = 0.019), and immune status (P = 0.024). Moreover, sgRNA RT-PCR results prompted changes in management in 28 patients (37.3%); specifically, therapeutic escalation in 13/27 (48.1%) positives and de-escalation in 15/68 (22.1%) negatives. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these findings underscore the clinical utility of sgRNA RT-PCR testing in a pediatric population as we report significant associations between sgRNA RT-PCR results and clinical parameters related to COVID-19. These findings align with the proposed use of sgRNA RT-PCR testing to guide patient management and IPC practices in the hospital setting.
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COVID-19 , SARS-CoV-2 , Humanos , Niño , SARS-CoV-2/genética , COVID-19/diagnóstico , Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa de Transcriptasa Inversa , Estudios Retrospectivos , Prueba de COVID-19 , ARN Viral/genética , ARN SubgenómicoRESUMEN
INTRODUCTION: Arteriovenous fistula or arteriovenous graft is essential to long-term survival and quality of life in patients receiving hemodialysis. To date, no research has examined the clinical impacts of different puncture methods. This study compared the rope ladder and area puncture techniques in terms of vascular patency, pain, and quality of life among patients receiving hemodialysis. METHODS: A prospective longitudinal study was performed with 6-month follow-up. A total of 98 participants recruited from a hemodialysis center in Taiwan were randomly assigned to receive the rope ladder technique (experimental group) or the area puncture technique (control group). Vascular patency was assessed by examining access flow and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty rate. Pain and quality of life were measured using the Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) and Kidney Disease Quality of Life Instrument (KDQOL-36™), respectively. All outcome variables were measured repeatedly and analyzed using a generalized estimating equation. RESULTS: Overall, quality of life was significantly better for the experimental group than for the control group (ß = 47.23, p < 0.001). The percutaneous transluminal angioplasty rate was lower for the experimental group than for the control group (12.0% vs. 18.8%). However, no significant differences were found in access flow and pain level between the two groups over time. CONCLUSION: Hemodialysis patients who received the rope ladder puncture technique had a lower percutaneous angioplasty rate and better quality of life than patients who received the area puncture technique, suggesting that the rope ladder technique could be implemented as a routine cannulation method in hemodialysis clinics.
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Derivación Arteriovenosa Quirúrgica , Diálisis Renal , Humanos , Diálisis Renal/efectos adversos , Diálisis Renal/métodos , Calidad de Vida , Estudios Longitudinales , Estudios Prospectivos , Grado de Desobstrucción Vascular , Punciones , Derivación Arteriovenosa Quirúrgica/efectos adversos , Derivación Arteriovenosa Quirúrgica/métodos , Dolor , Resultado del Tratamiento , Oclusión de Injerto VascularRESUMEN
Gender differences in research productivity have been well documented. One frequent explanation of these differences is disproportionate child-related responsibilities for women. However, changing social dynamics around parenting has led to fathers taking an increasingly active role in parenting. This demands a more nuanced approach to understanding the relationship between parenting and productivity for both men and women. To gain insight into associations between parent roles, partner type, research productivity, and research impact, we conducted a global survey that targeted 1.5 million active scientists; we received viable responses from 10,445 parents (< 1% response rate), thus providing a basis for exploratory analyses that shed light on associations between parenting models and research outcomes, across men and women. Results suggest that the gendered effect observed in production may be related by differential engagement in parenting: men who serve in lead roles suffer similar penalties for parenting engagement, but women are more likely to serve in lead roles and to be more engaged across time and tasks, therefore suffering a higher penalty. Taking a period of parental leave is associated with higher levels of productivity; however, the productivity advantage dissipates after six months for the US-sample, and at 12-months for the non-US sample. These results suggest that parental engagement is a more powerful variable to explain gender differences in academic productivity than the mere existence of children, and that policies should factor these labor differentials into account.
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Rendimiento Académico , Médicos , Masculino , Humanos , Femenino , Responsabilidad Parental , Padres , Encuestas y CuestionariosRESUMEN
There has been limited research regarding the status of foveal hypoplasia and the characteristics of the optical components of the eye in patients with familial exudative vitreoretinopathy (FEVR) and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). In this retrospective cohort study, patients were classified into five groups: patients with stage 1 and 2 FEVR (FEVR group), patients with ROP who received treatment (treated ROP group), patients with ROP who did not receive treatment (untreated ROP group), patients without ROP who had been born preterm (preterm group), and healthy patients who had been born at term (full-term group). Visual acuity, refractive error, characteristics of the optical components, and features of the fovea were compared. In total, 179 eyes from 100 patients were included. Patients in the FEVR group had the highest degrees of myopia (p < 0.001). The axial length of patients in the FEVR group was significantly longer than that of patients in the treated and untreated ROP, preterm, and full-term groups (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p = 0.001, and p = 0.003, respectively). Patients in the FEVR group had a higher proportion of grade 4 foveal hypoplasia and thinner foveae than those in the other groups (p < 0.001). Patients with FEVR had significantly greater myopic change than patients with ROP; the significantly longer axial length of the FEVR group might be the reason for the greater myopic change and lesser macular thickness. Patients in the FEVR group had more foveal hypoplasia than those in the other groups.
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Miopía , Dispositivos Ópticos , Retinopatía de la Prematuridad , Vitreorretinopatías Exudativas Familiares , Edad Gestacional , Humanos , Recién Nacido , Estudios Retrospectivos , Tomografía de Coherencia Óptica , Trastornos de la VisiónAsunto(s)
COVID-19 , SARS-CoV-2 , Humanos , Mutación , SARS-CoV-2/genética , Secuenciación Completa del GenomaRESUMEN
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a common ischaemic heart disease whose pathological mechanism has not been fully elucidated. Single target drugs, such as antiplatelet aggregation, coronary artery dilation and lipid-lowering medicines, can relieve some symptoms clinically but cannot effectively prevent and treat CHD. Accumulating evidence has revealed that alterations in GM composition, diversity, and richness are associated with the risk of CHD. The metabolites of the gut microbiota (GM), including trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and bile acids (BAs), affect human physiology by activating numerous signalling pathways. Due to the advantage of multiple components and multiple targets, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) can intervene in CHD by regulating the composition of the GM, reducing TMAO, increasing SCFAs and other CHD interventions. We have searched PubMed, Web of science, Google Scholar Science Direct, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), with the use of the keywords "gut microbiota, gut flora, traditional Chinese medicine, herbal medicine, coronary heart disease". This review investigated the relationship between GM and CHD, as well as the intervention of TCM in CHD and GM, and aims to provide valuable insights for the treatments of CHD by TCM.
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Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are secreted by various cells in the body fluid system and have been found to influence vessel formation and inflammatory responses in a variety of diseases. However, which EVs and their subtypes are involved in vascular retinal diseases is still unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the particle distribution of EVs in retinal neovascular diseases, including age-related macular degeneration, polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy, and central retinal vein occlusion. The aqueous humor was harvested from 20 patients with different retinal neovascular diseases and six patients with cataracts as the control group. The particle distribution was analyzed using nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) and transmitting electron microscopy (TEM). The results revealed that the disease groups had large amounts of EVs and their subtypes compared to the control group. After isolating exosomes, a higher expression of CD81+ exosomes was shown in the disease groups using flow cytometry. The exosomes were then further classified into three subtypes of exomeres, small exosomes, and large exosomes, and their amounts were shown to differ depending on the disease type. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to elucidate the dynamics of EVs in retinal neovascular diseases using clinical cases. Our findings demonstrated the possible functionality of microvesicles and exosomes, indicating the potential of exosomes in the diagnosis and therapy of retinal neovascular diseases.
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PURPOSE: To figure out the impact of national health insurance program and treatment modalities on the clinical outcomes of patients with retinoblastoma. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. METHODS: Enrolled patients were classified into three groups according to the time period in which their initial diagnosis was performed: patients diagnosed before 1995 (group 1), patients diagnosed in the time period 1995-2010 (group 2), patients diagnosed after 2010 (group 3). Comparison was made of clinical features including presenting signs, tumor spreading, and treatment modes. Survival and globe salvage rates were analyzed within each group. RESULTS: There were 157 patients (202 eyes) enrolled from 1978 to 2015. The overall mortality rate was 24.2%. The overall 5-year survival rate was 63.4%, 73.8%, 89.1% in the three time periods respectively (P = 0.007). The 5-year survival improved continuously in both unilateral and bilateral disease (P = 0.057; P = 0.015). Patients without extraocular spreading or diagnosed before 2 years of age had a better 5- year survival of 97.4% and 81.1% respectively. The globe salvage rate improved from 8.2%, 14.5%, to 35.1% (P < 0.001). The globe salvage rate was 46.9% in patients who received ophthalmic artery chemosurgery (OAC) and 6.4% in patients not received OAC. CONCLUSIONS: Improvement of survival and globe salvage rate was observed over time periods. National health insurance program has made medical care easily accessible to the public, leading to earlier diagnosis and treatment. Different treatment modes could achieve a better clinical outcome; among the new treatment modalities, OAC played an important role.
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Neoplasias de la Retina , Retinoblastoma , Humanos , Lactante , Arteria Oftálmica , Neoplasias de la Retina/diagnóstico , Neoplasias de la Retina/epidemiología , Neoplasias de la Retina/terapia , Retinoblastoma/diagnóstico , Retinoblastoma/epidemiología , Retinoblastoma/terapia , Estudios Retrospectivos , Taiwán/epidemiologíaRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: To better understand population-specific tumor characteristics and behavior of conjunctival melanoma in Asian. METHODS: A retrospective cohort enrolled patients with primary conjunctival melanoma treated and followed up at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (CGMH) in Taiwan between 1995 and 2015. Basic characteristics such as age, gender, tumor size, cell type, location, and TNM stage were recorded. Prognostic parameters included disease free interval, local recurrence, distant metastasis, and survival were analyzed. RESULTS: There were 20 patients enrolled in the study hospital between 1995 and 2015. All were histological proved by pathologists. Their mean age at diagnosis was 57.8 ± 15.9 years. The mean follow-up time was 68.7 ± 55.8 months. Mean tumor thickness was 6.5 ± 5.9 mm. Six patients developed local recurrence. Twelve patients had distant metastasis. Ten patients died from conjunctival melanoma. The 10 patients had greater mean tumor thickness (8.4 ± 7.5 mm) and shorter mean survival time (40.2 ± 24.1 months). Tumor thickness was found as a prognostic factor for survival time (HR = 1.15, P = 0.01). Age, gender, T stage, and tumor location were not significantly associated with survival. CONCLUSION: Different tumor characteristics were found in this cohort. Higher metastasis and mortality rate could suggest a more aggressive disease pattern. Tumor thickness was indicated as a prognostic factor for survival time and was greater in size in cases with distant metastasis. Early and more invasive intervention with closely follow-up may be indicated in these cases.
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Melanoma , Recurrencia Local de Neoplasia , Adulto , Anciano , Hospitales , Humanos , Melanoma/epidemiología , Melanoma/terapia , Persona de Mediana Edad , Recurrencia Local de Neoplasia/epidemiología , Pronóstico , Estudios Retrospectivos , Tasa de Supervivencia , Taiwán/epidemiologíaRESUMEN
Seafood is commonly seen in cuisines of the Asia-Pacific regions. The rates and consequences of seafood substitution frauds in Taiwan were elusive. To address this, we conducted a consumer-centered study, collecting seafood dishes and cooking materials from restaurants and markets easily accessible to the residents in Taiwan. Seafood substitutions were evaluated using DNA barcodes in the mitochondrial MT-CO1 gene. Among the 127 samples collected, 24 samples were mislabeled (18.9%, 95% Confidence interval [CI] = [12.5-26.8%]). The mislabel rates vary in different fish and product types (snapper [84.6%, 54.6-98.1%], cod [25%, 5.5-57.2%], swordfish [16.7%, 2.1-48.4%], cobia [16.7%, 0.4-64.1%], surimi products [100.0%]). A deep microbiome profiling was performed in 8 correctly-labeled conventional sushi and 2 tilapia sashimi mislabeled as snapper, with sequencing depths greater than 100,000 reads for every sample. The relative abundance of Pseudomonas genus is significantly higher in tilapia sashimi than in conventional sushi (P = 0.044). In conclusion, the gross seafood mislabel rate in Taiwan is 18.9% (12.5-26.8%). Snapper, cod and surimi products are particularly vulnerable to fraudulent substitutions. The high abundance of Pseudomonas in tilapia sashimi mislabeled as snapper unveils a potential health issue pertaining to the consumption of raw mislabeled seafood.
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Código de Barras del ADN Taxonómico , Microbiota/genética , Alimentos Marinos/microbiología , Animales , Intervalos de Confianza , Etiquetado de Alimentos , Restaurantes , Taiwán , TilapiaRESUMEN
Mitochondrial fission occurs frequently in plant cells, but its biological significance is poorly understood because mutants specifically impaired in mitochondrial fission do not show obvious defects in vegetative growth. Here, we revealed that the production of viable pollen was reduced in mutants lacking one of the three main proteins involved in mitochondrial fission in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), DYNAMIN-RELATED PROTEIN3A (DRP3A)/Arabidopsis DYNAMIN-LIKE PROTEIN2A, DRP3B, and ELONGATED MITOCHONDRIA1 (ELM1). In drp3b and elm1, young microspores contained an abnormal number of nuclei, and mature pollen had aberrant accumulation of lipids in their coat and an irregular pollen outer wall. Because the formation of the pollen wall and coat is mainly associated with tapetal function, we used 3D imaging to quantify geometric and textural features of cells and mitochondria in the tapetum at different stages, using isolated single tapetal cells in which the in vivo morphology and volume of cells and mitochondria were preserved. Tapetal cells and their mitochondria changed in the volume and morphology at different developmental stages. Defective mitochondrial fission in the elm1 and drp3b mutants caused changes in mitochondrial status, including mitochondrial elongation, abnormal mitochondrial ultrastructure, a decrease in cross-sectional area, and a slight alteration of mitochondrial distribution, as well as a large reduction in mitochondrial density. Our studies suggest that mitochondrial fission is required for proper mitochondrial status in the tapetum and possibly in pollen as well and therefore plays an important role for the production of viable pollen.
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Imagenología Tridimensional , Mitocondrias/metabolismo , Dinámicas Mitocondriales , Polen/crecimiento & desarrollo , Arabidopsis/crecimiento & desarrollo , Arabidopsis/metabolismo , Proteínas de Arabidopsis/metabolismo , Forma de la Célula , Proteínas Fluorescentes Verdes/metabolismo , Mitocondrias/ultraestructura , Mutación/genética , Polen/citología , Polen/ultraestructuraRESUMEN
PURPOSE: A biocompatible nanocomplex system co-encapsulated with gold nanorods (AuNRs) and doxorubicin (DOX) was investigated for its potentials on the combined photothermal- and chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Hydrophobic AuNRs were synthesized by the hexadecyltrimethyl-ammonium bromide (CTAB)-mediated seed growth method, and then, they received two-step surface modifications of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and dodecane. The AuNR/DOX/poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanocomplexes were prepared by emulsifying DOX, AuNR, and PLGA into aqueous polyvinyl alcohol solution by sonication. Human serum albumin (HSA) was used to coat the nanocomplexes to afford HSA/AuNR/DOX-PLGA (HADP). Size and surface potential of the HADP nanocomplexes were determined by using a Zetasizer. Cytotoxicity and cellular uptake of the HADP were analyzed by using MTT assay and flow cytometry, respectively. In vitro anticancer effects of the HADP were studied on various cancer cell lines. To assess the therapeutic efficacy, CT26 tumor-bearing mice were intravenously administered with HADP nanocomplexes and laser treatments, followed by monitoring of the tumor growth and body weight. RESULTS: Size and surface potential of the HADP nanocomplexes were 245.8 nm and -8.6 mV, respectively. Strong photothermal effects were verified on the AuNR-loaded PLGA nanoparticles (NPs) in vitro. Rapid and repeated drug release from the HADP nanocomplexes was successfully achieved by near-infrared (NIR) irradiations. HSA significantly promoted cellular uptake of the HADP nanocomplexes to murine colon cancer cells as demonstrated by cell imaging and flow cytometric studies. By combining photothermal and chemotherapy, the HADP nanocomplexes exhibited strong synergistic anticancer effects in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSION: An NIR-triggered drug release system by encapsulating hydrophobic AuNR and DOX inside the PLGA NPs has been successfully prepared in this study. The HADP NPs show promising combined photothermal- and chemotherapeutic effects without inducing undesired side effects on a murine colon cancer animal model.
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Materiales Biocompatibles/química , Doxorrubicina/uso terapéutico , Oro/química , Hipertermia Inducida , Nanotubos/química , Neoplasias/terapia , Fototerapia , Polímeros/química , Animales , Antineoplásicos/uso terapéutico , Línea Celular Tumoral , Modelos Animales de Enfermedad , Doxorrubicina/química , Liberación de Fármacos , Endocitosis , Humanos , Interacciones Hidrofóbicas e Hidrofílicas , Ratones , Nanotubos/ultraestructura , Tamaño de la Partícula , Copolímero de Ácido Poliláctico-Ácido Poliglicólico/química , Albúmina Sérica/química , Electricidad EstáticaRESUMEN
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0198033.].
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Altmetric indicators are increasingly present in the research landscape. Among this ecosystem of heterogeneous indicators, social reference managers have been proposed as indicators of broader use of scholarly work. However, little work has been done to understand the data underlying this indicator. The present work uses a large-scale survey to study the users of two prominent social reference managers-Mendeley and Zotero. The survey examines demographic characteristics, usage of the platforms, as well as attitudes towards key issues in scholarly communication, such as open access, peer review, privacy, and the reward system of science. Results show strong differences between platforms: Mendeley users are younger and more gender-balanced; Zotero users are more engaged in social media and more likely to come from the social sciences and humanities. Zotero users are more likely to use the platform's search functions and to organize their libraries, while Mendeley users are more likely to take advantage of some of the discovery and networking features-such as browsing papers and groups and connecting with other users. We discuss the implications of using metrics derived from these platforms as impact indicators.
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Demografía/estadística & datos numéricos , Comunicación Interdisciplinaria , Revisión de la Investigación por Pares/métodos , Medios de Comunicación Sociales/estadística & datos numéricos , Red Social , Adolescente , Adulto , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Bibliometría , Humanos , Difusión de la Información/ética , Persona de Mediana Edad , Encuestas y CuestionariosRESUMEN
PURPOSE: To compare the efficacy of intravitreal ranibizumab between non-vitrectomized and vitrectomized eyes with diabetic macular edema (DME). STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective, nonrandomized, and comparative study. METHODS: From May 2013 to March 2016, 148 eyes of 148 patients with treatment-naïve center-involving DME were reviewed in one institution. Forty-six eyes underwent prior vitrectomy at least 3 months ago, and 102 eyes did not receive any vitrectomy. Three monthly then PRN intravitreal ranibizumab treatments were performed in all the patients with monthly follow-up for 6 months. Primary outcome measures included change in central foveal thickness (CFT) and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at month 6. RESULTS: The CFT significantly reduced, and the BCVA significantly improved 6 months after ranibizumab injections in either vitrectomized or non-vitrectomized groups (p < 0.05). There was no difference between vitrectomized and non-vitrectomized eyes in baseline characteristics. Significantly better final BCVA and visual gain were found in non-vitrectomized eyes than in vitrectomized eyes (p = 0.01 and 0.03, respectively). Final CFT and CFT decrease were significantly greater in non-vitrectomized group than in vitrectomized group (p = 0.02 and 0.006, respectively). Injection number of ranibizumab was 4.12 ± 0.58 in non-vitrectomized eyes, significantly less than that in vitrectomized eyes (5.05 ± 0.71) during 6-month period (p < 0.001). There were no severe systemic/ocular adverse effects in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Intravitreal ranibizumab was helpful for either vitrectomized or non-vitrectomized eyes with DME in short-term follow-up. Anatomical and functional improvements were greater in non-vitrectomized patients than in vitrectomized cases.