Prevalence, clinical and virological characteristics and short-term prognosis of hepatitis delta infection among patients with HIV/HBV in Nouakchott, Mauritania.

Patients living with HIV infection (PLWH) are at risk of acquiring HBV and HDV. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence and characteristics of HIV-HDV-HBV tri-infection in comparison with HIV-HBV coinfection and to estimate severities and outcomes of associated liver diseases in Mauritanian PLWH. Two-hundred-ninety-two consecutive HBsAg-positive PLWH were included (mean age: 37 years). Clinical data were recorded. Anti-HDV antibodies, HBV and HDV viral loads (VLs) and genotype were determined. APRI, FIB-4 and FibroScan were performed to evaluate the severity of liver disease. The anti-HDV antibodies prevalence was 37% and HDV RNA was positive in 40.7% of patients. Genetic diversities were found with HDV genotype 1 (93%) and HBV genotypes D (42.5%) and E (38%). The HBV VL was detectable in 108 patients at inclusion, and mutations associated with HBV resistance were found in 20. For almost all variables studied, including FIB-4 and APRI scores, no significant differences were found between anti-HDV-Ab positive or negative patients. FibroScan examination, which was performed in 110 patients at end-of-follow-up showed higher, but NS values, in HDV positive patients. After a mean follow-up of 24.55 ± 8.01 months (n = 217 patients), a highly significant worsening of APRI and FIB-4 scores was found. Moreover, patients with HDV showed more severe liver disease progression despite an efficient therapy. In a substantial Mauritanian cohort of relatively young PLWH, we found high HDV prevalence and worsening liver disease. In high-risk countries, screening for HDV and providing appropriate follow-up and treatments are warranted in PLWH.

CD9 shapes glucocorticoid sensitivity in pediatric B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Resistance to glucocorticoids (GC), the common agents for remission induction in pediatric B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL), poses a significant therapeutic hurdle. Therefore, dissecting the mechanisms shaping GC resistance could lead to new treatment modalities. Here, we showed that CD9- BCP-ALL cells were preferentially resistant to prednisone and dexamethasone over other standard cytotoxic agents. Concordantly, we identified significantly more poor responders to the prednisone prephase among BCP-ALL patients with a CD9- phenotype, especially for those with adverse presenting features including older age, higher white cell count and BCR-ABL1. Furthermore, gain- and loss-offunction experiments dictated a definitive functional linkage between CD9 expression and GC susceptibility, as demonstrated by the reversal and acquisition of relative GC resistance in CD9low and CD9high BCP-ALL cells, respectively. Despite physical binding to the GC receptor NR3C1, CD9 did not alter its expression, phosphorylation or nuclear translocation but potentiated the induction of GC-responsive genes in GC-resistant cells. Importantly, the MEK inhibitor trametinib exhibited higher synergy with GC against CD9- than CD9+ lymphoblasts to reverse drug resistance in vitro and in vivo. Collectively, our results elucidate a previously unrecognized regulatory function of CD9 in GC sensitivity, and inform new strategies for management of children with resistant BCP-ALL.

Dual-Use Strain Sensors for Acoustic Emission and Quasi-Static Bending Measurements.

In this paper, a MEMS piezoresistive ultrathin silicon membrane-based strain sensor is presented. The sensor's ability to capture an acoustic emission signal is demonstrated using a Hsu-Nielsen source, and shows comparable frequency content to a commercial piezoceramic ultrasonic transducer. To the authors' knowledge, this makes the developed sensor the first known piezoresistive strain sensor which is capable of recording low-energy acoustic emissions. The improvements to the nondestructive evaluation and structural health monitoring arise from the sensor's low minimum detectable strain and wide-frequency bandwidth, which are generated from the improved fabrication process that permits crystalline semiconductor membranes and advanced polymers to be co-processed, thus enabling a dual-use application of both acoustic emission and static strain sensing. The sensor's ability to document quasi-static bending is also demonstrated and compared with an ultrasonic transducer, which provides no significant response. This dual-use application is proposed to effectively combine the uses of both strain and ultrasonic transducer sensor types within one sensor, making it a novel and useful method for nondestructive evaluations. The potential benefits include an enhanced sensitivity, a reduced sensor size, a lower cost, and a reduced instrumentation complexity.

Well-being of undergraduate dental students: Questionnaire design, findings and future directions.

INTRODUCTION: The recent pandemic has highlighted the importance of addressing well-being in the overall health of students. There is a need for support systems within dental schools to help students demonstrate resilience, adapt to learning environments and thrive in their professional careers. OBJECTIVES: The main aim of the study was to evaluate Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) students' understanding and experience of well-being. The objectives were to create a suitable survey to assess students' well-being, investigate the factors affecting dental students' well-being and develop a student well-being action plan based on the analysis of the survey. METHODS: A literature review was conducted to identify and critically assess existing measures of well-being in dental students. Four domains of well-being (emotional, physical, social, intellectual) relevant to dental students were identified. Through a comprehensive iterative process, a two-part survey was developed and tested, which measured individual experiences of well-being across the four domains and collected feedback on proposed initiatives to support student well-being. The survey was disseminated to all 452 dental students from Years 1 through 6, of which 71% (321) responded. RESULTS: The survey revealed low levels of overall well-being among the dental student population, which worsened with increasing years of clinical study. Fear of failing exams presented the biggest challenge with regard to emotional well-being, while sleep deprivation and occupational health hazards most affected the physical well-being domain. Intellectual well-being was compromised by insufficient free time to pursue extracurricular interests and concerns about achieving the required skills. Despite a majority experiencing positive relationships with their peers and tutors, less than a fifth agreed that the Faculty of Dentistry 'supported my well-being as a dental student'. CONCLUSION: As the first investigation of the well-being of dental students in Hong Kong, the key stressors identified were examinations, long schedules and the physical burden of dental work, which are consistent with international literature. The findings reveal students' needs and preferences for well-being initiatives which will be optimized in the implementation of student-centred curricular activities.

The ERBB2 Exonic Variant Pro1170Ala Modulates Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Signaling Cascades and Associates with Allergic Asthma.

INTRODUCTION: Previous studies have indicated the ERBB2 genetic variants in the 17q12 locus might be associated with asthma; however, the functional effects of these variants on asthma risk remain inconclusive. This study aimed to characterize the functional roles of asthma-associated ERBB2 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in asthma pathogenesis by performing genetic association and functional analysis studies. METHODS: This study belongs to a part of an ongoing Singapore/Malaysia cross-sectional genetics and epidemiological study (SMCSGES). Genotype-phenotype associations were assessed by performing a genotyping assay on n = 4,348 ethnic Chinese individuals from the SMCSGES cohort. The phosphorylation levels of receptors and signaling proteins in the MAPK signaling cascades, including ErbB2, EGFR, and ERK1/2, were compared across the genotypes of asthma-associated SNPs through in vitro and ex vivo approaches. RESULTS: The ERBB2 tag-SNP rs1058808 was significantly associated with allergic asthma, with the allele "G" identified as protective against the disease (adjusted logistic p = 6.56 × 10-9, OR = 0.625, 95% CI: 0.544-0.718). The allele "G" of rs1058808 resulted in a Pro1170Ala mutation that results in lower phosphorylation levels of ErbB2 in HaCat cells (p < 0.001), whereas the overall ERBB2 mRNA expression and the phosphorylation levels of EGFR remained unaffected. In the SMCSGES cohort, individuals carrying the genotype "GG" of rs1058808 had lower phosphorylated ERK1/2 proteins in the MAPK signaling cascade. A lower phosphorylation level of ERK1/2 was also associated with reduced asthma risk. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings highlighted the involvement of a functional exonic variant of ERBB2 in asthma development via modulating the MAPK signaling cascade.

Post-COVID-19 vaccination myocarditis: a prospective cohort study pre and post vaccination using cardiovascular magnetic resonance.

BACKGROUND: Concerns about COVID-19 vaccination induced myocarditis or subclinical myocarditis persists in some populations. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) has been used to detect signs of COVID-19 vaccination induced myocarditis. This study aims to: (i) characterise myocardial tissue, function, size before and after COVID-19 vaccination, (ii) determine if there is imaging evidence of subclinical myocardial inflammation or injury after vaccination using CMR. METHODS: Subjects aged ≥ 12yrs old without prior COVID-19 or COVID-19 vaccination underwent two CMR examinations: first, ≤ 14 days before the first COVID-19 vaccination and a second time ≤ 14 days after the second COVID-19 vaccination. Biventricular indices, ejection fraction (EF), global longitudinal strain (GLS), late gadolinium enhancement (LGE), left ventricular (LV) myocardial native T1, T2, extracellular volume (ECV) quantification, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), white cell count (WCC), C-reactive protein (CRP), NT-proBNP, troponin-T, electrocardiogram (ECG), and 6-min walk test were assessed in a blinded fashion. RESULTS: 67 subjects were included. First and second CMR examinations were performed a median of 4 days before the first vaccination (interquartile range 1-8 days) and 5 days (interquartile range 3-6 days) after the second vaccination respectively. No significant change in global native T1, T2, ECV, LV EF, right ventricular EF, LV GLS, LGE, ECG, LDH, troponin-T and 6-min walk test was demonstrated after COVID-19 vaccination. There was a significant WCC decrease (6.51 ± 1.49 vs 5.98 ± 1.65, p = 0.003) and CRP increase (0.40 ± 0.22 vs 0.50 ± 0.29, p = 0.004). CONCLUSION: This study found no imaging, biochemical or ECG evidence of myocardial injury or inflammation post COVID-19 vaccination, thus providing some reassurance that COVID-19 vaccinations do not typically cause subclinical myocarditis.

Feasibility of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in confirming intranodal needle position for dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance lymphangiography in children.

This report demonstrates the feasibility and safety of using contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) to confirm intranodal needle position in children requiring dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance lymphangiography (DCMRL). A total of 7 patients were evaluated using CEUS after nodal puncture on a detachable magenetic resonance table, with 2 nodes cannulated in each patient, resulting in a combined evaluation of 14 nodes. The nodal cannulation success rate using CEUS was 85.7% (12/14 nodes). DCMRL was performed successfully in all patients with good contrast opacification of the central conducting lymphatics. Out of the 14 nodes, 2 nodes in the same patient demonstrated persistent extravasation on CEUS despite needle readjustment, requiring conversion to fluoroscopic lymphangiography. No adverse event related to the injection technique or CEUS was reported.

Intracellular bacterial eradication using a novel peptide in vitro.

AIM: To determine the effect of a novel antimicrobial peptide (AMP; OP145) and cell-penetrating peptide (Octa-arginine/R8) conjugate on the killing of intracellular Enterococcus faecalis, compared to OP145 and an antibiotic combination recommended for regenerative endodontic procedures. METHODOLOGY: The biocompatible concentrations of OP145 and OP145-R8 were determined by assessing their cytotoxicity against human macrophages and red blood cells. Spatiotemporal internalization of the peptides into macrophages was investigated qualitatively and quantitatively by confocal laser scanning microscopy and flow cytometry respectively. Killing of extracellular and intracellular E. faecalis OG1RF by the peptides was determined by counting the colony-forming units (CFU). Intracellular antibacterial activity of the peptides was compared to a double antibiotic combination. Confocal microscopy was used to confirm the intracellular bacterial eradication. Significant differences between the different test groups were analysed using one-way analysis of variance. p < .05 was considered to be statistically significant. RESULTS: Peptides at a concentration of 7.5 µmol/L were chosen for subsequent experiments based on the results of the alamarBlue™ cell viability assay and haemolytic assay. OP145-R8 selectively internalized into lysosomal compartments and the cytosol of macrophages. Conjugation with R8 improved the internalization of OP145 into macrophages in a temporal manner (70.53% at 1 h to 77.13% at 2 h), while no temporal increase was observed for OP145 alone (60.53% at 1 h with no increase at 2 h). OP145-R8 demonstrated significantly greater extracellular and intracellular antibacterial activity compared to OP145 at all investigated time-points and concentrations (p < .05). OP145-R8 at 7.5 µmol/L eradicated intracellular E. faecalis after 2 h (3.5 log reduction compared to the control; p < .05), while the antibiotics could not reduce more than 0.5 log CFU compared to the control (p > .05). Confocal microscopy showed complete absence of E. faecalis within the OP145-R8 treated macrophages. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study demonstrated that the conjugation of an AMP OP145 to a cell-penetrating peptide R8 eradicated extracellular and intracellular E. faecalis OG1RF without toxic effects on the host cells.

Veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation with concomitant Impella versus concomitant intra-aortic-balloon-pump for cardiogenic shock.

INTRODUCTION: The intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) and Impella are left ventricular unloading devices with peripheral venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) in place and later serve as bridging therapy when VA-ECMO is terminated. We aimed to determine the potential differences in clinical outcomes and rate of complications between the two combinations of mechanical circulatory support. METHODS: This was a retrospective, single institutional cohort study conducted in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Hong Kong. Inclusion criteria included all patients aged ⩾18 years, who had VA-ECMO support, and who had left ventricular unloading by either IABP or Impella between January 1, 2018 and October 31, 2020. Patients <18 years old, with central VA-ECMO, who did not require left ventricular unloading, or who underwent surgical venting procedures were excluded. The primary outcome was ECMO duration. Secondary outcomes included length of stay (LOS) in the ICU, hospital LOS, mortality, and complication rate. RESULTS: Fifty-two patients with ECMO + IABP and 14 patients with ECMO + Impella were recruited. No statistically significant difference was observed in terms of ECMO duration (2.5 vs 4.6 days, p = 0.147), ICU LOS (7.7 vs 10.8 days, p = 0.367), and hospital LOS (14.8 vs 16.5 days, p = 0.556) between the two groups. No statistically significant difference was observed in the ECMO, ICU, and hospital mortalities between the two groups. Specific complications related to the ECMO and Impella combination were also noted. CONCLUSIONS: Impella was not shown to offer a statistically significant clinical benefit compared with IABP in conjunction with ECMO. Clinicians should be aware of the specific complications of using Impella.

Designing an IoT-Based System for Monitoring Noise Levels in the Computer Science Faculty and Library of the Technological University of Panama.

Noise pollution is a growing problem in urban areas, and it is important to study and evaluate its impact on human health and well-being. This work presents the design of a low-cost IoT model and implementation of two prototypes to collect noise level data in a specific area of the regional center of Chiriquí, at the Technological University of Panama that can be replicated to create a noise monitoring network. The prototypes were designed using Autodesk Fusion 360, and the data were stored in a MySQL database. Microsoft Excel and ArcGIS Pro were used to analyze the data, generate graphs, and display the information on maps. The results of the analysis can be used to develop strategies to reduce noise pollution and improve the quality of life in urban areas.

Epidemiology of Acute Myocarditis/Pericarditis in Hong Kong Adolescents Following Comirnaty Vaccination.

BACKGROUND: Age-specific incidence of acute myocarditis/pericarditis in adolescents following Comirnaty vaccination in Asia is lacking. This study aimed to study the clinical characteristics and incidence of acute myocarditis/pericarditis among Hong Kong adolescents following Comirnaty vaccination. METHODS: This is a population cohort study in Hong Kong that monitored adverse events following immunization through a pharmacovigilance system for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines. All adolescents aged between 12 and 17 years following Comirnaty vaccination were monitored under the COVID-19 vaccine adverse event response and evaluation program. The clinical characteristics and overall incidence of acute myocarditis/pericarditis in adolescents following Comirnaty vaccination were analyzed. RESULTS: Between 14 June 2021 and 4 September 2021, 33 Chinese adolescents who developed acute myocarditis/pericarditis following Comirnaty vaccination were identified. In total, 29 (87.88%) were male and 4 (12.12%) were female, with a median age of 15.25 years. And 27 (81.82%) and 6 (18.18%) cases developed acute myocarditis/pericarditis after receiving the second and first dose, respectively. All cases are mild and required only conservative management. The overall incidence of acute myocarditis/pericarditis was 18.52 (95% confidence interval [CI], 11.67-29.01) per 100 000 persons vaccinated. The incidence after the first and second doses were 3.37 (95% CI, 1.12-9.51) and 21.22 (95% CI, 13.78-32.28 per 100 000 persons vaccinated, respectively. Among male adolescents, the incidence after the first and second doses were 5.57 (95% CI, 2.38-12.53) and 37.32 (95% CI, 26.98-51.25) per 100 000 persons vaccinated. CONCLUSIONS: There is a significant increase in the risk of acute myocarditis/pericarditis following Comirnaty vaccination among Chinese male adolescents, especially after the second dose.

Comparing the outcomes of bedside percutaneous VA-ECMO decannulation by ProGlide and Manta in a high-ECMO-volume center in Hong Kong.

BACKGROUND: The use of veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) decannulation with different percutaneous closure devices has been increasing. At our center, ProGlide devices have been used since November 2018, and Manta devices became an alternative since March 2020. This study aimed to compare the success and complication rates and the clinical outcomes of ProGlide and Manta devices for VA-ECMO decannulation after arteriotomy wound closure. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the results of bedside VA-ECMO decannulation between November 2018 and June 2021. Patients with VA-ECMO who could be bridged to recovery were recruited and divided into the ProGlide or Manta group based on the closure device used. Procedure time, amount of blood loss, amount of blood products transfused, and use of vasoactive medications during the procedure were documented. Clinical examination and Doppler ultrasound were performed to detect any complications. RESULTS: After the closure technique, ProGlide was used in 44 patients and Manta was used in 13. There was no significant difference in the success rate between the ProGlide and Manta groups (86.4% vs. 100%). Amount of blood loss was greater in the ProGlide group than in the Manta group (290 [100-400] ml vs. 50 [50-100] ml), and more patients in the ProGlide group required an increased dose of inotropes during the procedure (59.1% vs. 15.4%), but the transfusion requirement was similar between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The success rate of hemostasis using arteriotomy wound closure during VA-ECMO decannulation was similar between the two devices.

Interventions that improve adherence to antihypertensive medications in coronary heart disease patients: a systematic review.

A systematic review is conducted to identify effective interventions that improved adherence to antihypertensive drugs among patients with coronary heart diseases (CHDs). Primary studies designed to measure interventions to improve adherence on antihypertensive drugs in patients with CHD were included. Three online databases, COCHRANE, EMBASE and MEDLINE, were searched for primary studies published in English from 2005 to 2019. Studies were screened independently for eligibility. Cochrane risk-of-bias tool and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale were used for quality assessment of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomised studies, respectively. Of the 2000 entries identified, seven articles, including one cross-sectional study and six RCTs, met the inclusion criteria and were reviewed. One of the articles evaluated two interventions, so eight interventions were evaluated in total. Quality of the included studies was generally high, with the cross-sectional study rated as having good quality under Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, while four and two RCTs were rated as having low and some risk of bias under Cochrane risk-of-bias tool, respectively. Six of the intervention programmes were considered effective. An intervention was considered effective if it is associated with a significant (p≤0.05) and non-trivial (Cohen's d≥0.2) improvement in compliance-related outcomes such as in terms of the Morisky 8-item Medication Adherence Scale. Medication education, disease education, health education, constant reminders and medications dispensed using blister packs were identified to be effective in improving patients' compliance to medications. The importance of the continuity of interventions was also established. It is recommended that health service institutions should provide continuous education programmes, daily reminders and regular follow-ups for their patients who have CHD. It is recommended that further research ought to be carried out by using only one intervention in each trial with a standardised outcome measure, or using factorial designs, so that further cost-effectiveness evaluation of each intervention can be carried out independently, leading to the formulation of a comprehensive, optimised intervention programme for patients with CHD taking antihypertensives.

Numerical Study of the Thermal Performance of a Mems Pressure Sensor with Self-Calibration Capabilities.

Recent industry trends toward more complex and interconnected systems have increased the demand for more reliable pressure sensors. By integrating a microactuator with a pressure sensor, the sensor can self-calibrate, eliminating the complexities and costs associated with traditional sensor calibration methods to ensure reliability. The present work is focused on furthering understanding and improving the thermal performance of a thermopneumatic actuated self-calibrating pressure sensor. A transient numerical model was developed in ANSYS and was calibrated using experimental testing data. The numerical model provided insights into the sensor's performance not previously observed in experimental testing. Furthermore, the model was utilized for two design studies. First, it was found that a substrate with low thermal conductivity and high thermal diffusivity is ideal for both the sensor's efficiency and a faster transient response time. The second design study showed that decreasing the size of the sealed reference cavity lowers power consumption and transient response time. The study also showed that reducing the cavity base dimension has a greater effect on lowering power consumption and response time. Overall, the present work increases understanding of the self-calibrating pressure sensor and provides insight into potential design improvements, moving closer to optimized self-calibrating pressure sensors.

Development of a Flexible Integrated Self-Calibrating MEMS Pressure Sensor Using a Liquid-to-Vapor Phase Change.

Self-calibration capabilities for flexible pressure sensors are greatly needed for fluid dynamic analysis, structure health monitoring and wearable sensing applications to compensate, in situ and in real time, for sensor drifts, nonlinearity effects, and hysteresis. Currently, very few self-calibrating pressure sensors can be found in the literature, let alone in flexible formats. This paper presents a flexible self-calibrating pressure sensor fabricated from a silicon-on-insulator wafer and bonded on a polyimide substrate. The sensor chip is made of four piezoresistors arranged in a Wheatstone bridge configuration on a pressure-sensitive membrane, integrated with a gold thin film-based reference cavity heater, and two thermistors. With a liquid-to-vapor thermopneumatic actuation system, the sensor can create precise in-cavity pressure for self-calibration. Compared with the previous work related to the single-phase air-only counterpart, testing of this two-phase sensor demonstrated that adding the water liquid-to-vapor phase change can improve the effective range of self-calibration from 3 psi to 9.5 psi without increasing the power consumption of the cavity micro-heater. The calibration time can be further improved to a few seconds with a pulsed heating power.

Resilience and adaptability of social workers in health care settings during COVID-19 in Australia.

In 2020 Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was identified in Australia. During the pandemic, as essential workers, hospital-based social workers have been on the frontline. This cross-sectional study examines the resilience of social workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, how the pandemic impacted on social work and lessons learnt. Hospital social workers working in three states, namely Victoria, Queensland, and New South Wales were invited to participate in an online web-based survey, providing non-identifiable demographic details and information a) relating to their proximity to COVID-19, b) their degree of resilience (CD-RISC-2), c) professional quality of life, d) perceived social support, e) physical health, f) professional and personal growth during the pandemic, and g) impacts of COVID-19 on their practice. Basic descriptive statistics were computed for variables of interest. Within group, comparisons were made using paired t-tests or one-way ANOVAs for continuous variables as appropriate to investigate possible interstate differences. Regression analyses were conducted to determine which factors contribute to resilience. Social workers, during the pandemic, whether working under the constraints of lockdown or not, demonstrated high levels of resilience. These levels were similar across the three states, unaffected by the degree of infection in the community, indicating that as a group, social workers have high innate levels of resilience. This study provides an in-depth understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on hospital social workers, the long-term impact of the pandemic on social work practice, and potentially useful lessons learnt for the future.

AtNBR1 Is a Selective Autophagic Receptor for AtExo70E2 in Arabidopsis.

Selective autophagy is a subcellular process whereby cytoplasmic materials are selectively sequestered into autophagosomes for subsequent delivery to the vacuole for degradation and recycling. Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) NBR1 (next to BRCA1 gene 1 protein; AtNBR1) has been proposed to function as a selective autophagy receptor in plants, whereby AtNBR1 anchors the ubiquitinated targets to autophagosomes for degradation. However, the specific cargos of AtNBR1 remain elusive. We previously showed that Arabidopsis exocyst subunit EXO70 family protein E2 (AtExo70E2), a marker for exocyst-positive organelle (EXPO), colocalized with the autophagosome marker Arabidopsis autophagy-related protein8 (AtATG8) and was delivered to the vacuole for degradation upon autophagic induction. Here, through multiple analyses, we demonstrate that AtNBR1 is a selective receptor for AtExo70E2 during autophagy in Arabidopsis. First, two novel loss-of-function nbr1 CRISPR mutants (nbr1-c1 and nbr1-c2) showed an early-senescence phenotype under short-day growth conditions. Second, during autophagic induction, the vacuolar delivery of AtExo70E2 or EXPO was significantly reduced in nbr1 mutants compared to wild-type plants. Third, biochemical and recruitment assays demonstrated that AtNBR1 specifically interacted and recruited AtExo70E2 or its EXPO to AtATG8-positive autophagosomes in a ubiquitin-associated (UBA)-independent manner during autophagy. Taken together, our data indicate that AtNBR1 functions as a selective receptor in mediating vacuolar delivery of AtExo70E2 or EXPO in a UBA-independent manner in plant autophagy.

Dietary berberine regulates lipid metabolism in muscle and liver of black sea bream (Acanthopagrus schlegelii) fed normal or high-lipid diets.

The present study investigated the influence of berberine (BBR) supplementation in normal and high-lipid (HL) diets on lipid metabolism and accumulation in black sea bream (Acanthopagrus schlegelii). BBR was supplemented at 50 mg/kg to control (Con, 11·1 % crude lipid) and high-lipid (HL, 20·2 % crude lipid) diets and named as ConB and HLB, respectively. After the 8-week feeding trial, fish body length and specific growth rate were significantly reduced by HL diets (P < 0·05). Muscle and whole-body crude lipid contents were significantly influenced by both BBR supplementation and dietary lipid level. Fish fed the HLB diet had significantly lower serum TAG, LDL-cholesterol contents and alanine aminotransferase activity compared with the HL group. The HL group presented vast lipid accumulation in the liver, and hypertrophied hepatocytes along with large lipid droplets, and translocation of nuclear to the cell periphery. These abnormalities in black sea bream were alleviated in the HLB group. BBR supplementation in the HL diet significantly down-regulated the hepatic expression levels of acetyl-CoA carboxylase α, sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and pparγ, whereas the lipoprotein lipase, hormone-sensitive lipase and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1a expression levels were significantly up-regulated. However, the expression levels of these genes showed opposite trends in muscle (except for pparγ). In conclusion, dietary BBR supplementation in the HL diet reduced hepatic lipid accumulation by down-regulating lipogenesis gene expression and up-regulating lipolysis gene expression, and it increased muscle lipid contents with opposite trends of the mechanism observed in the liver.

How to Report: Wrist MRI.

Knowledge of the imaging anatomy of the wrist is essential for reporting magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This familiarity should include the carpal bones, tendons (extensor and flexor compartments), triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC), intrinsic and extrinsic ligaments, and nerves, especially the median and ulnar nerves. Limitations of MRI in visualizing these structures, particularly the intrinsic ligaments and the TFCC, need to be considered. This article outlines the main features to comment on when reporting common conditions of the wrist on MRI, with some examples of terminology that can be used to describe these abnormalities.

Chronic pain: a long-term sequela of epidermal necrolysis (Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis) - prevalence, clinical characteristics and risk factors.

BACKGROUND: Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are associated with various sequelae. Chronic pain, one of these sequelae, has never been systematically evaluated. OBJECTIVES AND METHODS: To assess the persistence of pain in a single-centre cohort of 113 consecutive patients with SJS/TEN. From this cohort, 81 patients were interviewed more than 1 year after the initial episode and included in the study. Data were collected according to standardized questionnaires. RESULTS: From the 81 interviewed patients, 52 patients (64%) were painless and 29 patients (36%) were painful. Chronic pain syndrome was associated with a more severe initial acute phase of the disease (larger extent of detachment, higher SCORTEN, increased rate of admission in ICU and complications, and longer hospital stay). Pain was mainly located at the level of eyes (55%), mouth and lower limbs (38-41%), with a moderate daily intensity on average (4.7/10). The 'affective' descriptors prevailed over the 'sensory' descriptors, with the exception of burning and itching sensations. Finally, regarding provoked pain, mechanical allodynia (to brushing and pressure) was more marked than thermal allodynia. DISCUSSION: The persistence of chronic pain after SJS/TEN is a common phenomenon. Sensory descriptors are consistent with sensitization of both small-diameter nerve fibres (burning and itching sensations) and large-diameter nerve fibres (mechanical allodynia), but the affective-emotional components of pain largely predominate. CONCLUSIONS: Complex mechanisms lead to persistent pain as long-term sequela of SJS/TEN, among which mechanisms, psychological factors related to post-traumatic stress disorder probably play a key role.