Air quality modifications in urban centers in the COVID19 lockdown A critical evaluation

Smooth pursuit dysfunction is common in MS, but rarely quantified and may be missed on exam.
NeuroFitONE™ smooth pursuit performance measures were compared between MS (n=20) and healthy control (n=19) participants.
Compared to controls, MS patients had lower proportion of smooth pursuit (0.63vs. 0.73; p=0.047), increased directional (10.1vs. 8°; p=0.014) and speed noise (4.3vs. 3.1°/sec; p=0.021) and reduced initiation acceleration (96.83vs. 115.33°/sec
; p=0.061). Significant univariate correlations with clinical scores (EDSS, T25-FW) were observed.
Smooth pursuit dysfunction in MS can be readily quantified and distinguishes MS eyes from healthy controls.
Smooth pursuit dysfunction in MS can be readily quantified and distinguishes MS eyes from healthy controls.Vibrio species are prevalent in the aquatic environments and can infect humans and aquatic organisms. Vibrio parahaemolyticus counteracts β-lactam antibiotics and enhances virulence using a regulation mechanism mediated by a two-component regulatory system (TCS) consisting of the VbrK histidine kinase and the VbrR response regulator. The periplasmic sensor domain of VbrK (VbrKSD) detects β-lactam antibiotics or undergoes S-nitrosylation in response to host nitrites. Although V. parahaemolyticus VbrKSD (vpVbrKSD) has recently been characterized through structural studies, it is unclear whether its structural features that are indispensable for biological functions are conserved in other VbrK orthologs. To structurally define the functionally critical regions of VbrK and address the structural dynamics of VbrK, we determined the crystal structures of Vibrio rotiferianus VbrKSD (vrVbrKSD) in two crystal forms and performed a comparative analysis of diverse VbrK structures. vrVbrKSD folds into a curved rod-shaped two-domain structure as observed in vpVbrKSD. The membrane-distal end of the vrVbrKSD structure, including the α3 helix and its neighboring loops, harbors both S-nitrosylation and antibiotic-sensing sites and displays high structural flexibility and diversity. Noticeably, the distal end is partially stabilized by a disulfide bond, which is formed by the cysteine residue that is S-nitrosylated in response to nitrite. Therefore, the distal end of VbrKSD plays a key role in initiating the VbrK-VbrR TCS pathway activation, and it is involved in the nitrosylation-mediated regulation of the structural dynamics of VbrK.The crystal structure of l-lactate oxidase in complex with l-lactate was solved at a 1.33 Å resolution. The electron density of the bound l-lactate was clearly shown and comparisons of the free form and substrate bound complexes demonstrated that l-lactate was bound to the FMN and an additional active site within the enzyme complex. l-lactate interacted with the related side chains, which play an important role in enzymatic catalysis and especially the coupled movement of H265 and D174, which may be essential to activity. These observations not only reveal the enzymatic mechanism for l-lactate binding but also demonstrate the dynamic motion of these enzyme structures in response to substrate binding and enzymatic reaction progression.The phosphoinositides phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate [PtdIns(3,4,5)P3] and phosphatidylinositol-3,4-bisphosphate [PtdIns(3,4)P2] function as second messengers and have been implicated in cancerogenesis. The signalling events downstream of PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 and PtdIns(3,4)P2 are mediated through a complex network of phosphoinositide binding effector proteins and phosphatases. In this study, we compared the phosphoinositide effector proteins AKT1, TAPP1, TAPP2, VAV1 and P-REX1 and the phosphoinositide phosphatases PTEN, SHIP1 and INPP4B for their binding affinities to PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 and/or PtdIns(3,4)P2 using Surface Plasmon Resonance. Our results demonstrate that all measured proteins except P-REX1 and VAV1 showed high affinity phosphoinositide binding with KD values in the nM to sub-nM range. Within the effector proteins, AKT1 showed the highest affinity for both PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 and PtdIns(3,4)P2. Of the phosphoinositide phosphatases PTEN displayed the highest affinity towards PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 and PtdIns(3,4)P2. The SHIP1 mutant E452K detected in carcinoma patients had a 100-fold increased affinity to PtdIns(3,4)P2 but not to PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 compared to SHIP1 WT. Distinct mutations in phosphoinositide binding proteins like the patient-derived SHIP1E452K mutant may be involved in the upregulation of PI(3,4)P2 -mediated signalling in tumor cells due to phosphoinositide trapping. Our results add further information to the complex hierarchy of phosphoinositide binding proteins helping to elucidate their functional role in cellular signal transduction.At present, stem cell transplantation has a significant therapeutic effect on spinal cord injury (SCI), however, it is still challenging for the seed cells selection. In this study, in order to explore cells with wide neural repair potentials, we selected the pluripotent stem cells multilineage-differentiating stress-enduring (Muse) cells, inducing the in vitro differentiation of human Muse cells into neural precursor cells (Muse-NPCs) by applying neural induction medium. Here, we found induced Muse-NPCs expressed neural stem cell markers Nestin and NCAM, capable of differentiating into three types of neural cells (neuron, astrocyte and oligodendrocyte), and have certain biological functions. When Muse-NPCs were transplanted into rats suffering from T10 SCI, motor function was improved. These results provide an insight for application of Muse-NPCs in cell therapy or tissue engineering for the repair of SCI in future.
To report point prevalence of anterior knee pain (AKP) in adolescent athletes by (1) maturation status, (2) chronological age, (3) sex, and (4) primary sport.
Cross-sectional.
Male and female participants aged 11-15 years were recruited from specialised sports programs for basketball, volleyball, Australian Rules Football and tennis. Standing height, sitting height, and body mass were measured and used to calculate maturity status. Past injury history, self-reported physical activity, and Victorian Institute of Sport Assessment Questionnaire Patellar Tendon (VISA-P) questionnaires were completed. Anterior knee pain was defined as any pain experienced on the anterior surface of the knee and recorded using a visual analogue scale (VAS). A single leg decline squat (SLDS) was performed for provocation of AKP.
Two hundred and seventeen male and female adolescent athletes participated in this study. Twenty participants were excluded from data analysis. Point prevalence of AKP was 39% (N=76). Average self-reprogram. Given the chronic nature of AKP and future morbidity reported, this high prevalence provides rationale for intervention or prevention studies targeting younger athletes.
To identify differences in patient-reported outcome questionnaires and spatiotemporal gait parameters during walking between individuals with and without chronic ankle instability (CAI) and to identify relationships between patient-oriented outcome and spatiotemporal gait parameters.
Twenty-four individuals with CAI and 24 controls were included in this study.
All participants completed the Foot and Ankle Ability Measure including the Activities of Daily Living and Sport Subscales, the Western Ontario and McMasters Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), the Lower Extremity Functional Scale, and the Korean version of the EuroQol 5-Dimension (KEQ-5D). Participants walked in a laboratory setting to collect spatiotemporal gait parameter data.
All questionnaire scores from the male CAI group were lower than those from the control group. The female group yielded lower questionnaire scores than the controls, with an exception for KEQ-5D. The differences between the female CAI and female control groups in temporal gait parameters were significant. Correlations were observed between the WOMAC scores of the male participants and spatiotemporal gait parameters. In females, there were correlations between the patient-reported outcomes and spatiotemporal gait parameters.
CAI patients need treatment not only for ankle function but also lower extremity function and gait performance.
CAI patients need treatment not only for ankle function but also lower extremity function and gait performance.
To measure the degree of fatty liver using non-contrast enhanced chest computed tomography (CT) and investigate its relationship with the severity and prognosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in adult patients.
This retrospective study included consecutive patients who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 using real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and subsequently underwent non-contrast enhanced chest CT between October 10 and December 10, 2020. Hepatic attenuation values were measured from Couinaud segments 2, 4, and 8 based on the CT images and the relationships between these values and the Pneumonia Severity Score (PSS), requirement of hospitalization, and the length of hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) stay were analyzed.
The study included 414 patients (182 were female, 43.96%), among whom 106 (25.6%) were diagnosed with hepatosteatosis (HS). In the patients with HS, the PSS scores were higher (10.8±4.96 vs. 8.07±5.12; p<0.001), and 69 (65%) received inpatient care. Moreover, the number of HS patients who received inpatient care was 1.99 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.26-3.15, p<0.003) times higher than that of the non-HS patients. No significant difference was found between the HS and non-HS patients with regard to the length of hospital or ICU stay.
HS can be easily evaluated using non-contrast enhanced chest CT in COVID-19 patients and can be used as a prognostic marker to determine the requirement of hospitalization.
HS can be easily evaluated using non-contrast enhanced chest CT in COVID-19 patients and can be used as a prognostic marker to determine the requirement of hospitalization.
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Neuro-Myelitis Optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) are an autoimmune condition. Both of them have unexpected and acute relapses. The aim of this qualitative study was explaining the individual problems experienced of women affected by NMOSD and MS.
Sixteen NMOSD patients and eighteen MS patients completed a face to face deep semi-structured interview. Participants were recruited from the MS ward in Sina hospital. After typing the interview, the data were analyzed using conventional content analysis, as recommended by Graneheim and Lundman (2005). Data analysis is managed with MAXQDA2018 software.
In this study, a common theme for both disease groups was identified as "challenges arising from personal problems". The categories are named after each other and have many similarities, which in the NMOSD group include four categories including "From uncertainty to the perception of threat", "Living with limitations", "Active coping until normalization" and "Facilitators of personal pran people with NMOSD, which should be considered and examined, a need that was less seen in people with NMOSD. selleck chemicals The unpredictability of relapse in NMOSD and MS can have a profound effect on the daily lives of these people. Therefore, knowing the health and life problems of patients with NMOSD/MS can help health care teams to improve the quality of patient care.