May 2022 acute hepatitis outbreak,is there a role for COVID-19 and other viruses?

There has been an increasing number of reported cases of acute hepatitis of unknown origin in previously healthy children since first reported on March 31,2022.This clinical syndrome is identified by jaundice and markedly elevated liver enzymes with increased aspartate transaminase and/or alanine amino transaminase(greater than 500 IU/L).We conducted an inclusive literature review with respect to acute hepatitis outbreaks in children using the search terms acute hepatitis,outbreak,children,sever...     

Penetrating thorn in the heart complicated by infective endocarditis

A 3‐year‐old child presented with recurrent chest pain for 3 months, echocardiography showed a thorn inside the left ventricle, the patient was diagnosed with foreign body complicated with infective endocarditis and received proper treatment, and operation was performed after inflammatory reaction subsided.     

Copper as an antimicrobial agent: recent advances

From its uses in ancient civilisations, copper has an established history as an antimicrobial agent. Extensive research has determined the efficacy and mechanism of copper''s antimicrobial activity against microorganisms. The process is multifaceted with the main mechanism of bactericidal activity being the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which irreversibly damages membranes. Copper ions released from surfaces lead to RNA degradation and membrane disruption of enveloped viruses. For fungi, the mechanism involves the physical deterioration of the membrane and copper ion influx. Due to variations in the experimental parameters, it is difficult to compare studies directly. In this review article, we outline the importance of the experimental conditions currently employed and how they bear little resemblance to real-world conditions. We endorse previous recommendations calling for an update to industrial standard tests.

The causes of death for each microorganism by CuNPs and metallic copper is summarised.     

Cognitive decline and depressive symptoms: early non-motor presentations of parkinsonism among Egyptian Gaucher patients

neurogenetics - Evidence about the link between glucocerebrosidase (GCase) and parkinsonism is growing. Parkinsonism was described in adult type 1 Gaucher disease (GD); few case reports described...     

Dissolution of Portlandite in Pure Water: Part 1 Molecular Dynamics (MD) Approach

The current contribution proposes a multi-scale bridging modeling approach for the dissolution of crystals to connect the atomistic scale to the (sub-) micro-scale. This is demonstrated in the example of dissolution of portlandite, as a relatively simple benchmarking example for cementitious materials. Moreover, dissolution kinetics is also important for other industrial processes, e.g., acid gas absorption and pH control. In this work, the biased molecular dynamics (metadynamics) coupled with reactive force field is employed to calculate the reaction path as a free energy surface of calcium dissolution at 298 K in water from the different crystal facets of portlandite. It is also explained why the reactivity of the (010), (100), and (11¯0) crystal facet is higher compared to the (001) facet. In addition, the influence of neighboring Ca crystal sites arrangements on the atomistic dissolution rates is explained as necessary scenarios for the upscaling. The calculated rate constants of all atomistic reaction scenarios provided an input catalog ready to be used in an upscaling kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) approach.     

Aneurysms of saphenous vein grafts as late complication of coronary artery bypass surgery: successful exclusion by percutaneous transcatheter embolization

We report a case of a 71-year-old man with a long coronary artery disease history and two sets of coronary artery bypass grafts. He developed large aortocoronary saphenous vein graft aneurysms in the two grafts from the first set of aortocoronary saphenous venous 20 years later. During the previous 3 years, the aneurysms grew in diameter from 22 to 50 mm. Because of severe renal insufficiency, and in order to avoid jeopardizing the late normal coronary artery bypass grafts by further thoracic surgery, we excluded successfully these altered grafts percutaneously by using 13 coils during the same procedure.     

Shear bond strength of one-step self-etch adhesives with different co-solvent ingredients to dry or moist dentin

Objective

To evaluate the shear bond strength of one-step self-etch adhesives with different co-solvent ingredients to dry or moist dentin.

Materials and methods

A total of 60 extracted teeth were used in this study, and were divided according to the adhesive systems and dentin conditions into 6 groups of 10 teeth each [Xeno III – dry dentin, Xeno III – moist dentin, Adper Prompot L-Pop – dry dentin, Adper Prompot L-Pop – moist dentin, iBond – dry dentin, and iBond – moist dentin]. Resin composite cylinder was built up on each specimen, and then thermocycled. A shear load was applied to the specimens using universal testing (Instron machine) at a cross-head speed of 0.5 mm/min until failure occurred. Data were statistically analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Bonferroni multiple comparison test at 95% confidence level.

Results and conclusion

Based on the findings of this study: The highest mean shear bond strength to dry dentin was seen when Xeno III containing ethanol co-solvent ingredient was used. The highest mean shear bond strength to moist dentin was seen when iBond which contains acetone co-solvent ingredient was used. In the absence of a co-solvent ingredient in self-etch adhesive (Adper Prompot L-Pop), the mean shear bond strengths to dry and moist dentin were low with no significant difference between them.     

Effects of macrophage polarization on gold nanoparticle-assisted plasmonic photothermal therapy

Tumor associated macrophages (TAM) are key pathogenic factors in neoplastic diseases. They are known to have plasticity and can polarize into two opposing phenotypes, including the tumoricidal M1 and the protumoral M2 phenotypes with high prevalence of M2-phentoypes in patients with poor prognosis. Strategies for targeting M2-TAM may consequently increase the efficacy of therapeutic strategies for cancer treatment. Gold nanorod-assisted plasmonic photothermal therapy (PPTT) has emerged as a promising treatment for cancer but the effects of macrophage polarization parameters in the performance of this new treatment modality is still unknown. Herein, human monocytic THP-1 cells were polarized into two opposite phenotypic macrophages (M1-TAM and M2-TAM) and their response to PPTT was examined. M2-TAM exhibits a three-fold increase in AuNP uptake compared to M1-TAM. Laser irradiation results in selective killing of pro-tumoral M2-TAM after treatment with AuNPs with limited effects on anti-tumoral M1-TAM. A positive correlation between the expression of CD206 marker and the AuNP uptake may indicate the role of CD206 in facilitating AuNP uptake. Our findings also suggest that the differences in AuNP avidity and uptake between the M1-TAM and M2-TAM phenotypes may be the rationale behind the effectiveness of PPTT in the treatment of solid tumors.

A preferential uptake of gold nanoparticles by macrophages with a protumoral M2 phenotype result in efficient killing upon laser irradiation while keeping M1 phenotypes relatively undamaged.