Aplitic Granite Waste as Raw Material for the Production of Outdoor Ceramic Floor Tiles

One of the significant problems in the production of ceramic tiles is the very high consumption of natural resources such as clay, feldspar, and quartz. The possibility of replacing part of the formulation of ceramic batches is of great importance. In this research, the possibility of using aplitic granite waste from dimensional stone production was analyzed in detail. The waste is considered a low-cost substitute for feldspar in Serbia. The milled powdery waste was analytically tested to reveal its chemical and mineralogical contents, particle size distribution, and other important properties. The ceramic tiles containing aplitic granite waste (GW) and GW/raw clay mixture (CGW) were hydraulically pressed, and the ceramic and technological properties determined. This waste can act as a filler while forming, drying, and firing, since the high content of quartz helps to control the shrinkage and acts as a fluxing agent in high temperatures due to its feldspathic nature. The waste was found favorable in the production of ceramic tiles, as the gained values of modulus of rupture and water absorption were 28.68 MPa and 1.33%, respectively. The parameters defined in the series of standards EN ISO 10545 were tested on a semi-industrial probe, determining that this combination of materials (without the addition of quartz) may be efficiently used to produce ceramic floor tiles. The usage of what would otherwise be waste material contributes to sustainable management and environmentally friendly solutions by avoiding landfilling, while at the same time it enabling the conservation of scarce natural feldspar deposits.     

Can Mental Health Be Viewed as a Public Social Problem?

We can define the concept of mental health not just as a health phenomenon, but also as a social and psychological one. Defining mental health separately from mental illness places it into the concept of public health, which exceeds the medical definition of the determination of a "mental illness." The anthropology of health defines the medical treatment as a social practice, which takes into consideration a person's social context, the differences between genders, and the connection between personal and social. It accents the characteristics of social systems, values, and manifestations of social crises through basic concepts and discourses, such as gender and culture. Besides the consideration of health and disease, it also enables the consideration of a person in a highly industrialized society and of a culture as a totality. The phenomenon of destructive ways of manifesting psychic crises (within the presented case study research) implies that mental health should be seen as a social problem.     

Mast Cells Kill Candida albicans in the Extracellular Environment but Spare Ingested Fungi from Death

Mast cells (MCs) reside in tissues that are common targets of Candida spp. infections, and can exert bactericidal activity, but little is known about their fungicidal activity. MCs purified from rat peritoneum (RPMC) and a clinical isolate of C. albicans, were employed. Ingestion was evaluated by flow cytometry (FACS) and optical microscopy. The killing activity was assayed by FACS analysis and by colony forming unit method. RPMC degranulation was evaluated by β-hexosaminidase assay and phosphatidylserine externalization by FACS. Phagocytosing RPMC were also analyzed by transmission electron microscopy. Herein, we show that the killing of C. albicans by RPMC takes place in the extracellular environment, very likely through secreted granular components. Ultrastructural analysis of the ingestion process revealed an unusual RPMC–C. albicans interaction that could allow fungal survival. Our findings indicate that MCs have a positive role in the defense mechanism against Candida infections and should be included among the cell types involved in host-defense against this pathogen.     

VAPB and C9orf72 mutations in 1 familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patient

Previously, we have reported amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) families with multiple mutations in major ALS-associated genes. These findings provided evidence for an oligogenic basis of ALS. In our present study, we screened a cohort of 755 sporadic ALS patients, 111 familial ALS patients (97 families), and 765 control subjects of Dutch descent for mutations in vesicle-associated membrane protein B (VAPB). We have identified 1 novel VAPB mutation (p.V234I) in a familial ALS patient known to have a chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9orf72) repeat expansion. This p.V234I mutation was absent in control subjects, located in a region with high evolutionary conservation, and predicted to have damaging effects. Taken together, these findings provide additional evidence for an oligogenic basis of ALS.     

Red cell distribution width is a potent prognostic parameter for in-hospital and post-discharge mortality in hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 patients: a registry-based cohort study on 3941 patients

AimTo investigate clinical and prognostic associations of red cell distribution width (RDW) in hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the records of 3941 consecutive COVID-19 patients admitted to a tertiary-level institution from March 2020 to March 2021 who had available RDW on admission.ResultsThe median age was 74 years. The median Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) was 4. The majority of patients (84.1%) on admission presented with severe or critical COVID-19. Patients with higher RDW were significantly more likely to be older and female, to present earlier during infection, and to have higher comorbidity burden, worse functional status, and critical presentation of COVID-19 on admission. RDW was not significantly associated with C-reactive protein, occurrence of pneumonia, or need for oxygen supplementation on admission. During hospital stay, patients with higher RDW were significantly more likely to require high-flow oxygen therapy, mechanical ventilation, intensive care unit, and to experience prolonged immobilization, venous thromboembolism, bleeding, and bacterial sepsis. Thirty-day and post-hospital discharge mortality gradually increased with each rising RDW percent-point. In a series of multivariate Cox-regression models, RDW demonstrated robust prognostic properties at >14% cut-off level. This cut-off was associated with inferior 30-day and post-discharge survival independently of COVID-19 severity, age, and CCI; and with 30-day survival independently of COVID severity and established prognostic scores (CURB-65, 4C-mortality, COVID-gram and VACO-index).ConclusionRDW has a complex relationship with COVID-19-associated inflammatory state and is affected by prior comorbidities. RDW can improve the prognostication in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a systemic infectious disease usually presenting with fever and respiratory symptoms (1). Although the most frequent serious manifestation of COVID-19 is pneumonia, the disease has been associated with cardiovascular, neurological, and gastrointestinal symptoms (2). Systemic inflammatory response mediated by high interleukin-6 concentrations induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with more severe clinical presentation, respiratory deterioration, and death (3,4). The presence of prior chronic comorbidities substantially affects the survival of COVID-19 patients (1).Anisocytosis, ie, unequal red blood cells (RBC) size, is a sensitive marker of distress in erythropoiesis or RBC destruction. It can be induced by various metabolic and inflammatory stimuli, nutrient deficiencies, infections, spleen disorders, and specific drugs interfering with RBC production (5). Anisocytosis can be quantified as a coefficient of variation of mean cell volume termed red blood cell distribution width (RDW), which is obtained by automatic cell counters. Higher RDW levels have recently gained attention as they are uniformly associated with unfavorable presentation and inferior outcomes in many chronic metabolic and malignant diseases (6-12). More severe clinical presentation and higher mortality rates were also found in COVID-19 patients with higher RDW levels (13-16). However, an association of RDW with other clinical outcomes in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, as well as the relationship with increased mortality in the context of other established prognostic scores, are not well defined. Thus, we aimed to investigate clinical and prognostic significance of RDW in a large cohort of hospitalized COVID-19 patients from our institution. We hypothesized that RDW was associated with more severe COVID-19 on admission and higher death rate.     

Association of the TGF-�� receptor genes with abdominal aortic aneurysm

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a multifactorial condition. The transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) pathway regulates vascular remodeling and mutations in its receptor genes, TGFBR1 and TGFBR2, cause syndromes with thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA). The TGF-β pathway may be involved in aneurysm development in general. We performed an association study by analyzing all the common genetic variants in TGFBR1 and TGFBR2 using tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a Dutch AAA case–control population in a two-stage genotyping approach. In stage 1, analyzing 376 cases and 648 controls, three of the four TGFBR1 SNPs and nine of the 28 TGFBR2 SNPs had a P<0.07. Genotyping of these SNPs in an independent cohort of 360 cases and 376 controls in stage 2 confirmed association (P<0.05) for the same allele of one SNP in TGFBR1 and two SNPs in TGFBR2. Joint analysis of the 736 cases and 1024 controls showed statistically significant associations of these SNPs, which sustained after proper correction for multiple testing (TGFBR1 rs1626340 OR 1.32 95% CI 1.11–1.56 P=0.001 and TGFBR2 rs1036095 OR 1.32 95% CI 1.12–1.54 P=0.001 and rs4522809 OR 1.28 95% CI 1.12–1.46 P=0.0004). We conclude that genetic variations in TGFBR1 and TGFBR2 associate with AAA in the Dutch population. This suggests that AAA may develop partly by similar defects as TAA, which in the future may provide novel therapeutic options.     

Billateral Polycystic Kidneys in a Girl with WAGR Syndrome

The WAGR contiguous gene deletion syndrome is a combination of Wilms tumor, aniridia, genito-urinary abnormalities, and mental retardation. An 8.5-year-old girl was initially investigated at the age of 18 months for congenital bilateral aniridia, cataracts, glaucoma and epicantus. The ultrasound (US) scan showed polycystic kidney disease. FISH study revealed deletion of the WT1 and PAX6 gene in the 11p13 WAGR region. Forty days after the first kidney US, the second US revealed a 3 cm tumor in the right kidney: a Wilms tumour, treated successfully with the Wilm’s tumor protocol. The authors conclude that the identification of the deletions in the WAGR region in patients with aniridia should definitely be done. In addition, Wilms tumor can have a very rapid growth, which, per se requires frequent and careful ultrasound kidney controls. Polycystic kidneys can be part of the WAGR presentation.     

Chronic cognitive sequelae after traumatic brain injury are not related to growth hormone deficiency in adults

Objective: The objective of the study was to asses the possible influence of hypothalamo–pituitary deficiencies, and growth hormone (GH) deficiency in particular, on cognition in adult patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBI is a recently identified risk factor for cognitive deficits and hypopituitarism. Even the patients with favorable outcome after TBI may present with persistent bodily, psychosocial, and cognitive impairments, resembling patients with untreated partial or complete pituitary insufficiency. Design: We performed retrospective and cross‐sectional study of endocrine and cognitive function in TBI in 61 patients (aged 37.7 ± 1.7 years) of both sexes (44 m,17 f), at least 1 year after TBI (3.9 ± 0.6 years). Serum insulin‐like growth factor 1 (IGF‐I), thyroxin, thyroid‐stimulating hormone (TSH), follicle‐stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone (in men), prolactin, and cortisol were measured, and GH secretion was assessed by growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) + growth hormone releasing peptide‐6 (GHRP‐6) test. Cognitive function was assessed by using a standard neuropsychological battery. Results: GH deficiency (GHD) and GH insufficiency (GHI) were found in 20 patients (32.8%). After adjustment for confounders [age, body mass index (BMI), education level, time elapsed from TBI], there were no significant differences in results of neuropsychological tests between patients with TBI with GHD, GHI, and normal GH secretion. There were no correlations of neuropsychological variables with stimulated peak GH secretion or IGF‐I level. Conclusions: GHD persists long after the TBI, independently of trauma severity and age at traumatic event. GH secretion is more sensitive to TBI than other pituitary hormones. No evidence is found for an association of cognitive function impairment and somatotropic axis impairment in adult patients tested more than 1 year after the TBI.