Giba

Since class II malocclusion and lack of space within the dental arch due to early loss of deciduous molars is a common orthodontic problem in the Polish population, bone-anchored distalizers are becoming more and more popular. The aim of the present study was to evaluate palatal soft and hard tissue thickness using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) at the area of micro-implant placement of two appliances for maxillary first molar distalization: Beneslider and TopJet distalizer. The study data were 100 consecutively selected CBCT images (53 of men and 47 of women)...

Reproducibility is crucial for scientific progress, yet a clear research data analysis workflow is challenging to implement and maintain. As a result, a record of computational steps performed on the data to arrive at the key research findings is often missing. We developed Scikick, a tool that eases the configuration, execution, and presentation of scientific computational analyses. Scikick allows for workflow configurations with notebooks as the units of execution, defines a standard structure for the project, automatically tracks the defined interdependencies between the data analysis steps, and implements methods to compile all research results into a cohesive final report...

Dermatophytes are common causes of skin, hair, and nail infections in humans. The most common species causing infections in humans are Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, and Trichophyton interdigitale. Outbreaks of recalcitrant dermatophytosis have been reported in parts of South Asia, including those caused by a hypervirulent and resistant species, Trichophyton indotineae. We evaluated the antifungal susceptibility profiles of dermatophytes received by our laboratory from institutions across North America between 2021 and 2022 and performed species identification for isolates deemed to demonstrate in vitro resistance...

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated mortality rates among immunocompromised patients, accentuating the need for novel, targeted therapies. Transplant recipients, with their inherent immune vulnerabilities, represent a subgroup at significantly heightened risk. Current conventional therapies often demonstrate limited effectiveness in these patients, calling for innovative treatment approaches. In immunocompromised transplant recipients, several viral infections have been successfully treated by adoptive transfer of virus-specific T-cells (VST)...

The problems in diagnosing the state of a vital organ such as the liver are complex and remain unresolved. These problems are underscored by frequently published studies on this issue. At the same time, demand for imaging diagnostics, preferably using a method that can detect the disease at the earliest possible stage, is constantly increasing. In this paper, we present liver diseases in the context of diagnosis, diagnostic problems, and possible elimination. We discuss the dataset and methods and present the stages of the pipeline we developed, leading to multiclass segmentation of the liver in multiparametric MR image into lesions and normal tissue...

Spiked centaury ( Centaurium spicatum ) is a well-known medicinal plant from the Mediterranean region with various bioactivities, but there are no studies addressing the use of different solvent systems to improve its pharmacological potential. Nine extraction procedures were adapted to study the effects of solvent composition on the content of bioactive compounds in C. spicatum extracts and on corresponding bioactivities. Targeted metabolomics was performed to obtain information on the chemical composition of extracts...

Phaeohyphomycosis is an infection caused by melanized fungi. This disease has been reported in several animal species including invertebrates, cold-blooded vertebrates, mammals, and humans. Melanized fungi have similar phenotypical features and confirmation requires culture and molecular diagnostics. To exemplify this we present a case of a 333 g adult of unknown age, free-ranging, male Eastern box turtle ( Terrapene carolina carolina ) that was referred to the Turtle Rescue Team at North Carolina State University for evaluation of multilobulated masses occupying the entire left orbit and at the right forelimb on the plantarolateral aspect of the foot...

Aspergillus section Terrei consists of numerous cryptic species in addition to A. terreus sensu stricto . The treatment of invasive infections caused by these fungi may pose a unique challenge prior to diagnosis and species identification, in that they are often clinically resistant to amphotericin B, with poor outcomes and low survival rates in patients treated with this polyene. Data on the species distributions and susceptibility profiles of isolates within section Terrei from the United States (U.S.) are limited...

Plant-based natural products have shaped traditional knowledge systems due to their numerous biological and pharmacological utility. However, in addition to their extensive utilization, some of these plants are also known for their toxicological properties. Since the foundation of human civilization, these toxic plants were used for fishing, hunting and safeguarding against enemies. In this study, a total of five plant species used in ethnofishery were considered for the toxicological study. The toxicities of these plants were evaluated using Brine Shrimp Lethality Assay (BSLA) and LC50 values were estimated...

We present the experimental realization of plasmonic hyperdoped Si nanocrystals embedded in silica via a combination of sequential low energy ion implantation and rapid thermal annealing. We show that phosphorus dopants are incorporated into the nanocrystal cores at concentrations up to six times higher than P solid solubility in bulk Si by combining 3D mapping with atom probe tomography and analytical transmission electron microscopy. We shed light on the origin of nanocrystal growth at high P doses, which we attribute to Si recoiling atoms generated in the matrix by P implantation, which likely increase Si diffusivity and feed the Si nanocrystals...

We present a rare case of recalcitrant fungal keratitis caused by Coniochaeta mutabilis, successfully managed with a course of oral, topical, intrastromal, and intracameral antifungals. A 57-year-old male on their fourth week of treatment for presumed left herpes simplex keratitis presented to clinic with severe left-sided foreign body sensation after gardening in his yard. On examination, a white corneal plaque was observed at 8 o'clock, shown to be a dense collection of fungal hyphae on confocal microscopy...

The response to salt stress analysed by quantitative and qualitative analyses in three selected moss species was studied. Non-halophytic funaroid Physcomitrium patens and two halophytic mosses, funaroid Entosthodon hungaricus and pottioid Hennediella heimii were exposed to salt stress under controlled in vitro conditions. The results clearly showed various phenolics to be present and included to some extent as a non-enzymatic component of oxidative, i.e., salt stress. The common pattern of responses characteristic of phenolic compounds was not present in these moss species, but in all three species the role of phenolics to stress tolerance was documented...

PURPOSE: To report the initial case of microbial keratitis caused by Phialophora chinensis , a rare cause of fungal keratitis. OBSERVATIONS: A 66-year-old gentleman with a complex right eye (OD) ocular history including herpes simplex virus infectious epithelial keratitis with subsequent neurotrophic keratopathy, and prior combined Candida albicans and parapsilosis fungal keratitis presented with pain OD in the absence of an antecedent trauma. The patient was found to have a filamentous fungal keratitis, which was subsequently cultured and identified as Phialophora chinensis by the laboratory...

INTRODUCTION: End-stage renal disease (ESRD) and acquired cystic kidney disease (ACKD) are known risk factors for renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Hereby, the clinicopathological features of RCCs developed in ESRD were investigated. METHODS: A database consisting of 34 tumors from 31 patients with ESRD among 2 566 nephrectomy samples of RCC was built. The demographic, clinical, and follow-up data along with pathological parameters were analyzed. The RCCs were diagnosed according to the current WHO Classification of Urinary and Male Genital Tumors...

Soil salinity is one of the most common abiotic stressors that affects plant growth and development. The aim of this work was to investigate the influence of sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a donor of nitric oxide (NO), on the physiological response of common centaury ( Centaurium erythraea ) shoots grown under stress conditions caused by sodium chloride (NaCl) in vitro. Centaury shoots were first grown on nutrient medium containing different SNP concentrations (50, 100 and 250 μM) during the pretreatment phase...

BACKGROUND: The range of reported rates of bacterial and fungal superinfections in patients with a severe course of COVID-19 is wide, suggesting a lack of standardised reporting. METHODS: The rates of bacterial and fungal superinfection were assessed using predefined criteria to differentiate between infection and contamination. RESULTS: Overall, 117 patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit due to severe COVID-19 were included. Overall, 55% of patients developed a superinfection and 13...

Phaeohyphomycosis caused by Exophiala species represents an important disease of concern for farmed and aquarium-housed fish. The objective of this study was to summarize the clinical findings and diagnosis of Exophiala infections in aquarium-housed Cyclopterus lumpus . Clinical records and postmortem pathology reports were reviewed for 15 individuals from 5 public aquaria in the United States and Canada from 2007 to 2015. Fish most commonly presented with cutaneous ulcers and progressive clinical decline despite topical or systemic antifungal therapy...

The microbiome's significance in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is unclear. Antimicrobials are recommended in acute exacerbations of the disease (AECRS). Increasing rates of antibiotic resistance have stimulated research on alternative therapeutic options, including silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). However, there are concerns regarding the safety of silver administration. The aim of this study was to assess the biological activity of tannic acid-prepared AgNPs (TA-AgNPs) towards sinonasal pathogens and nasal epithelial cells (HNEpC)...

cAMP-dependent pathway is one of the most significant signaling cascades in healthy and neoplastic ovarian cells. Working through its major effector proteins-PKA and EPAC-it regulates gene expression and many cellular functions. PKA promotes the phosphorylation of cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) which mediates gene transcription, cell migration, mitochondrial homeostasis, cell proliferation, and death. EPAC, on the other hand, is involved in cell adhesion, binding, differentiation, and interaction between cell junctions...

BACKGROUND: Treatment options against infections caused by rare but emerging moulds may be limited by their reduced susceptibility or resistance to clinically available antifungals. The investigational antifungal olorofim, which targets the biosynthesis of pyrimidines within fungi, has activity against different species of filamentous fungi, including Aspergillus and Scedosporium/Lomentospora prolificans isolates that are resistant to available antifungals. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the in vitro activity of olorofim against 160 isolates within the genera Microascus/Scopulariopsis, Penicillium, Talaromyces and the Rasamsonia argillacea species complex...