ADAM TS

Active packaging is a novel technology that utilizes active materials to interact with products and the environment, improving food shelf life. The purpose of this work was to fabricate a multifunctional film using Litsea cubeba essential oil (LC-EO) (1 %, 3 %, 5 %, and 7 %) as the active ingredient and pullulan(P)/tapioca starch (TS) as the carrier material. Adding essential oil improves the films properties, such as barrier ability, anti-oxidant, and antibacterial activity. However, tensile strength (TS) and elongation at break (EAB) were slightly reduced from 28...

With investigators looking to expand engineered T cell therapies such as CAR-T to new tumor targets and patient populations, a variety of cell manufacturing platforms have been developed to scale manufacturing capacity using closed and/or automated systems. Such platforms are particularly useful for solid tumor targets, which typically require higher CAR-T cell doses. Although T cell phenotype and function are key attributes that often correlate with therapeutic efficacy, how manufacturing platforms influence the final CAR-T cell product is currently unknown...

Development of functional tricuspid regurgitation (TR) because of chronic mitral disease and subsequent heart failure is common. However, the effect of TR on clinical outcomes after transcatheter mitral valve replacement (TMVR) remains unclear. We aimed to evaluate the impact of baseline TR on outcomes after TMVR. This was a single-center, retrospective analysis of patients who received valve-in-valve or valve-in-ring TMVR between 2012 and 2022. Patients were categorized into none/mild TR and moderate/severe TR based on baseline echocardiography...

Gilles de la Tourette syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by motor and vocal tics. It is associated with enhanced processing of stimulus-response associations, including a higher propensity to learn probabilistic stimulus-response contingencies (i.e. statistical learning), the nature of which is still elusive. In this study, we investigated the hypothesis that resting-state theta network organization is a key for the understanding of superior statistical learning in these patients. We investigated the graph-theoretical network architecture of theta oscillations in adult patients with Gilles de la Tourette syndrome and healthy controls during a statistical learning task and in resting states both before and after learning...

OBJECTIVES: Immunocompromised individuals are susceptible to severe COVID-19 and potentially contribute to the emergence of variants with altered pathogenicity due to persistent infection. This study investigated the impact of immunosuppression on SARS-CoV-2 infection in k18-hACE2 mice and the effectiveness of antiviral treatments in this context. METHODS: Mice were immunosuppressed using cyclophosphamide and infected with a B lineage of SARS-CoV-2. Molnupiravir and nirmatrelvir, alone and in combination, were administered and viral load and viral sequence diversity was assessed...

BACKGROUND: Information on salt consumption patterns is needed to inform the need for and design of salt reduction strategies. OBJECTIVES: In northern Ghana, this study aimed to estimate household consumption of salt, including salt from bouillon, and compare (estimated) women and children's salt intake to global recommendations; to estimate the proportion of salt consumed from bouillon; and to identify factors, including knowledge, attitudes, and practices, associated with household salt consumption...

Valvular heart disease is a common abnormality seen in the primary care setting. There are many causes of valvular heart disease including congenital, degenerative, infectious, traumatic, and many more. There is a wide variety of types of valvular heart disease with each valve having the ability to develop both regurgitation and stenosis by multiple mechanisms. All these complexities make diagnosis and management of valvular heart disease complicated, especially in the context of comorbidities. For this reason, it is important for primary care physicians to have a thorough understanding of how these diseases present and when interventions are indicated...

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is now well established as the treatment of choice for patients with native aortic valve stenosis who are high or intermediate risk for surgical aortic valve replacement. Recent data has also supported the use of TAVI in patients at low surgical risk and also in anatomical subsets that were previously felt to be contra-indicated including bicuspid aortic valves and aortic regurgitation. With advancements and refinements in procedural techniques, the application of this technology has now been further expanded to include the management of degenerated bioprosthesis...

Female gender is a risk factor in several cardiac surgery risk stratification systems. This study explored the differences in the outcomes following triple heart valve surgery in men vs women. The study included 250 patients (males n = 101; females n = 149) who underwent triple valve surgery from 2009 to 2020. BMI (body mass index) was higher in females (29.6 vs 26.5 kg/m2 , P < .001), and diabetes was more common in males (44 vs 42%, P = .012). The ejection fraction was higher in females (55 vs 50%, P < ...

INTRODUCTION: Patients with Turner syndrome (TS) often face skeletal and muscular challenges, including reduced bone mineral density (BMD) and muscle weakness. This comprehensive study sheds light on the complex interplay between muscle strength, BMD, and metabolic and endocrine parameters in TS and healthy subjects. METHODS: A cross-sectional study involving 42 TS patients and 70 healthy women was conducted. All patients had their BMD determined in the L1-L4 lumbar spine section and in the whole skeleton as well as the parameters of body fat mass (BF), and visceral fat mass (VF) were also determined...

The envelope (E) glycoprotein is the primary target of type-specific (TS) neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) after infection with any of the four distinct dengue virus serotypes (DENV1-4). nAbs can be elicited to distinct structural E domains (EDs) I, II, or III. However, the relative contribution of these domain-specific antibodies is unclear. To identify the primary DENV3 nAb targets in sera after natural infection or vaccination, chimeric DENV1 recombinant encoding DENV3 EDI, EDII, or EDIII were generated...

BACKGROUND: Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children associated with COVID-19 (MIS-C) is a late complication of pediatric COVID-19, which follows weeks after the original SARS-CoV-2 infection, regardless of its severity. It is characterized by hyperinflammation, neutrophilia, lymphopenia, and activation of T cells with elevated IFN-γ. Observing the production of autoantibodies and parallels with systemic autoimmune disorders, such as systemic lupus erythematodes (SLE), we explored B cell phenotype and serum levels of type I, II, and III interferons, as well as the cytokines BAFF and APRIL in a cohort of MIS-C patients and healthy children after COVID-19...

Trichodysplasia spinulosa (TS) is a rare disease that affects immunocompromised patients, characterized by hair-like growths caused by TS-associated polyomavirus infection. Little is known about specific immunosuppressive drugs that can precipitate the condition. We report a case of TS presenting after initiating the oral Janus-associated kinase inhibitor (JAKi) ruxolitinib. A 67-year-old female with a history of allogeneic bone marrow transplant requiring immunosuppression with tacrolimus, prednisone and, more recently, ruxolitinib 5 mg twice daily due to Graft versus Host Disease presented to the clinic with a facial rash...

Mitochondrial dysfunction is strongly associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the Inner mitochondrial membrane protein 2-like (IMMP2L) gene is linked to autism inheritance. However, the biological basis of this linkage is unknown notwithstanding independent reports of oxidative stress in association with both IMMP2L and ASD. To better understand IMMP2L's association with behaviour, we developed the Immp2lKD knockout (KO) mouse model which is devoid of Immp2l peptidase activity. Immp2lKD -/- KO mice do not display any of the core behavioural symptoms of ASD, albeit homozygous Immp2lKD -/- KO mice do display increased auditory stimulus-driven instrumental behaviour and increased amphetamine-induced locomotion...

Cortico-striatal neurocircuits mediate goal-directed and habitual actions which are necessary for adaptive behaviour. It has recently been proposed that some of the core symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS), such as tics and other repetitive behaviours, may emerge because of imbalances in these neurocircuits. We have recently developed a model of ASD and GTS by knocking down Immp2l, a mitochondrial gene frequently associated with these disorders. The current study sought to determine whether Immp2l knockdown (KD) in male mice alters flexible, goal- or cue- driven behaviour using procedures specifically designed to examine response-outcome and stimulus-response associations, which underlie goal-directed and habitual behaviour, respectively...

Biodegradable films made from biopolymer materials have the potential to replace conventional plastics, which can reduce waste disposal problems. This study aims to explore the potential of different seaweed derivate films consisting of 2% ( w / w ) of kappaphycus alverezi (KA), kappa carrageenan (KC), refined carrageenan (RC) and semi-refined carrageenan (SRC) as bio-based materials with 0.9% ( w / w ) glycerol (G), and reinforced with different concentrations of cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) derived from palm waste...

BACKGROUND: Apo AI amyloidosis (AApoAI) and Apo AIV amyloidosis (AApoAIV) are rare but increasingly recognized causes of cardiac amyloidosis (CA). We sought to define the cardiac phenotype in AApoAI and AApoAIV using multimodality imaging. METHODS: We identified all patients with AApoAI and AApoAIV assessed at our center between 2000 and 2021, and 2 cohorts of patients with immunoglobulin light-chain amyloidosis (AL) and transthyretin amyloidosis matched for age, sex, and cardiac involvement...

Tics are unwanted, repetitive movements and sounds that frequently present during childhood. They are typically brief and purposeless, but can create significant distress for individuals, and often co-occur with other neuropsychiatric conditions. Thus, early identification of tics is warranted. Unfortunately, tics are often misdiagnosed, and because tics may wax and wane, identification can be difficult, especially in the context of routine clinical visits. There are limited tools that can be used to reliably identify tics in clinical practice, especially in non-specialty settings...

BACKGROUND: TS is associated with learning disabilities and educational impairment. Teacher knowledge about TS may have a positive impact on students with TS, but factors associated with teacher knowledge of TS are not known. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, teachers of youth with TS and of a community control group completed a Teacher Understanding of Tourette Syndrome Survey (TUTS), a pilot questionnaire enquiring about self-perceived understanding, teacher knowledge, and sources of information...

BACKGROUND: There is a need to identify additional routes of supply for ophthalmic tissue in the UK due to deficits between supply and demand. In response to this need the NIHR funded study, Eye Donation from Palliative and Hospice Care: Investigating Potential, Practice, Preference, and Perceptions) (EDiPPPP) project was developed in partnership with NHSBT Tissue Services ( now Organ Tissue Donation and Transplantation). AIM: This presentation will report findings from work package one of EDiPPPP which aimed to: scope the size and clinical characteristics of the potential eye donation (ED) population via a large-scale, multi-site retrospective case notes review across England establishing: the size of the potential ED population; describe the clinical characteristics of the potential ED population and identify challenges for clinicians in applying the standard ED criteria for assessing patient eligibility...