10 minute

BACKGROUND: Despite its rarity, cutaneous adipose tissue excess in the trochanteric region following massive weight loss is a surgical challenge. The aim of this work is to propose a surgical technique for lifting the outer thighs by describing its indications and its limitations. METHODS: 74 patients were recruited into the study between 2018 2021. Two groups were identified: patients with bodylift combined with lateral thigh lift (n=20) and patients with lower bodylift (n=54)...

AIMS: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of Reiki in patients with cardiac disease. METHODS AND RESULTS: This study was a single-blind, pre-post-test, randomized, placebo-controlled study. Patients from the cardiology outpatient clinic of a training and research hospital were randomized into three groups: Reiki (n = 22), sham (placebo) (n = 21), and control (no treatment) (n = 22). Data were collected using a personal information form, biochemical parameters, cortisol levels, Beck Anxiety Inventory, and electrocardiography analysis...

Inflammasomes are multiprotein platforms that control caspase-1 activation, which process the inactive precursor forms of the inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-18, leading to an inflammatory type of programmed cell death called pyroptosis. Studying inflammasome-driven processes, such as pyroptosis-induced cell swelling, under controlled conditions remains challenging because the signals that activate pyroptosis also stimulate other signaling pathways. We designed an optogenetic approach using a photo-oligomerizable inflammasome core adapter protein, apoptosis-associated speck-like containing a caspase recruitment domain (ASC), to temporally and quantitatively manipulate inflammasome activation...

An amino acid-conjugated naphthalene diimide (NDI)-based highly red fluorescent radical anion has been found in a water medium under the photoradiated condition. This molecule has failed to form the radical anion in the monomeric state; however, the J aggregation in the aqueous medium has ensured the formation of radical anion in the ambient condition after the irradiation of both sunlight and UV light exposure. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) studies clearly suggest the formation of radical anions. Herein, the stability of the radical anion in the aqueous medium is only a few minutes as a small amount of shaking is enough to quench the radical anion in the solution state...

BACKGROUND: Short-term acid-base effects of 0.9% saline solution infusion are not well described. Aim of this study was to assess the effects of a fluid challenge with 0.9% saline in critically ill patients according to the Stewart's approach, which allows a precise determination of acid base equilibrium. METHODS: In 40 mechanically ventilated critically ill patients, acid-base variables according to Stewart's approach were measured before and after 30 minutes from the infusion of 0...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of a novel post-match muscle pain map, named Muscle Pain Code (MPC), with the risk of subsequent time-loss muscle injury in a cohort of professional football (soccer) players. METHODS: The MPC classifies pain in four codes: code 0, ' no pain ;' code 1, ' generalized muscle pain ;' code 2, ' diffused site muscle pain ;' and code 3, ' specific site muscle pain .' Over four consecutive seasons, MPC was collected on the second post-match day and players were followed for occurrence of time-loss muscle injury over the next five days...

Carbon-chain dendritic polymers hold unique properties and promising applications. However, synthesizing carbon-chain dendrimers, beyond conjugated ones, remains a challenge. Here, we described the use of the iterative single unit monomer insertions (SUMIs) technique for synthesizing 2.5 generation partial carbon-chain dendrimers (G2.5), utilizing bismaleimide as the core, a maleimide-trithiocarbonate conjugate as the branching unit, and indene as the spacer unit, following a divergent growth strategy. The optimized conditions for synthesizing the maleimide-trithiocarbonate branching unit were a bismaleimide to trithiocarbonate ratio of 5:1 and a reaction time of 30 minutes...

BACKGROUND: The impact of mechanical ventilation on the survival of patients supported with veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (V-V ECMO) due to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) remains still a focus of research. METHODS: Recent guidelines, randomized trials, and registry data underscore the importance of lung-protective ventilation during respiratory and cardiac support on ECMO. RESULTS: This approach includes decreasing mechanical power delivery by reducing tidal volume and driving pressure as much as possible, using low or very low respiratory rate, and a personalized approach to positive-end expiratory pressure (PEEP) setting...

Four weeks before competition in the 2023 Marathon des Sables, a 6-stage, ~250 km running event in the Sahara Desert, we examined the effects of a 7-day intake of New Zealand blackcurrant extract (210 mg anthocyanins per day) on 1 h treadmill running-induced physiological and metabolic responses in the heat (~34 °C, relative humidity: ~30%) in non-acclimatized amateur female and male athletes (age: 23, 38 yrs, BMI: 24.2, 28.4 kg·m-2 , body fat%: 29.2, 18.8%, V˙O2max : 50.1, 52.1 mL·kg-1 ·min-1 )...

The aim of this study was to verify the accuracy of predicting oxygen consumption (O2 ) in predominantly aerobic activities based on net heart rate (netHR), sex, and body mass index (BMI) in active adults. NetHR is the value of the difference between the resting HR (HRrest ) and the average HR value obtained during a given session or period of physical activity. These activities must be continuous, submaximal, and of a stabilized intensity. The magnitude of the netHR depends mainly on the intensity of the exercise...

Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (HDP) are the most prevalent diseases during pregnancy. In addition to the already identified risk factors, exposure to environmental contaminants has been also considered a new one. Phthalates, which are classified as priority environmental pollutants due to their ubiquitousness and endocrine disrupting properties, have been implicated in HDP in some epidemiological studies. Nevertheless, phthalates' vascular impacts still need to be clarified. Thus, we aimed to understand the connection between phthalates exposure and the occurrence of gestational hypertension, as well as the pathway involved in the pathological vascular effects...

BACKGROUND: Airway management is a cornerstone in the prehospital care of critically ill or injured patients. Surgical cricothyrotomy offers a rapid and effective solution when oxygenation and ventilation fail using less-invasive techniques. However, the exact indications, incidence, and success of prehospital surgical cricothyrotomy are unknown, with variable rates reported in the literature. This study aimed to examine prehospital indications and success rates for surgical cricothyrotomy within a large, suburban, ground-based Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system...

Many actinopterygian fish groups, including fossil and extant polypteriforms and lepisosteiforms, fossil halecomorphs, and some basal teleosts, have stout bony scales covered by layers of ganoin-an enamel layer ornamented with minute tubercles. Ganoid scales preserve well as disarticulated remains and notably constitute most of the fossil record for polypteriform in both South America and Africa. Based on two variables (tubercle size and distance between tubercles), some authors reported that the ganoin tubercle ornamentation in these scales is constant within a species and differs between species and allows distinguishing species or at least groups of species...

The pathophysiology of pulmonary hypertension (PH) is not fully understood. Here, we tested the hypothesis that hypoxic perfusion of the vasa vasorum of the pulmonary arterial (PA) wall causes PH. Young adult pig lungs were explanted and placed into a modified ex vivo lung perfusion unit (Organ care system, OCS) allowing the separate adjustment of parameters for mechanical ventilation, as well as PA perfusion and bronchial arterial (BA) perfusion. PA vasa vasorum are branches of the BA. The lungs were used either as control (n=3) or intervention group (n=8)...

AIM: This study aims to analyze some nutrition and health habits of young people and the impact of educational attainment on health. METHODS: An observational, descriptive, and cross-sectional study was carried out using surveys. Using non-probabilistic snowball sampling, a previously validated questionnaire was disseminated through networks, collecting a sample of 9,681 people between 18 and 30  years old. Comparative analyses between groups were obtained by clustering and the corresponding statistical tests...

Introduction: The aim of this study was to examine the effects of foam rolling (FR) on hamstring muscles stiffness in both non-damaged and exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) states, using shear wave ultrasound elastography to measure changes in shear modulus. Methods: Fourteen healthy adults (25.5 ± 4.7 years) participated in a within-participant repeated measures design, with a 2-minute FR intervention applied on one leg and contralateral leg serving as a control. The damaging protocol encompassed maximal eccentric knee extensions performed on an isokinetic dynamometer and the Nordic hamstring exercise, consisting of 3 sets of 10 and 6 repetitions, respectively...

INTRODUCTION: Visual Schema Displacement Therapy (VSDT) is a novel approach showing promise in mitigating distressing memories, akin to Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the safety, feasibility, and effectiveness of VSDT in individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), comparing it to EMDR therapy and a waitlist control condition (WLCC). It was hypothesized that the application of VSDT would be safe and PTSD symptoms significantly be reduced from both baseline to post-treatment and from baseline to follow-up in the VSDT and EMDR therapy conditions...

BACKGROUND: Having a parent with cancer is one of the risk factors for adolescents, which makes them face many psychological problems. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effect of Happiness Educational Program of Fordyce on the sense of coherence and psychological well-being of adolescents who have a parent with cancer. METHODS: In this randomized clinical trial study, 92 adolescents whose diagnosed parents have referred to the oncology ward of Shahid Rajaei Hospital in Yasuj, from June to September 2021, were selected through the convenience sampling method; however, they were randomly assigned to one of the two groups of the intervention or control...

BACKGROUND: The denomination of noncystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (NCFB) includes several causes, and differences may be expected between the patient subgroups regarding age, comorbidities, and clinical and functional evolution. This study sought to identify the main causes of NCFB in a cohort of stable adult patients and to investigate whether such conditions would be different in their clinical, functional, and quality of life aspects. METHODS: Between 2017 and 2019, all active patients with NCFB were prospectively evaluated searching for clinical data, past medical history, dyspnea severity grading, quality of life data, microbiological profile, and lung function (spirometry and six-minute walk test)...

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Dental caries, a prevalent issue among children, often leads to discomfort and potential complications. Utilizing caries-arresting treatments to slow down its progression offers a practical alternative. Previous research indicates that topical fluorides can deactivate and remineralize enamel caries. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of 38% silver diamine fluoride (SDF) in halting active dental caries lesions in children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This descriptive case series was conducted at the Operative Dentistry Department of the Nishtar Institute of Dentistry in Multan, Pakistan...