Recent Publications

Int J Food Sci. 2024 Mar 26;2024:4536475. doi: 10.1155/2024/4536475. eCollection 2024.

ABSTRACT

Present study investigates 39 brands of candies, chocolate, and litchis, purchased from Dhaka City, Bangladesh, for their moisture content, sulphated ash value, heavy metal, and bacterial contamination. All the brands showed moisture content (0.64%-4.775%) within the BSTI range, but sulphated ash values (18.80%-25.72%) were beyond the accepted value. Pb, Cd, Ni, and Cr ranged from 0.24-2.40 μg/g, 0.071-0.44 μg/g, 0.38-48.10 μg/g, and 0.50-12.79 μg/g, respectively, in the tested brands. Most of the brands contained Pb and Cd beyond the acceptable limits of WHO/FDA. Pb (2.24-2586.75 μg/g) was found in high concentration in the packaging of most brands, and Ni and Cd ranged from 2.10-108.05 μg/g and 1.68-45 μg/g, respectively. Bacterial presence was found in 15 brands, and 4 of them had a total aerobic bacterial count of >1 log CFU/g. Consumption of such contaminated confectionaries holds significant public health risks, specially in children, and demands necessary precautionary steps.

PMID:38566755 | PMC:PMC10987241 | DOI:10.1155/2024/4536475

Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2024 Mar 28;179:111931. doi: 10.1016/j.ijporl.2024.111931. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Asses the efficacy of a Vestibular-balance rehabilitation program to minimize or reverse balance disability in children with sensorineural hearing loss.

METHOD: Forty-five hearing-impaired children with balance deficits (i.e., variable degrees of sensorineural hearing loss or auditory neuropathy). Thirty-five were rehabilitated with cochlear implants, and ten with hearing aids. Their age ranged from 4 to 10 years old. A Pre-rehab evaluation was done using questionnaires, neuromuscular evaluation, vestibular and balance office testing, and vestibular lab testing (using cVEMP and caloric test). Customized balances, as well as vestibular rehabilitation exercises, have been applied for three months. That was followed by post-rehab assessment, including the Arabic DHI questionnaire, PBS, BESS, HTT, and DVA test.

RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference in all measured parameters (including the Arabic DHI questionnaire, PBS, BESS, HTT, and DVA test) after rehabilitation.

CONCLUSIONS: Vestibular-balance rehabilitation intervention positively impacts vestibular and balance functions in hearing-impaired children.

PMID:38555811 | DOI:10.1016/j.ijporl.2024.111931

J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2024 Mar 29. doi: 10.1097/JCP.0000000000001859. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE/BACKGROUND: Brexanolone is approved for postpartum depression (PPD) by the United States Food and Drug Administration. Brexanolone has outperformed placebo in clinical trials, but less is known about the efficacy in real-world patients with complex social and medical histories. Furthermore, the impact of brexanolone on large-scale brain systems such as changes in functional connectivity (FC) is unknown.

METHODS/PROCEDURES: We tracked changes in depressive symptoms across a diverse group of patients who received brexanolone at a large medical center. Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) scores were collected through chart review for 17 patients immediately prior to infusion through approximately 1 year postinfusion. In 2 participants, we performed precision functional neuroimaging (pfMRI), including before and after treatment in 1 patient. pfMRI collects many hours of data in individuals for precision medicine applications and was performed to assess the feasibility of investigating changes in FC with brexanolone.

FINDINGS/RESULTS: The mean EPDS score immediately postinfusion was significantly lower than the mean preinfusion score (mean change [95% CI]: 10.76 [7.11-14.40], t(15) = 6.29, P < 0.0001). The mean EPDS score stayed significantly lower at 1 week (mean difference [95% CI]: 9.50 [5.23-13.76], t(11) = 4.90, P = 0.0005) and 3 months (mean difference [95% CI]: 9.99 [4.71-15.27], t(6) = 4.63, P = 0.0036) postinfusion. Widespread changes in FC followed infusion, which correlated with EPDS scores.

IMPLICATIONS/CONCLUSIONS: Brexanolone is a successful treatment for PPD in the clinical setting. In conjunction with routine clinical care, brexanolone was linked to a reduction in symptoms lasting at least 3 months. pfMRI is feasible in postpartum patients receiving brexanolone and has the potential to elucidate individual-specific mechanisms of action.

PMID:38551454 | DOI:10.1097/JCP.0000000000001859

ACS Appl Energy Mater. 2024 Mar 7;7(6):2299-2308. doi: 10.1021/acsaem.3c03055. eCollection 2024 Mar 25.

ABSTRACT

Two-dimensional (2D) transition-metal dichalcogenides have shown great potential for energy storage applications owing to their interlayer spacing, large surface area-to-volume ratio, superior electrical properties, and chemical compatibility. Further, increasing the surface area of such materials can lead to enhanced electrical, chemical, and optical response for energy storage and generation applications. Vertical silicon nanowires (SiNWs), also known as black-Si, are an ideal substrate for 2D material growth to produce high surface-area heterostructures, owing to their ultrahigh aspect ratio. Achieving this using an industrially scalable method paves the way for next-generation energy storage devices, enabling them to enter commercialization. This work demonstrates large surface area, commercially scalable, hybrid MoS2/SiNW heterostructures, as confirmed by Raman spectroscopy, with high tunability of the MoS2 layers down to the monolayer scale and conformal MoS2 growth, parallel to the silicon nanowires, as verified by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). This has been achieved using a two-step atomic layer deposition (ALD) process, allowing MoS2 to be grown directly onto the silicon nanowires without any damage to the substrate. The ALD cycle number accurately defines the layer number from monolayer to bulk. Introducing an ALD alumina (Al2O3) interface at the MoS2/SiNW boundary results in enhanced MoS2 quality and uniformity, demonstrated by an order of magnitude reduction in the B/A exciton photoluminescence (PL) intensity ratio to 0.3 and a reduction of the corresponding layer number. This high-quality layered growth on alumina can be utilized in applications such as for interfacial layers in high-capacity batteries or for photocathodes for water splitting. The alumina-free 100 ALD cycle heterostructures demonstrated no diminishing quality effects, lending themselves well to applications that require direct electrical contact with silicon and benefit from more layers, such as electrodes for high-capacity ion batteries.

PMID:38550300 | PMC:PMC10966641 | DOI:10.1021/acsaem.3c03055

Nat Genet. 2024 Mar 28. doi: 10.1038/s41588-024-01688-9. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Here we use single-cell RNA sequencing to compile a human breast cell atlas assembled from 55 donors that had undergone reduction mammoplasties or risk reduction mastectomies. From more than 800,000 cells we identified 41 cell subclusters across the epithelial, immune and stromal compartments. The contribution of these different clusters varied according to the natural history of the tissue. Age, parity and germline mutations, known to modulate the risk of developing breast cancer, affected the homeostatic cellular state of the breast in different ways. We found that immune cells from BRCA1 or BRCA2 carriers had a distinct gene expression signature indicative of potential immune exhaustion, which was validated by immunohistochemistry. This suggests that immune-escape mechanisms could manifest in non-cancerous tissues very early during tumor initiation. This atlas is a rich resource that can be used to inform novel approaches for early detection and prevention of breast cancer.

PMID:38548988 | DOI:10.1038/s41588-024-01688-9

World Neurosurg X. 2024 Mar 8;23:100335. doi: 10.1016/j.wnsx.2024.100335. eCollection 2024 Jul.

ABSTRACT

Spine surgery is continually evolving, with the application of new technologies often serving as a catalyst for improved clinical outcomes. Exoscope-assisted spinal surgery has recently emerged as a notable technological advancement offering a refined approach to visualisation, thereby potentially contributing to improved surgical precision, reduced complication rates, and optimised patient outcomes. The application of exoscopes have improved spine surgeries such as spinal fusion procedures, decompression surgeries, instrumentation surgeries, minimally invasive and complex surgeries. These improvements include enhanced visualisation, improved ergonomics, improved surgical precision, reduced operation times and postoperative infection rates. The integration of robotics in exoscope-assisted spine surgery enables autofocus function, ensuring the integrity of the sterile field, providing superior image quality, resolution, and three-dimensional perception. However, challenges such as decrease in depth perception and the lack of long-term follow-up data hinder its widespread adoption. Ethical considerations regarding patient safety, technology dependency, and health inequity add another dimension to these challenges. Despite these challenges, exoscope-assisted spine surgery holds significant potential for transforming clinical practice and improving patient outcomes. This review seeks to provide a concise overview of the benefits and limits of exoscope-assisted spine surgeries, while highlighting its challenges and ethical considerations. Addressing these limitations by conducting large-scale clinical trials and exploring the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) could assist in realising the potential of exoscopes in spine surgery."

PMID:38544786 | PMC:PMC10965456 | DOI:10.1016/j.wnsx.2024.100335

DEN open. 2024 Mar 25;4(1):e355. doi: 10.1002/deo2.355. eCollection 2024 Apr.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Pancreatitis following endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. We aimed to develop an accurate post-ERCP pancreatitis risk prediction model using easily obtainable variables.

METHODS: Using prospective multi-center ERCP data, we performed logistic regression using stepwise selection on several patient-, procedure-, and endoscopist-related factors that were determined a priori. The final model was based on a combination of the Bayesian information criterion and Akaike's information criterion performance, balancing the inclusion of clinically relevant variables and model parsimony. All available data were used for model development, with subsequent internal validation performed on bootstrapped data using 10-fold cross-validation.

RESULTS: Data from 3021 ERCPs were used to inform models. There were 151 cases of post-ERCP pancreatitis (5.0% incidence). Variables included in the final model included female sex, pancreatic duct cannulation, native papilla status, pre-cut sphincterotomy, increasing cannulation time, presence of biliary stricture, patient age, and placement of a pancreatic duct stent. The final model was discriminating, with a receiver operating characteristic curve statistic of 0.79, and well-calibrated, with a predicted risk-to-observed risk ratio of 1.003.

CONCLUSIONS: We successfully developed and internally validated a promising post-ERCP pancreatitis clinical prediction model using easily obtainable variables that are known at baseline or observed during the ERCP procedure. The model achieved an area under the curve of 0.79. External validation is planned as additional data becomes available.

PMID:38529515 | PMC:PMC10962486 | DOI:10.1002/deo2.355

Ann Jt. 2022 Oct 15;7:33. doi: 10.21037/aoj-22-14. eCollection 2022.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to determine the effect of obesity on the functional outcomes and complication rates of patients with adult spinal deformity (ASD) undergoing multi-level thoracolumbar fusion.

METHODS: An age and sex matched comparison of functional outcomes [Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) back and leg scores, Core Outcome Measurement Index (COMI) back scores, Scoliosis Research Society 22 (SRS22) satisfaction and total scores, Short Form 36 (SF36) general health scores, Physical Component Score (PCS), Mental Component Score (MCS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) (including all domains)] at 6 months, 1, 2, 3 and 4 years and the complication rates at final follow-up between obese [body mass index (BMI) >30] and normal BMI (18.5-24.9) patients undergoing more than 3 levels of thoracolumbar fusion with a minimum 2-year follow-up. Patients who had undergone any previous spinal surgery were excluded.

RESULTS: Thirty patients were included in each arm of the study. Baseline demographics, including the number of levels fused, were similar between the groups. Estimated blood loss (EBL) was higher in obese patients (1,916 vs. 1,099 mL, P=0.001), but operative time was similar (282 vs. 320 min, P=0.351). The functional outcomes and satisfaction scores were consistently poorer in the obese group at all time-points, but their satisfaction scores were similar. Obese patients had a higher complication rate (OR 3.05, P=0.038) predominantly due to dural tears and nerve root injuries, but a similar reoperation rate.

CONCLUSIONS: In patients with ASD undergoing multi-level thoracolumbar fusion, obesity results in a higher blood loss, poorer sagittal correction, poorer post-operative functional scores and higher complication rates than patients with a normal BMI. However, obesity does not affect operative times, length of hospital stay or reoperation rates. Furthermore, patients with obesity have similar post-operative satisfaction scores to patients with normal BMIs.

PMID:38529155 | PMC:PMC10929431 | DOI:10.21037/aoj-22-14

PLoS One. 2024 Mar 21;19(3):e0298854. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0298854. eCollection 2024.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Bangladesh's islands, because of their geographical location, frequently encounter crises like floods and river erosion, which pose significant threats to the residents' well-being and livelihoods. To delve into the effects of these disasters on livelihood and healthcare challenges, a mixed-method study was undertaken in a riverine-island near a major river of Bangladesh.

METHODOLOGY: Between February 15th and February 28th, 2023, a cross-sectional study was conducted on an island in Bangladesh. The quantitative method involved conducting a survey of 442 households, with a total of 2921 participants. Additionally, 10 in-depth interviews and 10 key-informant interviews were conducted using semi-structured guidelines. Qualitative interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using a thematic analysis. Triangulation was employed in this study through the integration of qualitative and quantitative analysis, resulting in the presentation of findings that offer an in-depth comprehension of the phenomenon being investigated.

RESULTS: River erosions and floods are common and recurring natural disasters that significantly impact the lives of the riverine island inhabitants. These disasters often disrupted their livelihoods, forced many residents to endure substandard living conditions or relocated during flood events. The island faced a low diagnostic prevalence of chronic diseases (e.g., 5.1% of adults were hypertension and 2.5% are diabetes) because of the absence of diagnostic facilities and a shortage of certified doctors. A significant number of chronic illness people in the community turned to alternative medicine sources (39.3%) such as homeopathy, Kabiraj, and Ayurvedic medicine, especially it gets increased during periods of natural disasters. Moreover, reproductive aged women revealed that 79.4% of them gave birth at home, with 6.0% of these home deliveries resulting in miscarriage or infant death. The destruction of crops, unstable job opportunities, an inadequate educational system, and a deficient healthcare delivery system exacerbated the hardships faced by the population affected by these disasters.

CONCLUSION: The failure to seek treatment for chronic diseases and undiagnosed diseases is a significant health issue among the aging adults on the island. Island residents face the challenge of establishing effective prevention strategies for the well-being of older adults especially at the period of natural disasters. It is crucial for the government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to collaborate to prevent the negative effects of floods and river erosions. This should include efforts to enhance the quality of education, healthcare services, job opportunities, and financial assistance for rebuilding homes.

PMID:38512936 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0298854

Angew Chem Weinheim Bergstr Ger. 2022 Mar 21;134(13):e202112218. doi: 10.1002/ange.202112218. Epub 2022 Feb 3.

ABSTRACT

Wound biofilms represent a particularly challenging problem in modern medicine. They are increasingly antibiotic resistant and can prevent the healing of chronic wounds. However, current treatment and diagnostic options are hampered by the complexity of the biofilm environment. In this review, we present new chemical avenues in biofilm sensors and new materials to treat wound biofilms, offering promise for better detection, chemical specificity, and biocompatibility. We briefly discuss existing methods for biofilm detection and focus on novel, sensor-based approaches that show promise for early, accurate detection of biofilm formation on wound sites and that can be translated to point-of-care settings. We then discuss technologies inspired by new materials for efficient biofilm eradication. We focus on ultrasound-induced microbubbles and nanomaterials that can both penetrate the biofilm and simultaneously carry active antimicrobials and discuss the benefits of those approaches in comparison to conventional methods.

PMID:38505642 | PMC:PMC10946914 | DOI:10.1002/ange.202112218

Angew Chem Weinheim Bergstr Ger. 2021 Jan 4;133(1):325-334. doi: 10.1002/ange.202009663. Epub 2020 Oct 26.

ABSTRACT

Matching of symmetry at interfaces is a fundamental obstacle in molecular assembly. Virus-like particles (VLPs) are important vaccine platforms against pathogenic threats, including Covid-19. However, symmetry mismatch can prohibit vaccine nanoassembly. We established an approach for coupling VLPs to diverse antigen symmetries. SpyCatcher003 enabled efficient VLP conjugation and extreme thermal resilience. Many people had pre-existing antibodies to SpyTag:SpyCatcher but less to the 003 variants. We coupled the computer-designed VLP not only to monomers (SARS-CoV-2) but also to cyclic dimers (Newcastle disease, Lyme disease), trimers (influenza hemagglutinins), and tetramers (influenza neuraminidases). Even an antigen with dihedral symmetry could be displayed. For the global challenge of influenza, SpyTag-mediated display of trimer and tetramer antigens strongly induced neutralizing antibodies. SpyCatcher003 conjugation enables nanodisplay of diverse symmetries towards generation of potent vaccines.

PMID:38504824 | PMC:PMC10947127 | DOI:10.1002/ange.202009663

Sci Rep. 2024 Mar 19;14(1):6631. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-56674-2.

ABSTRACT

College students experience ever-increasing levels of stress, leading to a wide range of health problems. In this context, monitoring and predicting students' stress levels is crucial and, fortunately, made possible by the growing support for data collection via mobile devices. However, predicting stress levels from mobile phone data remains a challenging task, and off-the-shelf deep learning models are inapplicable or inefficient due to data irregularity, inter-subject variability, and the "cold start problem". To overcome these challenges, we developed a platform named Branched CALM-Net that aims to predict students' stress levels through dynamic clustering in a personalized manner. This is the first platform that leverages the branching technique in a multitask setting to achieve personalization and continuous adaptation. Our method achieves state-of-the-art performance in predicting student stress from mobile sensor data collected as part of the Dartmouth StudentLife study, with a ROC AUC 37% higher and a PR AUC surpassing that of the nearest baseline models. In the cold-start online learning setting, Branched CALM-Net outperforms other models, attaining an average F1 score of 87% with just 1 week of training data for a new student, which shows it is reliable and effective at predicting stress levels from mobile data.

PMID:38503794 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-024-56674-2

Cardiovasc Revasc Med. 2024 Mar 5:S1553-8389(24)00074-5. doi: 10.1016/j.carrev.2024.02.021. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Revascularization in patients with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction has been a subject of ongoing uncertainty and conflicting results. This is further complicated by factors including viability, severity of LV dysfunction, and method of revascularization using percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) versus coronary-artery bypass grafting (CABG).

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the association of coronary revascularization with outcomes in patients with ischemic LV dysfunction.

METHODS: A literature search was conducted for studies reporting on cardiovascular outcomes after revascularization compared to optimal medical therapy (OMT) in patients with ischemic LV dysfunction.

RESULTS: A total of 23 studies with 10,110 participants met inclusion criteria. Revascularization was significantly associated with lower all-cause mortality and CV mortality compared to OMT. The association was statistically significant regardless of severity of LV dysfunction or method of revascularization. Subgroup analysis demonstrated that revascularization was significantly associated with lower all-cause and CV mortality compared to OMT for patients with viable myocardium and mixed cohorts with variable viability, but not patients without viable myocardium. Revascularization was not associated with a significant difference in risk of heart failure (HF) hospitalization or acute myocardial infarction (AMI) compared to OMT.

CONCLUSIONS: Revascularization in patients with ischemic LV dysfunction is associated with lower risk of all-cause and CV mortality independent of severity of LV dysfunction or method of revascularization. Revascularization is not associated with lower risk of mortality in patients without evidence of viable myocardium and is not associated with lower risk of AMI or HF hospitalization.

PMID:38503643 | DOI:10.1016/j.carrev.2024.02.021

J Cell Mol Med. 2024 Apr;28(7):e18159. doi: 10.1111/jcmm.18159.

ABSTRACT

Gastric cancer (GC) represents a major global health burden and is responsible for a significant number of cancer-related fatalities. Its complex nature, characterized by heterogeneity and aggressive behaviour, poses considerable challenges for effective diagnosis and treatment. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has emerged as an important technique, offering unprecedented precision and depth in gene expression profiling at the cellular level. By facilitating the identification of distinct cell populations, rare cells and dynamic transcriptional changes within GC, scRNA-seq has yielded valuable insights into tumour progression and potential therapeutic targets. Moreover, this technology has significantly improved our comprehension of the tumour microenvironment (TME) and its intricate interplay with immune cells, thereby opening avenues for targeted therapeutic strategies. Nonetheless, certain obstacles, including tumour heterogeneity and technical limitations, persist in the field. Current endeavours are dedicated to refining protocols and computational tools to surmount these challenges. In this narrative review, we explore the significance of scRNA-seq in GC, emphasizing its advantages, challenges and potential applications in unravelling tumour heterogeneity and identifying promising therapeutic targets. Additionally, we discuss recent developments, ongoing efforts to overcome these challenges, and future prospects. Although further enhancements are required, scRNA-seq has already provided valuable insights into GC and holds promise for advancing biomedical research and clinical practice.

PMID:38494861 | DOI:10.1111/jcmm.18159

Nat Commun. 2024 Mar 16;15(1):2403. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-46599-9.

ABSTRACT

Bispecific antibodies are a successful and expanding therapeutic class. Standard approaches to generate bispecifics are complicated by the need for disulfide reduction/oxidation or specialized formats. Here we present SpyMask, a modular approach to bispecifics using SpyTag/SpyCatcher spontaneous amidation. Two SpyTag-fused antigen-binding modules can be precisely conjugated onto DoubleCatcher, a tandem SpyCatcher where the second SpyCatcher is protease-activatable. We engineer a panel of structurally-distinct DoubleCatchers, from which binders project in different directions. We establish a generalized methodology for one-pot assembly and purification of bispecifics in 96-well plates. A panel of binders recognizing different HER2 epitopes were coupled to DoubleCatcher, revealing unexpected combinations with anti-proliferative or pro-proliferative activity on HER2-addicted cancer cells. Bispecific activity depended sensitively on both binder orientation and DoubleCatcher scaffold geometry. These findings support the need for straightforward assembly in different formats. SpyMask provides a scalable tool to discover synergy in bispecific activity, through modulating receptor organization and geometry.

PMID:38493197 | DOI:10.1038/s41467-024-46599-9

Pain. 2024 Mar 5. doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003190. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The pressing need for safer, more efficacious analgesics is felt worldwide. Preclinical tests in animal models of painful conditions represent one of the earliest checkpoints novel therapeutics must negotiate before consideration for human use. Traditionally, the pain status of laboratory animals has been inferred from evoked nociceptive assays that measure their responses to noxious stimuli. The disconnect between how pain is tested in laboratory animals and how it is experienced by humans may in part explain the shortcomings of current pain medications and highlights a need for refinement. Here, we survey human patients with chronic pain who assert that everyday aspects of life, such as cleaning and leaving the house, are affected by their ongoing level of pain. Accordingly, we test the impact of painful conditions on an ethological behavior of mice, digging. Stable digging behavior was observed over time in naive mice of both sexes. By contrast, deficits in digging were seen after acute knee inflammation. The analgesia conferred by meloxicam and gabapentin was compared in the monosodium iodoacetate knee osteoarthritis model, with meloxicam more effectively ameliorating digging deficits, in line with human patients finding meloxicam more effective. Finally, in a visceral pain model, the decrease in digging behavior correlated with the extent of disease. Ultimately, we make a case for adopting ethological assays, such as digging, in studies of pain in laboratory animals, which we believe to be more representative of the human experience of pain and thus valuable in assessing clinical potential of novel analgesics in animals.

PMID:38452214 | DOI:10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003190

Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2024 Feb;76(1):552-558. doi: 10.1007/s12070-023-04211-4. Epub 2023 Sep 16.

ABSTRACT

Surgery is the primary modality for the treatment of early oral cancer. The present study aims to evaluate the oncological outcomes, patterns of failure, and prognostic predictors of recurrence in patients of early oral cancer (Stage I and II) treated by surgery alone. It is a single institutional, observational retrospective cohort study conducted from 2012 to 2017.The study was approved by institutional ethics committee. All consecutive patients who underwent upfront curative surgery alone (wide excision of tumour + neck dissection) for pathologically proven early oral cavity SCC(Squamous Cell Carcinoma) pT1-2N0 were included in the study. 113 patients were included in the study after a median follow-up of 58.2 months. The median age was 58.5 years. 25 patients were stage I, and 88 patients were stage II. The most common subsite was buccal mucosa. There were 31 recurrences and 24 deaths. Using Kaplan Meier method, 3 and 5 year overall survival was 92% and 71.8%, respectively, while 3 year and 5 year recurrence-free survival was 77.9% and 69.4%, respectively. Perineural invasion and poor differentiation affected recurrence-free survival significantly (p value < 0.05). More than one-fourth of surgically treated early oral SCC patients developed recurrence. Presence of poorly differentiated histology and the perineural invasion were the high risk factors which hampered the recurrence free survival. High consumption of betel quid consumption in this part of the world leads to differences in the involved subsite from the Western literature. Adding adjuvant treatment in the presence of these adverse histopathological features may improve prognosis. Randomised studies are warranted to answer this dilemma. Level of Evidence IV.

PMID:38440640 | PMC:PMC10908664 | DOI:10.1007/s12070-023-04211-4

Opt Express. 2024 Feb 26;32(5):6945-6962. doi: 10.1364/OE.514239.

ABSTRACT

Both inside data centers (DCs) and in short optical links between data centers (DC campuses), intensity-modulation and direct-detection (IMDD) systems using four-level pulse amplitude modulation (PAM4) will dominate this decade due to low transceiver price and power consumption. The next DC transceiver generation based on 100 Gbaud PAM4 will require advanced digital signal processing (DSP) algorithms and more powerful forward error correction (FEC) codes. Because of bandwidth limitations, the conventional DC DSP based on a few-tap linear feed-forward equalizer (FFE) is likely to be upgraded to more complex but still low-complexity Volterra equalizers followed by a noise whitening filter and either a maximum likelihood sequence estimation (MLSE) or a maximum a posteriori probability (MAP) algorithm. However, stringent power consumption and latency requirements may limit the use of complex algorithms such as decision feedback equalizer (DFE) or MLSE/MAP in DC networks (DCN). In this paper, we introduce a low-complexity, low-latency algorithm based on a feedforward structure, yielding a performance between DFE and MLSE. We call the novel equalization algorithm probabilistic noise cancellation (PNC), since it weights noise patterns based on their probabilities in the presence of bandwidth limitations. The probabilistic weighting is efficiently exploited in correcting correlated errors caused by noise coloring in the FFE.

PMID:38439388 | DOI:10.1364/OE.514239

Bioresour Technol. 2024 Mar 2:130517. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2024.130517. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The utilization of lignin, an abundant and renewable bio-aromatic source, is of significant importance. In this study, lignin oxidation was examined at different temperatures with zirconium oxide (ZrO2)-supported nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co) and bimetallic Ni-Co metal catalysts under different solvents and oxygen pressure. Non-catalytic oxidation reaction produced maximum bio-oil (35.3 wt%), while catalytic oxidation significantly increased the bio-oil yield. The bimetallic catalyst Ni-Co/ZrO2 produced the highest bio-oil yield (67.4 wt%) compared to the monometallic catalyst Ni/ZrO2 (59.3 wt%) and Co/ZrO2 (54.0 wt%). The selectively higher percentage of vanillin, 2-methoxy phenol, acetovanillone, acetosyringone and vanillic acid compounds are found in the catalytic bio-oil. Moreover, it has been observed that the bimetallic Co-Ni/ZrO2 produced a higher amount of vanillin (43.7% and 13.30 wt%) compound. These results demonstrate that the bimetallic Ni-Co/ZrO2 catalyst promotes the selective cleavage of the ether β-O-4 bond in lignin, leading to a higher yield of phenolic monomer compounds.

PMID:38437961 | DOI:10.1016/j.biortech.2024.130517

Int J Equity Health. 2024 Feb 27;23(1):43. doi: 10.1186/s12939-024-02125-3.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Rural‒urban disparity in catastrophic healthcare expenditure (CHE) is a well-documented challenge in low- and middle-income countries, including Bangladesh, limiting financial protection and hindering the achievement of the Universal Health Coverage target of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. However, the factors driving this divide remain poorly understood. Therefore, this study aims to identify the key determinants of the rural‒urban disparity in CHE incidence in Bangladesh and their changes over time.

METHODS: We used nationally representative data from the latest three rounds of the Bangladesh Household Income and Expenditure Survey (2005, 2010, and 2016). CHE incidence among households seeking healthcare was measured using the normative food, housing, and utilities method. To quantify covariate contributions to the rural‒urban CHE gap, we employed the Oaxaca-Blinder multivariate decomposition approach, adapted by Powers et al. for nonlinear response models.

RESULTS: CHE incidence among rural households increased persistently during the study period (2005: 24.85%, 2010: 25.74%, 2016: 27.91%) along with a significant (p-value ≤ 0.01) rural‒urban gap (2005: 9.74%-points, 2010: 13.94%-points, 2016: 12.90%-points). Despite declining over time, substantial proportions of CHE disparities (2005: 87.93%, 2010: 60.44%, 2016: 61.33%) are significantly (p-value ≤ 0.01) attributable to endowment differences between rural and urban households. The leading (three) covariate categories consistently contributing significantly (p-value ≤ 0.01) to the CHE gaps were composition disparities in the lowest consumption quintile (2005: 49.82%, 2010: 36.16%, 2016: 33.61%), highest consumption quintile (2005: 32.35%, 2010: 15.32%, 2016: 18.39%), and exclusive reliance on informal healthcare sources (2005: -36.46%, 2010: -10.17%, 2016: -12.58%). Distinctively, the presence of chronic illnesses in households emerged as a significant factor in 2016 (9.14%, p-value ≤ 0.01), superseding the contributions of composition differences in household heads with no education (4.40%, p-value ≤ 0.01) and secondary or higher education (7.44%, p-value ≤ 0.01), which were the fourth and fifth significant contributors in 2005 and 2010.

CONCLUSIONS: Rural‒urban differences in household economic status, educational attainment of household heads, and healthcare sources were the key contributors to the rural‒urban CHE disparity between 2005 and 2016 in Bangladesh, with chronic illness emerging as a significant factor in the latest period. Closing the rural‒urban CHE gap necessitates strategies that carefully address rural‒urban variations in the characteristics identified above.

PMID:38413959 | DOI:10.1186/s12939-024-02125-3