Cloning and functional characterization of a vertebrate low-density lipoprotein receptor homolog from eri silkmoth, Samia ricini

The lipophorin receptor (LpR) is the insect lipoprotein receptor and belongs to the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) superfamily. It has a vital role in the uptake of lipophorin (Lp) into various tissues. Here we report the full length cloning and functional characterization of an LpR from eri silkmoth, Samia ricini. The full length cDNA of SrLpR7-1 is 4132 bp including an open reading frame (ORF) of 2595 bp. The deduced amino acid sequence revealed well structured ligand binding, epidermal growth factor, glycosylation, transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains. The ligand binding domain consisted of seven cysteine repeats instead of the common eight cysteine repeats indicating it as a homolog of human LDLR. We identified another splice variant, SrLpR7-2 with a deletion of 27 amino acids in the O-glycosylation domain. Apart from the fat body, both isoforms are expressed in ovary, brain and other tissues at different developmental stages of the silkworm. RNAi experiments did not show any marked effects except that the adult emergence was delayed compared to controls. In addition, the SrLpR7 cDNA was recombinantly expressed and ligand binding experiments confirmed that the receptor protein binds not only to SrLp but also to Bombyx mori Lp

Morphological effects on natural convection heat transfer of magnesium ferrite ferrofluid

This investigation intends to analyze the influence of nanoparticles morphology on the magnetic flux dependent thermo-physical properties and magnetohydrodynamic free convection heat transfer performance of water-based magnesium ferrite ferrofluid under various volume fractions. The thermo-physical parameters of the ferrofluid suspended with cube shaped particles are examined at 25 °C using KD2 pro thermal analyzer, Ostwald viscometer and specific gravity bottle under magnetic flux. The free convection heat transfer is obtained using heat pipes assisted cubical enclosure. Without the influence of magnetic flux, the thermal conductivity of the ferrofluid was improved by a maximum of 12.75% at a volume fraction of 0.15%. At the same time, the maximum viscosity and density were raised by 32.92% and 6.11% at a volume fraction of 0.20% in comparison with water. Under the influence of 350 Gauss, thermal conductivity, and viscosity of ferrofluid enhanced by 21.81% and 37.41% while the density decreased by 4.91%. It was revealed that the addition of cube-shaped magnesium ferrite particles in ferrofluid improved the thermo-physical properties. The optimum concentration for maximum heat transfer is reduced to 0.025% with the use of cube shaped particles compared to other types of nanoparticles reported in previous studies.https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/uhte202024-06-27hj2024Mechanical and Aeronautical EngineeringNon

The development and validation of a scoring tool to predict the operative duration of elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Peer reviewe

Prospective Observational Study on acute Appendicitis Worldwide (POSAW)

Background: Acute appendicitis (AA) is the most common surgical disease, and appendectomy is the treatment of choice in the majority of cases. A correct diagnosis is key for decreasing the negative appendectomy rate. The management can become difficult in case of complicated appendicitis. The aim of this study is to describe the worldwide clinical and diagnostic work-up and management of AA in surgical departments.Methods: This prospective multicenter observational study was performed in 116 worldwide surgical departments from 44 countries over a 6-month period (April 1, 2016-September 30, 2016). All consecutive patients admitted to surgical departments with a clinical diagnosis of AA were included in the study.Results: A total of 4282 patients were enrolled in the POSAW study, 1928 (45%) women and 2354 (55%) men, with a median age of 29 years. Nine hundred and seven (21.2%) patients underwent an abdominal CT scan, 1856 (43.3%) patients an US, and 285 (6.7%) patients both CT scan and US. A total of 4097 (95.7%) patients underwent surgery; 1809 (42.2%) underwent open appendectomy and 2215 (51.7%) had laparoscopic appendectomy. One hundred eighty-five (4.3%) patients were managed conservatively. Major complications occurred in 199 patients (4.6%). The overall mortality rate was 0.28%.Conclusions: The results of the present study confirm the clinical value of imaging techniques and prognostic scores. Appendectomy remains the most effective treatment of acute appendicitis. Mortality rate is low.</p

Neurological manifestations of COVID-19 in adults and children

Different neurological manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in adults and children and their impact have not been well characterized. We aimed to determine the prevalence of neurological manifestations and in-hospital complications among hospitalized COVID-19 patients and ascertain differences between adults and children. We conducted a prospective multicentre observational study using the International Severe Acute Respiratory and emerging Infection Consortium (ISARIC) cohort across 1507 sites worldwide from 30 January 2020 to 25 May 2021. Analyses of neurological manifestations and neurological complications considered unadjusted prevalence estimates for predefined patient subgroups, and adjusted estimates as a function of patient age and time of hospitalization using generalized linear models. Overall, 161 239 patients (158 267 adults; 2972 children) hospitalized with COVID-19 and assessed for neurological manifestations and complications were included. In adults and children, the most frequent neurological manifestations at admission were fatigue (adults: 37.4%; children: 20.4%), altered consciousness (20.9%; 6.8%), myalgia (16.9%; 7.6%), dysgeusia (7.4%; 1.9%), anosmia (6.0%; 2.2%) and seizure (1.1%; 5.2%). In adults, the most frequent in-hospital neurological complications were stroke (1.5%), seizure (1%) and CNS infection (0.2%). Each occurred more frequently in intensive care unit (ICU) than in non-ICU patients. In children, seizure was the only neurological complication to occur more frequently in ICU versus non-ICU (7.1% versus 2.3%, P &lt; 0.001). Stroke prevalence increased with increasing age, while CNS infection and seizure steadily decreased with age. There was a dramatic decrease in stroke over time during the pandemic. Hypertension, chronic neurological disease and the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation were associated with increased risk of stroke. Altered consciousness was associated with CNS infection, seizure and stroke. All in-hospital neurological complications were associated with increased odds of death. The likelihood of death rose with increasing age, especially after 25 years of age. In conclusion, adults and children have different neurological manifestations and in-hospital complications associated with COVID-19. Stroke risk increased with increasing age, while CNS infection and seizure risk decreased with age

Overcoming acquired PD-1/PD-L1 resistance with CD38 blockade

Overexpression of CD38 after PD-1/PD-L1 blockade increases extracellular adenosine levels and may contribute to acquired resistance to anti–PD-1/PD-L1 therapy

Mortality in soft-tissue infections: Is it predictable?

Background: Soft-tissue infections are a common emergency surgical problem. The delayed presentation will lead to significant mortality and morbidity. There is no proper prognostication model available for this disease. Hence, we proposed this study to find factors predicting mortality in soft-tissue infections. Methodology: We conducted a case control study with a calculated sample size of 110. All the patients with soft-tissue infections who presented to our hospital were included after written consent. The data collected were analyzed for finding significant parameters predicting mortality using both univariate and multivariate analysis. Results: The factors that predicted mortality are, the requirement of ventilation during the treatment with a P = 0.000 (confidence interval [CI] - 0.001–0.074), and dialysis with a P = 0.026 (CI - 0.004–0.701). If these parameters were present during treatment for soft-tissue infections, the chances of mortality are high. Conclusion: Patients who require ventilator and dialysis assistance during treatment can be anticipated to have mortality from soft-tissue infections