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The aim of this study was to investigate the immunohistochemical expression of REGγ, p53, MDM-2, Bcl-2, and Bax in oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC), and to correlate the findings with clinicopathological parameters. Fifty-eight OTSCC cases were selected for the study. The percentages of nuclear (REGγ, p53, and MDM-2) and cytoplasmic (Bcl-2 and Bax) staining in epithelial cells were determined and correlated with clinicopathological parameters (regional lymph node metastasis, clinical stage, clinical outcome, and histopathological grade of malignancy). Expression of REGγ was observed in all cases studied. Significantly lower percentages were observed in tumours with lymph node metastasis (P = 0.036) and in high-grade tumours (P = 0.013). No significant differences in p53, MDM-2, or Bax expression were observed according to the clinicopathological parameters. Lower percentages of Bcl-2 staining were found in high-grade OTSCC (P = 0.040) and in cases of disease-related death (P = 0.032). The expression of REGγ showed a weak positive correlation with the expression of MDM-2 (P = 0.001) and Bcl-2 (P = 0.014). The results of this study suggest that lower expression of REGγ may contribute to the progression of OTSCC. The role of REGγ in the development of OTSCC does not appear to be primarily related to the modulation of apoptosis in neoplastic cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incidence of deterioration and associated characteristics are largely unknown for children transported for admission from referring emergency departments (EDs) to general inpatient units. This study describes this population and identifies associated preadmission characteristics. This single-center cohort study included children ≤ 18 years old transferred from an ED and directly admitted to general inpatient units from 2016 to 2019. Deterioration was defined as 1 or more of the following occurring within 24 hours of admission: rapid response team activation, transfer to the intensive care unit (ICU), or cardiac or respiratory arrest. ICU transfer was the secondary outcome. Logistic regression was performed. One thousand nine hundred eighty-eight patients were included; the median age was 4.2 years, 53.9% were male, and 44.1% had respiratory diagnoses. Deterioration occurred in 135 (6.8%) children overall and in 10.1% of children with respiratory complaints. Deterioration was associated with ≥ 2 complex chronic conditions (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.09; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04-4.19) and a longer stabilization time (per 10 minutes) (aOR = 1.17; 95% CI, 1.01-1.36). ICU transfer was associated with ≥ 2 complex chronic conditions (aOR = 2.33; 95% CI, 1.13-4.80), supplemental oxygen via nasal cannula (aOR = 2.13; 95% CI, 1.18-3.85), and nebulizer treatment (aOR = 2.77; 95% CI, 1.21-6.35). Deterioration was experienced by 7% of children admitted to a general unit, with the majority having respiratory complaints. Transport teams should consider the potential for increased risk of deterioration among children with respiratory disease, multiple complex chronic conditions, and a nasal cannula or nebulizer therapy. The clinical significance of marginally longer stabilization times is unclear and warrants further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Horse face shape is a continuous trait; categorized into dished, straight and roman • Geometric morphometrics can quantitatively phenotype horse face profiles • Over 70 % of horse breeds exhibit straight face profile • Arabian horses possessed the highest diversity in face profile • The face profile phenotype can be the basis of future genetic association studies Horse traits under selection are largely quantitative and affected by multiple genes. Horse face shape is an example of a continuous trait, which due to the reliance on observational assessments, is classified into; "dished", "straight", and "roman-nosed". This categorization is often inadequate to convey the full spectrum of the face shape variation especially for genetic studies. The first objective of the current study was to use geometric morphometric methods to quantitatively phenotype face shapes and examine its variation across horse breeds. The second objective was to analyze the face shape variation within Arabian horses since face shape is (1) favored, valued, and genetically selected in certain lineages (e.g. Egyptian), (2) is evaluated by registries and scored in shows, and (3) in its extreme forms pose health concerns. We digitized landmarks on lateral profile photos, particularly on the dorsal curvature of the rostrum, and subjected these landmarks to Generalized Procrustes Analysis to generate independent shape and size variables which were statistically compared across breeds and within Arabians. Horse breeds varied in nasal curvature, ranging from extremely concave to extremely convex, with over 70 % of horse breeds exhibiting intermediate concavity (i.e., straight profile). Interestingly, Arabian horses possessed the highest diversity in face profile and individuals clustered into three distinct shape sub-groups (one dished and two straight profile clusters). Our quantitative phenotyping method can be the basis of future genetic studies of facial profile within Arabian lineages as a favored traits and potentially manage its extreme forms as a likely genetic disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The release of nanomaterials into the environment is the cause of an emerging concern. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nano-TiO 2) among the most produced nanomaterials, has been documented in marine coastal areas posing a threat on marine biota. Sea urchin embryos are recognized as suitable bioindicators in ecological risk assessment and recently for nanomaterials. This study investigated the impact of nano-TiO 2 on fertilization, embryonic and larval development of the tropical sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus in a range of concentrations (0.005–5 μg/mL) which includes environmentally relevant ones. The behavior of nano-TiO 2 in tropical natural seawater was determined by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and toxicity was evaluated through fertilization and embryotoxicity tests, and morphological/morphometric analyses of sea urchin's larvae. Limited toxicity was recorded for nano-TiO 2 in tropical sea urchin embryos and larvae, except for effects at the gastrula stage at 0.005 μg/mL. Large agglomerates of nano-TiO 2 (5 μg/mL) were observed adhering onto sea urchin larvae thus probably preventing nanoparticles uptake at the highest concentrations (>0.005 μg/mL). Environmental levels of nano-TiO 2 are able to cause toxicity on tropical sea urchin L. variegatus embryos with potential consequences on populations and their ecological role in tropical coastal areas. • Nano-TiO 2 showed agglomeration at the microscale in natural seawater • Nano-TiO 2 significantly reduced sea urchin fertilization rate at 0.5 and 5 μg/mL • Nano-TiO 2 induced higher toxicity in gastrulae at environmentally relevant concentration (0.005 μg/mL) • Nano-TiO 2 decreased the length of post-oral arms of larvae at all concentrations • Nano-TiO 2 was toxic to larval development at the highest concentration tested (5 μg/mL). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Study of a system of quasilinear PDEs that can be used to model drug release from a polymeric structure enhanced by light. • A numerical scheme to compute the numerical solution of the IBVP based on the system of PDEs is proposed. • The theoretical support (stability and convergence) under weaker assumptions than those usually used is developed. • Numerical results illustrating the theoretical results established are provided. • A comparation between experimental data and simulation results is also presented. In this paper, we analyze a numerical scheme for a nonlinear coupled system of partial differential equations. Our study is motivated by the mathematical modeling of light-triggered drug delivery, a technique that can have a significant impact on cancer treatment. The numerical scheme combines a finite difference method (FDM) in space with an implicit-explicit (IMEX) method in time. For the main variable of interest - free drug concentration - we prove that the scheme is second-order supraconvergent in space in a discrete H 1 -norm and first-order convergent in time in a discrete L 2 -norm. We give numerical results illustrating the theoretical findings and computational simulations based on a laboratory experiment concerned with light-triggered drug delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A mathematical methodology to find the optimal NIR light protocol in transdermal drug delivery; • Strategy based on an optimization problem minimizing the difference between target and simulated drug absorption profile; • The optimization problem relies on a 2D mathematical model for NIR light controlled transdermal drug delivery; • Validation of the transdermal model against laboratory data; • Convergence and stability analysis of a finite difference spatial scheme for a generalization of the transdermal model. Near-infrared light-controlled transdermal drug delivery (NIRTDD) has several advantages over traditional delivery methods, and it is now undergoing extensive research. One prominent aspect of NIRTDD is the possibility of keeping the drug concentration in its optimal therapeutic window using a suitable near-infrared light protocol. The problem is that this ideal protocol is usually unknown. In this paper, we propose a computational tool that aims at solving this issue. The computational tool relies on an optimization problem involving the numerical simulation of a two-dimensional mathematical model for NIRTDD. We also analyze the convergence and stability of a finite difference spatial scheme for a generalized version of this mathematical model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infants in the neonatal intensive care unit are at risk of life-threatening organ dysfunction, but few objective tools with utility exist. In a multicenter cohort of 20 152 infants, we show the neonatal sequential organ failure assessment score had good-to-excellent discrimination of mortality across centers, birth weights, and time points after admission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermodynamic, microstructural, chemometrics, and analyses of mechanical properties of cement-based materials are performed with the addition of agro-industrial residues, which are often discarded in landfills. In this sense, two types of waste ashes of sugarcane bagasse were investigated. All investigated materials were characterized by XRF, TGA, XRD, and SEM/EDS analyses. The experiments of XRF data revealed that the ash additions increased the presence of reactive inorganic compounds, such as K 2 O, in the mixture of concrete ingredients. Subsequently, thermodynamic properties revealed that the complex hydration reactions associated with the processing of the concrete admixture are spontaneous processes (Δ r G ~ −400 kJ.mol−1). Further, XRD and SEM/EDS data showed that the hydrated waste ashes presented elevated quantities of amorphous phases. For all concretes, the presence of the main cementitious amorphous phase CSH was detected. Finally, chemometric analysis of the axial compressive strength and tensile resistances of the cement-based materials revealed that, after 365 days, the ashes could be used as partial cement substitutes that typically emit CO 2 when applied to constructions. [Display omitted] • The XRF can be employed to clarify thermodynamic properties of the reactions. • Hydration reactions involving the inorganic precursors are spontaneous processes. • XRD and SEM/EDS experiments revealed the presence of the CSH amorphous gel phase. • The agro-industrial waste step up the mechanical properties cement-based materials. • Chemometric analysis revealed that the waste can be partial substitute of cement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrasound enhanced drug transport is a multiphysics problem involving acoustic waves propagation, bioheat transfer, and drug transport. In this paper, we study a model for this problem that consists of a wave-type equation for acoustic pressure, a diffusion-reaction equation for bioheat transfer, and a convection-diffusion-reaction equation for drug transport. We focus in particular on the numerical analysis of such a system. We propose and derive convergence estimates for a piecewise linear finite element method (FEM) with quadrature. We prove that the FEM is second order convergent for concentration in a discrete L 2 -norm. Since concentration depends on the gradient of acoustic pressure, this result shows that the FEM is superconvergent. Note that one expects the FEM to be convergent of order one in the L 2 -norm because the optimal convergence rate for the acoustic pressure is two in the H 1 -norm. We include numerical results backing the theoretical findings and an application of the model to a laboratory experiment of ultrasound enhanced transdermal drug delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Andean fold-and-thrust belts (FTBs) in the western border of South America show important along-strike variations in their structural style (thin- or thick-skinned) and shortening magnitudes, among others. These variations can arise from multiple factors, such as depth-to-detachment, geometry, and thickness of underlying basins, structural highs, the competence of the units involved in deformation, pre-orogenic structure of the basement, the rheological state of the upper crust or latitudinal gradients in shortening, among others. We carry out a set of new analogue models to understand how two of these factors affect the development and the geometry of the thrust systems within the Andean Principal Cordillera and adjacent fold-and-thrust belts at 32°-34°S (La Ramada and Aconcagua FTBs). In this contribution, we present the results of analogue modeling of doubly-vergent thrust systems with a built-in heterogeneity that allow us to evaluate the influence of differential shortening and presence of competent blocks (of relatively higher cohesion) in the generation, evolution, and structural setting of Andean FTBs. We highlight that despite the similar pattern of differential shortening in the models, the presence of the competent block has a significant influence on the structural configuration and leads to greater topographic uplift. Differential shortening plays a role in accommodating deformation, but when a competent block is present, the faults bounding the block control the deformation, producing a notable curvature of the FTBs. Summarizing, the presence of a competent block significantly influences the structural configuration within a doubly-vergent thrust system, emphasizing the role of inherited architecture in the orogenic growth of the Southern Central Andes. • Analogue models were carried out to assess the impact of differential shortening and competent blocks on FTB formation. • We ran a series of models to establish comparisons with the Principal Cordillera and neighboring FTBs in the Central Andes. • We recognize that pre-orogenic architecture controls the structural development of the Southern Central Andes. • We recognize that competent blocks within a doubly-vergent wedge induces the generation of curved thrust systems. • We propose that differential shortening and competent blocks exert critical control on obliquity andmcurvatures of structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]