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Introduction: Mali recorded its first COVID-19's death related case on March 26, 2020. The aim of this study was to evaluate the comorbidity of COVID-19's death related cases in the Malian context. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted between March 25 and October 11, 2020. Community death information was analyzed from the patient descriptive list, and from the hospitalization registry of the treatment sites. Result: Of the 3,286 COVID-19 confirmed cases, 132 died making a lethality rate of 4.00% (132/3286). Men were the most represented with 75.76% (100/132). The mean age was 63.77 ± 15.25 years. The mean time of hospital stay was 4.50 days ± 6.35. Diabetes and cardiovascular disease remain the most frequent comorbidities with death patients with 20.45% and 17.42%, respectively. Conclusion: The results of this study allow to draw map of patients who died from COVID-19 as well as provide information on the comorbidities for better management of hospitalized patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Approximately 35 % of the mouse genes are indispensable for life, thus, global knock-out (KO) of those genes may result in embryonic or early postnatal lethality due to developmental abnormalities. Several KO mouse lines are valuable human disease models, but viable homozygous mutant mice are frequently required to mirror most symptoms of a human disease. The site-specific gene editing systems, the transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), Zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs) and the clustered regularly interspaced short palindrome repeat-associated Cas9 nuclease (CRISPR/Cas9) made the generation of KO mice more efficient than before, but the homozygous lethality is still an undesired side-effect in case of many genes. The literature search was conducted using PubMed and Web of Science databases until June 30th, 2020. The following terms were combined to find relevant studies: "lethality", "mice", "knock-out", "deficient", "embryonic", "perinatal", "rescue". Additional manual search was also performed to find the related human diseases in the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) database and to check the citations of the selected studies for rescuing methods. In this review, the possible solutions for rescuing human diseaserelevant homozygous KO mice lethal phenotypes were summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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«Kolidev 8M» (powder for oral use) is a veterinary drug used to treat ornamental birds (pheasants, peacocks) in diseases of the digestive tract caused by microorganisms sensitive to colistin. In the study of the drug «Kolidev 8M» for oral administration, along with the confirmation of therapeutic properties, it is necessary to determine the LD50 obtained in the process of studying acute toxicity. The aim of research. The aim of research was to determine the acute toxicity of the veterinary drug «Kolidev 8M» (powder for oral administration) under the conditions of intragastric administration to white mice. Materials and methods of research. To achieve this aim, an experiment was conducted on 114 males of nonlinear white mice kept under optimal conditions in the vivarium of DEVIE LLC (Rivne, Ukraine). In the first series of experiments on the principle of analogues was formed control and three experimental groups of 6 animals each (n=6). The drug in the form of a solution was administered once orally using a esophageal gastric tube in doses of 500,0; 2000,0 and 4000,0 mg/kg body weight by absolute weight of the drug. The animals of the control group were injected with distilled water. After taking into account the results of the first experiment in the next experiment, 6 experimental groups were formed - mice, which were administered the drug «Kolidev 8M» in the form of a solution in doses (by absolute weight of the drug) - 500,0; 1000,0; 1500,0; 2000.0; 2500,0; 3000,0; 3500 and 4000,0 mg/kg body weight, as well as the control group - animals that were injected with distilled water with a volume of 0.5 cm3 according to similar regulations (Zapadniuk, 1983; Kotsiumbas, 2005; Karkyshchenko & Hrachev, 2010). There were 6 animals in each group (n=6). After their death, a pathological autopsy was performed (Zharov A. et al., 2003). The average lethal dose of LD50 was calculated by the method of probit analysis by Prozorovsky V.B. Research results. According to the results of research, it was found that the LD50 of the drug «Kolidev 8M» (powder for oral administration) under the conditions of its single intragastric administration to male mice is 2024,72± ±232,45 mg/kg, LD10 - 392,87 mg/kg, LD16 - 751,56 mg/kg, LD84 - 3297,88 mg/kg, LD90 - 3656,57 mg/kg, LD100 - 3934,47 mg/kg body weight, respectively. According to the results of an acute toxicological experiment with intragastric administration of the drug «Kolidev 8M» to white male mice, LD50 was 2024,72±232,45 mg/kg body weight. This allows, according to toxicity, to refer this drug to class IV - low-toxic substances (LD50 501,0-5000,0 mg/kg body weight), and the degree of danger to class III - moderately safe substances (LD50 151,0-5000,0 mg/kg body weight). Conclusions and prospects for further research. The drug «Kolidev 8M» in terms of toxicity belongs to class IV - lowtoxic substances, and the degree of danger to class III - moderately safe substances. Further studies will be the next stage of pre-registration trials aimed at studying the subacute toxicity of the drug «Kolidev 8M». [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Enterovirus (EV) is a common cause of infection in neonates. Neonates are at high risk of enterovirus infection with serious clinical manifestations and high lethality. This review systematically summarized the clinical characteristics of neonates with severe enteroviral infection to provide evidence for the identification and treatment of severe neonatal EV infection.Methods: PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were searched for original studies on neonates with severe EV infections from January 1, 2000, to November 27, 2020. Two reviewers independently screened the literature, extracted the data, and performed a descriptive analysis.Results: In total, 66 articles with 237 cases of severe neonatal enterovirus infection were included. All neonates developed severe complications. Among them, 46.0% neonates had hepatitis or coagulopathy, 37.1% had myocarditis, 11.0% had meningoencephalitis, and 5.9% had other complications such as hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis and pulmonary hemorrhage. The lethality rate of neonates with severe infection was 30.4%. The highest lethality rate was 38.6%, which was observed in neonates with myocarditis. In 70.5% neonates, the age at the onset of symptoms was less than 7 days. Coxsackievirus B infection was seen in 52.3% neonates. The most common symptoms included temperature abnormalities (127, 53.6%), rash (88, 37.1%), poor feeding (58, 24.5%), and respiratory symptoms (52, 21.9%). The main treatment included transfusion of empirical antibiotics (127, 53.6%), blood components (100, 42.2%), intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG; 97, 40.9%), mechanical ventilation (51, 21.5%), and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO; 43, 18.1%). Additionally, antiviral medications pleconaril (14, 5.9%) and pocapavir (3, 1.3%) were administered.Conclusions: Lethality was high in neonates with severe enterovirus infection, especially in those complicated with myocarditis. The most common symptoms included temperature abnormalities, rash, and poor feeding. The chief supportive treatment consisted of transfusion of blood components, mechanical ventilation, and ECMO. Empirical antibiotics and IVIG were widely used. Antiviral medications included pocapavir and pleconaril; however, more clinical evidence regarding their efficacy is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the advent of large-scale application of hydrogen, transportation becomes crucial. Reusing the existing natural gas transmission system could serve as catalyst for the future hydrogen economy. However, a risk analysis of hydrogen transmission in existing pipelines is essential for the deployment of the new energy carrier. This paper focuses on the individual risk (IR) associated with a hazardous hydrogen jet fire and compares it with the natural gas case. The risk analysis adopts a detailed flame model and state of the art computational software, to provide an enhanced physical description of flame characteristics. This analysis concludes that hydrogen jet fires yield lower lethality levels, that decrease faster with distance than natural gas jet fires. Consequently, for large pipelines, hydrogen transmission is accompanied by significant lower IR. Howbeit, ignition effects increasingly dominate the IR for decreasing pipeline diameters and cause hydrogen transmission to yield increased IR in the vicinity of the pipeline when compared to natural gas. • Enhanced flame descriptions and near field radiation levels are provided • Comprehensive mathematical transformations of the geometric view factor are proposed • Hydrogen failures have low and swift declining lethality levels compared to methane • IR is the risk calculated for multiple failures cumulated for weather scenarios [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, the increased pest resistance to chemical pesticides and the pesticide residues in food, together with the toxic effects of pesticides on mammals and the environment, necessitate the use of newer and safer alternatives for controlling insect pests. The use of encapsulation technology for pesticides formulations has led to increased efficiency and controlled release of these substances. In this study, four formulations containing Artemisia sieberi Besser essential oil based on biodegradable polymers such as polyethylene glycol, starch, glycerol mono stearate, and maltodextrin were prepared as powder and pellet to control the rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae. Chemical composition of A. sieberi essential oil was determined and 16 components were identified. Cis-thujone, Santolinyl acetate, Trans-thujone, and Camphor were the major components of the oil. These formulations were different in the amount and type of polymers and surfactants. Also, these formulations were combined with a different rotation speed of the homogenizer. In this study, the fumigant toxicity of these formulations was compared with the A. sieberi oil. The experiments were carried out on the adult stage of the rice weevil at 27±1°C, 70±5% RH and in total darkness condition. The results showed that the LC50 value of the essential oil after 72 hours was 11.33 ppm, while the LC50 of formulations 1 to 4 were 47.61, 57.55, 23.94, and 44.66 ppm, respectively. Therefore, encapsulation of plants essential oils as a safe pesticide with slow release and fumigant toxicity can be used in integrated pest managements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Older patients occupy an increasing proportion of the world population and, accordingly, the incidence of emergencies increases. Abdominal pain is the most common reason, for which older people seek medical attention. The clinical picture is very different from that in young patients and is often complicated or clouded by comorbidity and mental status. The incidence of gallstone disease rises sharply with age. The most common complication of cholelithiasis in the elderly and the elderly is acute cholecystitis. The subject of this study is a total of 45 patients with acute cholecystitis with a mean age of 71.50 ± 7.02 years (between 60 years and 88 years). It concerns 27 men and 18 women hospitalized as a matter of urgency and operated at the Second Surgery Clinic at the Department of Surgical Diseases at the Hospital of St. Marina EAD-Varna. All hospitalized patients underwent routine clinical, laboratory and imaging studies. The following statistical methods were used to analyze and interpret the data obtained: alternative analysis, variational analysis, correlation analysis, univariate logistic regression analysis. We analyzed a constellation of indicators characterizing some of the important features of diagnosing and treating these patients with a focus on the role of GPs in improving the effectiveness and quality of care of this specific population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Suicide is a major global public health concern. While some progress has been made in understanding risk factors for suicidal behavior, other relevant questions have received less attention. One such question relates to the longitudinal course of suicidal behavior amongst individuals with multiple suicide attempts. This systematic review investigated whether there is an increase in the lethality across multiple suicide attempts., Method: This systematic review followed PRISMA 2020 reporting guidelines. A literature search was conducted in MEDLINE, Embase and PsycINFO electronic databases from inception to August 2023 to identify studies with key terms related to multiple suicide attempts and lethality. The review included longitudinal studies with data on multiple suicide attempts, and any rating of their lethality. Covidence was used to guide the screening and extraction process. A narrative synthesis approach was used to descriptively summarize included studies., Results: After identifying 828 unique abstracts for screening, 11 studies were included for narrative synthesis. Suicide attempt assessment methods and definitions were heterogenous, often indirectly inferring lethality based on suicide attempt method. Individuals with repeat attempts may be more likely to continue using the same method., Conclusions: There was no evidence to support increasing lethality across repeat suicide attempts. However, this should be interpreted along with the fact that the evidence base is scarce, heterogenous, and methodologically limited.

Pesticides have been identified as major drivers of insect biodiversity loss. Thus, the study of their effects on non-pest insect species has attracted a lot of attention in recent decades. In general toxicology, the 'gold standard' to assess the toxicity of a substance is to measure mass-specific LD 50 (i.e. median lethal dose per unit body mass). In entomology, reviews attempting to compare these data across all available studies are lacking. To fill this gap in knowledge, we performed a systematic review of the lethality of imidacloprid for adult insects. Imidacloprid is possibly the most extensively studied insecticide in recent times, yet we found that little is comparable across studies, owing to both methodological divergence and missing estimates of body mass. By accounting for body mass whenever possible, we show how imidacloprid sensitivity spans across an apparent range of approximately six orders of magnitude across insect species. Very high variability within species can also be observed owing to differences in exposure methods and observation time. We suggest that a more comparable and comprehensive approach has both biological and economic relevance. Ultimately, this would help to identify differences that could direct research towards preventing non-target species from being negatively affected.

This study describe the infection fatality rate (IFR) by COVID-19 by age groups in one department of Colombia. It used results from a serological survey to stablish a closer estimation of the true proportion of infected people. It found an overall IFR of 0.24% quite lower than the overall CFR (5.6%). We conclude that CFR severely overestimate the lethality of COVID-19 in developing areas.

Objective: Suicide attempts of the older adults are known to be more serious than that of the younger adults. Despite its major social impact in South Korea, the behavioral mechanism of serious suicide attempt (SSA) in old people remains to be elucidated. Thus, we investigated the risk factors for SSA in older and younger suicide attempters in the emergency department.Methods: Demographic data, clinical information, and the level of seriousness of suicide with Risk Rescue Rating Scale were compared between older (age ≥65) and younger (age

Hesperetin derivatives were synthesized through the esterification of acid chlorides with hesperetin under ambient reaction conditions with good yields. The product was confirmed using different spectral techniques. It was treated on zebrafish embryos to study the lethality, phenotypic deformities, and toxicity level of the compound. In that assessment, embryos showed lethality towards 3e at the minimal concentration. It assesses slow heartbeat since the compound loaded, the curvature on the back, upcurved fish, Cardiac chamber bulging, and poor survival rate in 72 h. 3a shows less toxicity more than other compounds. It shows only pericardial edema at higher concentration and 3c induced pericardial edema and upcurved tail at a medium range of the concentration. But both compounds were shown a good survival ratio at the minimal concentration.

In France all patients treated with dialysis are registered in the REIN registry (Epidemiology and Information Network in Nephrology) ; in addition the RDPLF (French Language Peritoneal Dialysis Registry) monitors patients treated at home in French-speaking regions and countries. Asymptomatic patients with a positive SARS-CoV2 test were excluded : the study focused only on patients with symptomatic COVID-19 disease. Data from REIN and RDPLF were used. In total, 3,541 patients were declared symptomatic with COVID-19. The proportion of patients with symptomatic SAR-coV2 infection was 4.9% in patients treated at home by peritoneal dialysis or hemodialysis and 8.0% in those treated in a dialysis unit. After adjustment for age and comorbidities, being treated at home was associated with a higher risk of mortality. In conclusion, home treatments could represent a solution for preventing the risk of contamination during the circulation of the virus. On the other hand, the risk of mortality in symptomatic patients at home could be linked to a delay in treatment: rigorous remote organization must be implemented so as not to delay the treatment of patients in the event of infection.

Single suicide attempters (SSAs) and multiple suicide attempters (MSAs) represent distinct subgroups of individuals with specific risk factors and clinical characteristics. This retrospective study on a sample of 397 adult psychiatric inpatients analyzed the main sociodemographic and clinical differences between SSAs and MSAs and the possible differences between SSAs, MSAs, and psychiatric patients with and without suicidal ideation (SI). Clinical variables collected included psychiatric diagnoses (Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview), presence of substance use, current suicide risk status (Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale), Clinical Global Impression at admission, Global Assessment of Functioning improvement between admission and discharge, age at onset of psychiatric illness, duration of untreated illness in years, number of hospitalizations in psychiatric settings, and lethality of the most severe suicide attempt. A multinomial logistic regression model with groups showed that MSAs had a higher lethality of their last suicide attempt as compared to SSAs. In addition, MSAs had distinct sociodemographic characteristics compared to both SSAs and patients with SI. Although the study was limited by the relatively small sample size and retrospective nature, the present results suggest that identifying MSAs could be useful in predicting suicide risk and designing ad hoc prevention strategies.

This article analyses the militarization of public security in Mexico from a human rights perspective to observe the main effects of this policy at the national level in the last twenty years (2000-2020). The methodology used is mixed, combining a quantitative and a qualitative approach. The investigation shows that militarization, far from fighting crime, contributes to general growth in violence and human rights violations. Its main result is increasing lethality of security institutions in the use of public force, indicating that an important part of what had been presented as combats with organized crime, are instead extrajudicial executions. This harsh reality is illustrated with a case study based on the events that occurred in Tlatlaya in 2014.

The serine/threonine protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is a master regulator of the complex cellular signaling that occurs during all stages of mammalian development. PP2A is composed of a catalytic, a structural, and regulatory subunit, for which there are multiple isoforms. The association of specific regulatory subunits determines substrate specificity and localization of phosphatase activity, however, the precise role of each regulatory subunit in development is not known. Here we report the generation of the first knockout mouse for the Ppp2r2a gene, encoding the PP2A-B55α regulatory subunit, using CRISPR/Cas9. Heterozygous animals developed and grew as normal, however, homozygous knockout mice were not viable. Analysis of embryos at different developmental stages found a normal Mendelian ratio of Ppp2r2a–/– embryos at embryonic day (E) 10.5 (25%), but reduced Ppp2r2a–/– embryos at E14.5 (18%), and further reduced at E18.5 (10%). No live Ppp2r2a–/– pups were observed at birth. Ppp2r2a–/– embryos were significantly smaller than wild-type or heterozygous littermates and displayed a variety of neural defects such as exencephaly, spina bifida, and cranial vault collapse, as well as syndactyly and severe epidermal defects; all processes driven by growth and differentiation of the ectoderm. Ppp2r2a–/– embryos had incomplete epidermal barrier acquisition, associated with thin, poorly differentiated stratified epithelium with weak attachment to the underlying dermis. The basal keratinocytes in Ppp2r2a–/– embryos were highly disorganized, with reduced immunolabeling of integrins and basement membrane proteins, suggesting impaired focal adhesion and hemidesmosome assembly. The spinous and granular layers were thinner in the Ppp2r2a–/– embryos, with aberrant expression of adherens and tight junction associated proteins. The overlying stratum corneum was either absent or incomplete. Thus PP2A-B55α is an essential regulator of epidermal stratification, and is essential for ectodermal development during embryogenesis.

Introduction: The outbreak of a novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19; previously known as 2019-nCoV) was the beginning of one of the largest and most critical COVID-19 clusters in the world since late December 2019. Despite intensive prevention measures, the epidemic tends to propagate and the number of patients infected is growing. The case-fatality incidence was very high and is driven by very elderly people. Methods: in this study, we collected data from the (Covidgraph.com) database as the number of infection cases in the world reached 2736188 infections and the number of recovery cases reached 751805 and the number of deaths reached 191423.Results: it turns out that the virus infects older people and the older a person is, the higher the chance of infection with the virus. Results from this analysis the mean age of death is 78 years. Data from 106,399 cases and 12,550 deaths in Italy, to 2 April. In Spain, they are based on 7 April, 88,144 cases, and 3,479 deaths. There were less than 80 deaths in patients younger than 50 years of age. Conclusion: Coronavirus is a global epidemic, and it's hard to control, and it's not enough to prevent people from spreading the virus. The age groups most vulnerable to lethality are shown in this paper, in Italy, the virus destroys people over 75 years of age, In Spain, however, the virus destroys people aged over 85 Taking into account numerous comorbidities, including psychiatric, cerebrovascular, endocrine, metabolic, and respiratory disorders.

ABSTRACT The venom characterization of Lansberg’s hognose viper (Porthidium lansbergii hutmanni) was described using a combination of SDS-PAGE are 1 and 2d electrophoresis, MALDI TOF/TOF and tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS / MS), as well as some proteolytic activities. This study shown the existence of metallo and serine proteases, cysteine-rich proteins (CRISPs), and L-amino acid oxidases (LAAOs), which appeared in variable amounts. It was also described, for the first time in this venom, the presence of the glutaminil-cyclase (vQC) that had been only before observed in species of Crotalus atrox, C. godmani, C. d. terrificus and M. fulvius of the American continent, but not in Porthidium genus. The presence of toxins with a gelatinolytic and caseinolytic activity was also defined. The crude venoms are excellent sources of enzymatic and non-enzymatic actions, which should be purified and characterized with the aim of their possible use as therapeutic agents, in antitumor and haemostatic treatments. RESUMEN La caracterización del veneno del Porthidium lansbergii hutmanni se realizó utilizando una combinación de electroforesis (SDSPAGE) de una y dos dimensiones, por MALDI TOF / TOF y espectrometría de masas en tándem (LC-MS/MS), así como algunas actividades proteolíticas usando caseína y gelatina. Este estudio reveló la existencia de metalo y serino proteasas, proteínas ricas en cisteína (CRISP) y L-aminoacido oxidasas (LAAOs), que aparecieron en cantidades variables. También se describió, por primera vez en este veneno, la presencia de la glutaminilciclasa (vQC) que solo se había observado anteriormente en especies de Crotalus atrox, C. godmani, C. durissus terrificus y M. fulvius del continente americano, pero no en el género Porthidium. También se definió la presencia de toxinas con actividades gelatinolítica y caseinolítica. Los venenos crudos son una excelente fuente de acciones enzimáticas y no enzimáticas, que deben ser purificadas y caracterizadas con el objetivo de su posible uso como agentes terapéuticos, en tratamientos antitumorales y hemostáticos.

Abstract: Background: Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis are life-threatening blistering drug reactions with high incidence of ocular sequela. The term ‘Epidermal Necrolysis’ has been recently used to better describe the full spectrum of the disease that includes Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis at opposite ends, which differ by the extent of body surface area with epidermal detachment. SCORTEN is a mortality prognosis score for ‘Epidermal Necrolysis’ cases that still needed validation in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Objective: To evaluate the SCORTEN performance in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, and the differences in outcomes between acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and non- acquired immunodeficiency syndrome cohorts. Methods: Retrospective cohort study of AIDS and non-AIDS ‘Epidermal Necrolysis’ cases admitted to a Brazilian reference center from 1990-2014. Results: Five deaths (16.7%) occurred as a consequence of EN in 30 AIDS patients, and seven (17.9%) in 39 non-AIDS patients, relative risk (RR) .92 (p=1.0). SCORTEN showed great performance, with an Area Under the Receiver Operating Curve (AUC) (ROC) of 0.90 with a 95% confidence interval ranging from .81 to .99. The performance of SCORTEN was better among non- AIDS patients than AIDS patients: AUC non- acquired immunodeficiency syndrome =0.99 (CI 05% 0.96-1.00), AUC acquired immunodeficiency syndrome = 0.74 (CI 95% 0.53-0.95), p=.02. Study Limitations: Heterogeneity of cases, wide variation of systemic corticosteroid doses when used. Conclusion: SCORTEN is valid for the Brazilian population, including among those patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, and, as such, its use is recommended for aiding treatment choice in this subgroup of patients.

Background: Suicide attempts (SA) is a global mental health problem, especially in Spain. Classical research has focused on determining the risk variables; however, few studies focused on protective variables. The aim was to assess which protective variables are more predictive of the greater or lesser lethality of a made SA. Methods: The sample consisted of 156 people who had been admitted to Emergency Department (ED) for SA, aged between 18 and 49 years Mean (M) = 26, Standard Deviation (SD) = ± 10.8. The sample was divided into three groups defined according to the level of lethality of the made SA. Protective variables related to resilience were assessed. Results: The results suggest that self-efficacy and social support are protective predictors for future SA, along with being male. The protective variables explain the degree of lower suicide lethality, with the model proposed (set of independent variables) being significant and explaining between 0.12 and 0.68 of the dependent variable, correctly classifying 84.8% of the cases (R2 de Nagelkerke = 0.76). Conclusions: This study is further evidence of the need for effective suicide prevention and intervention plans adapted to gender differences in behaviour and further research in this line of work. Future studies on large patient samples are now needed, especially with a longitudinal design.

To explore the effects of different gene combinations on the pathogenicity of the rabies virus (RABV), six chimeric RABV mutants, rRC-HL(G), rRC-HL(NG), rRC-HL(PG), rRC-HL(NP), rRC-HL(NM) and rRC-HL(NPG), were constructed using a reverse genetic technique based on an avirulent parental rRC-HL strain and a virulent parental GX074 isolate. These mutants were intracerebrally inoculated into adult mice. The results indicated that 102 ffu and 106 ffu of rRC-HL(G), rRC-HL(NG), rRC-HL(PG) and rRC-HL(NPG) were 100% lethal. In the case of intramuscular viral infection, none of the mice inoculated with 102 ffu of any of the RABV mutants, including GX074, died; at 106 ffu, rRC-HL(G) was lethal in 2/5 cases, rRC-HL(NG) was lethal in 1/5 cases and rRC-HL(PG) was lethal for 2/5 mice. The rRC-HL(NPG) mutant was fatal for 3/5 mice, as was the parental GX074. Furthermore, the LD50 values of the chimeric RABV mutants were measured, with the results showing that the LD50 values of both rRC-HL(NG) and rRC-HL(PG) were lower than that of rRC-HL(G), but higher than that of rRC-HL(NPG). Thus, the action of N + G, or P + G, or N + P + G gene combinations may be more pronounced than that of the G gene alone. Body weight changes and the clinical symptoms of the tested mice were consistent with pathogenicity. These data indicate that the N and P genes are involved in and facilitate the pathogenicity of the RABV G gene. These experiments provide further evidence that multi-gene cooperation is responsible for the virulence of RABV.

Lethality of rice husk ash (RHA) and a diatomaceous earth (SilicoSec) (DE) to adults of Sitophilus zeamais, S. granarius, Lasioderma serricorne and Callosobruchus maculatus was investigated under controlled conditions of 25 ± 2° C and 60 ± 3% relative humidity. Each product was tested at 0.05 g to 0.5 g/20 g of grain respectively in glass Petri dishes against 20 adults of each beetle. Adult mortality was observed up to 10 days post treatment. RHA/DE mixtures (1:1, 3:1 and 1:3 ratios) were also tested at 2% of grain weight. Additionally, RHA and DE were tested at low dosages (0.01 g to 0.04 g/20 g) against adults of C. maculatus alone. The DE generally produced significantly higher mortality of all the adult storage beetles and at earlier observation times, than RHA at the lower dosages (< 0.2 g). Adult mortality produced by RHA and DE in S. zeamais and S. granarius increased with increase in dosage from 0.05 g to 0.5 g. The RHA/DE mixtures generally produced similar mortality of all the adult storage beetles irrespective of post-treatment exposure time. The S. zeamais and S. granarius were generally more tolerant to the DE and RHA treatments than L. serricorne and C. maculatus. Percentage mortality of C. maculatus adults when DE was applied at low dosages (0.01 g to 0.04 g) was generally higher than RHA applied at similar dosages, up to 3 days-post treatment. All treatments produced 100% mortality of C. maculatus adults 4 days-post treatment. The data further confirm the efficacy of DE and RHA as insecticidal dusts at the dosage rate of 0.5 g or more per kg of grain.

The objective of the study: to define the informative value of qSOFA score in the prediction of sepsis outcomes in the patients admitted to the intensive care wards of medical units in the Russian Federation.Subjects and methods. The multi-center, prospective, and observational trial was conducted. The following data were analyzed in the patients admitted to intensive care wards: number of qSOFA and SOFA scores, the presence of SIRS criteria, levels of lactate, and the outcome of the admission to the intensive care wards. The informative value of different scores and lactate level was analyzed using ROC-analysis.Results. The following areas under ROC-curves were defined for prediction of a lethal outcome in the patients with sepsis: qSOFA – 0.644 (95% CI 0.593–0.693); SOFA – 0.731 (95% CI 0.683–0.776); SIRS – 0.508 (95% CI 0.456–0.560); [qSOFA + lactate ≥ 4 mmol/L] – 0.713 (95% CI 0.646–0.774).Conclusion. To predict a lethal outcome in the patients with sepsis admitted to intensive care wards, qSOFA surpasses SIRS criteria, but it is not as good as SOFA score. The informative value of the prediction model [qSOFA+lactate ≥ 4 mmol/L] surpasses qSOFA score in the prediction of the outcome in sepsis patients, and it is as good as SOFA score.

The tragic statistics reflecting lethality and survival in children with burns have significantly changed over the last 70 years. A retrospective, non-randomized trial was performed aimed to detect factors providing an impact on survival in a pediatric burns center (1382 children at the age from 0 to 18 years were enrolled in the trial). The inclusion criteria were thermal injuries with hot liquid or flame of more than 20% of the total body surface area, and the area of 10-20% including eyes, ears, face and extremities. The patients were admitted to the intensive care wards of Speransky Children Municipal Clinical Hospital no.9, during the first 72 hours after thermal injury for the period from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2017.The survival was analyzed using the log-rank test, Kaplan – Meier curves, and Cox regression analysis, and the results demonstrated the significance of the number of factors: early transfer of pediatric patients to a special unit, thermal inhalation injuries, ≥ 12 scores as per ABSI scale, and female gender. The tender age is not one of the factors providing the impact on the survival of such patients.

The health of servicemen has always been one of the main factors playing a decisive role in the battle. The level of development of medical knowledge of military doctors plays an enormous role in maintaining the health of the personnel of the troops, together with their proper improvement. Sanitary losses of troops during the wars of the XIX-XX centuries have always been huge and depended mainly on infections, including wound infections, which many times exceeded the number of deaths during battles. Infectious complications of wounds of different genesis remain one of the most difficult problems of surgery in both peaceful and wartime. It should be noted, that Louis Pasteur was the first who spoke about infectious diseases at infectious diseases in 1862, and already in 1865, on the basis of Pasteur's experiments, the English surgeon Joseph Lister suggested using carbolic acid to fight infected wounds. These works laid the foundation of antiseptics, contributing to significant success in surgery. At the present time, new microorganisms have come to replace the classical pathogens of infectious diseases, contributing to the development of infectious complications, an increase in the duration of treatment and lethality.

Abstract Background Understanding the general trends in developmental changes during animal evolution, which are often associated with morphological diversification, has long been a central issue in evolutionary developmental biology. Recent comparative transcriptomic studies revealed that gene expression profiles of mid-embryonic period tend to be more evolutionarily conserved than those in earlier or later periods. While the hourglass-like divergence of developmental processes has been demonstrated in a variety of animal groups such as vertebrates, arthropods, and nematodes, the exact mechanism leading to this mid-embryonic conservation remains to be clarified. One possibility is that the mid-embryonic period (pharyngula period in vertebrates) is highly prone to embryonic lethality, and the resulting negative selections lead to evolutionary conservation of this phase. Here, we tested this “mid-embryonic lethality hypothesis” by measuring the rate of lethal phenotypes of three different species of vertebrate embryos subjected to two kinds of perturbations: transient perturbations and genetic mutations. Results By subjecting zebrafish (Danio rerio), African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis), and chicken (Gallus gallus) embryos to transient perturbations, namely heat shock and inhibitor treatments during three developmental periods [early (represented by blastula and gastrula), pharyngula, and late], we found that the early stages showed the highest rate of lethal phenotypes in all three species. This result was corroborated by perturbation with genetic mutations. By tracking the survival rate of wild-type embryos and embryos with genetic mutations induced by UV irradiation in zebrafish and African clawed frogs, we found that the highest decrease in survival rate was at the early stages particularly around gastrulation in both these species. Conclusion In opposition to the “mid-embryonic lethality hypothesis,” our results consistently showed that the stage with the highest lethality was not around the conserved pharyngula period, but rather around the early period in all the vertebrate species tested. These results suggest that negative selection by embryonic lethality could not explain hourglass-like conservation of animal embryos. This highlights the potential contribution of alternative mechanisms such as the diversifying effect of positive selections against earlier and later stages, and developmental constraints which lead to conservation of mid-embryonic stages.

Objective: To assess the clinical course of uterine cervical cancer (UCC) against the background of HIV infection and its complex diagnosis. Methods: A retrospective analysis carried out to 847 outpatient cards of patients for the period 2016-2017. Of these, 17 were HIV-positive. Two groups were formed: group I – patients with UCC on the background of HIV, group II – patients with UCC without HIV. The mean age was 37.4±0.2 and 52.8±0.3 years, respectively. Stages of UCC in group I: IIB – 6 (35.5%), IIIA – 4 (23.5%), IIIB – 6 (35.5%), IVB – 1 (5.5%); in the II group: IB – 3 (15%), IIB – 10 (50%), IIIB – 6 (30%), IVB – 1 (5%). Distribution according to the histological structure in group I: squamous nonkeratinized cancer – 11 (68.75%), keratinizing – 1 (6.25%), adenocarcinoma – 4 (25%). In group II: squamous nonkeratinized cancer – 13 (65%), squamous keratinizing – 3 (15%), adenocarcinoma – 4 (2%). The groups were comparable in treatment methods: in both groups, chemoradiation therapy was used according to standard schemes. Results: Indicators in the I group: lethality – 4 (23.5%), stabilization – 5 (23.5%), progression – 8 (53%); in the second group: lethality – 1 (5%), stabilization – 14 (70%), progression – 5 (25%). Conclusion: UCC in the background of HIV infection occurs at an earlier age. The predominance of stage IIB disease and squamous nonkeratinized cancer in both groups was noted. Mortality within the first year, stabilization and progression in the I and II groups were 23.5%, 23.5%, 53% and 5%, 70%, 25%, respectively.

Background: Excess mortality is a critical hallmark of bipolar disorder (BD) due to co‐occurring general medical disorders and especially from suicide. It is timely to review of the status of suicide in BD and to consider the possibility of limiting suicidal risk. Methods: We carried out a semi‐systematic review of recent research reports pertaining to suicide in BD. Findings: Suicide risk in BD is greater than with most other psychiatric disorders. Suicide rates (per 100,000/year) are approximately 11 and 4 in the adult and juvenile general populations, but over 200 in adults, and 100 among juveniles diagnosed with BD. Suicide attempt rates with BD are at least 20 times higher than in the adult general population, and over 50 times higher among juveniles. Notable suicidal risk factors in BD include: previous suicidal acts, depression, mixed–agitated‐dysphoric moods, rapid mood‐shifts, impulsivity, and co‐occurring substance abuse. Suicide‐preventing therapeutics for BD remain severely underdeveloped. Evidence favoring lithium treatment is stronger than for other measures, although encouraging findings are emerging for other treatments. Conclusions: Suicide is a leading clinical challenge for those caring for BD patients. Improved understanding of risk and protective factors combined with knowledge and close follow‐up of BD patients should limit suicidal risk. Ethically appropriate and scientifically sound studies of plausible medicinal, physical, and psychosocial treatments aimed at suicide prevention specifically for BD patients are urgently needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A wide range of potential psychosocial, biological, genetic and environmental factors may interact with each other in determining suicidal behaviours. The aim of this study was to evaluate several biological parameters referred to the complete blood count values in 259 suicide attempters (SA) and 164 non-suicide attempters (control group), according to the lethality of suicidal behaviour. After attempting suicide, subjects were admitted to the emergency ward of the IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino and later to the section of Psychiatry from 1 January 2014 to 31 June 2019. Socio-demographic and clinical characteristics, as well as blood cells, were collected. Individuals with high-lethality suicide attempts had a higher number of neutrophils, mean platelet volume, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, platelet-lymphocyte ratio, and lower number of lymphocytes relative to both those with low-lethality suicide attempts and control group. After regression analysis, only the mean platelet volume and platelet to lymphocyte ratio resulted associated with a high-lethality suicide attempt (HLSA). Our findings provide potential and useful peripheral biological markers able to help clinicians in understanding the complex phenomenon of suicide. However, further studies are needed to confirm the present findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Suicide attempts of the older adults are known to be more serious than that of the younger adults. Despite its major social impact in South Korea, the behavioral mechanism of serious suicide attempt (SSA) in old people remains to be elucidated. Thus, we investigated the risk factors for SSA in older and younger suicide attempters in the emergency department. Methods: Demographic data, clinical information, and the level of seriousness of suicide with Risk Rescue Rating Scale were compared between older (age ≥65) and younger (age <65) adults who visited the emergency department for a suicide attempt. Regression analyses were performed to identify the risk factors for SSA in these two groups. Results: Among 370 patients, 37 were older adults (10%; aged 74.41 ± 6.78), more likely to have another medical disease (p < 0.001), and a higher suicide completion rate (16.2 vs. 5.4%, p = 0.023). In the younger group, old age (B = 0.090, p < 0.001), male sex (B = −0.038, p = 0.019), and impression of schizophrenia (B = 0.074, p = 0.027) were associated with a higher risk-rescue ratio and interpersonal stress condition was associated with a lower risk-rescue ratio (B = −0.045, p = 0.006). In the older group, however, no variables were included significant in the regression model for the Risk Rescue Rating Scale. Conclusions: Demographic and clinical factors such as old age, male sex, interpersonal stress, and impression of schizophrenia were associated with lethality in the younger suicide attempters. However, no factors were associated with SSA in the older adult group. Different mechanisms may underly the lethality in old age suicide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current animal models of hematopoietic-acute radiation syndrome (H-ARS) are resource intensive and have limited translation to humans, thereby inhibiting the development of effective medical countermeasures (MCM)s for radiation exposure. To improve the MCM pipeline, we developed models of H-ARS in male Göttingen and Sinclair minipigs. Weight matched Göttingens and Sinclairs received total body irradiation (TBI; 1.50–2.10 Gy and 1.94–2.90 Gy, respectively), were observed for up to 45 days with blood collections for clinical pathology analysis, and were examined during gross necropsy. The lethal dose for 50% of the population over the course of 45 days (LD50/45) with 'field' supportive care (primarily antibiotics and hydration support) and implanted vascular access ports was 1.89 and 2.53 Gy for Göttingens and Sinclairs, respectively. Both minipig strains exhibited prototypical H-ARS characteristics, experiencing thrombocytopenia and neutropenia, and nadirs approximately 14 days following irradiation, slightly varying with dose. Both strains experienced increased bruising, petechia, and signs of internal hemorrhage in the lungs, GI, heart, and skin. All observations were noted to correlate with dose more closely in Sinclairs than in Göttingens. The results of this study provide a template for future MCM development in an alternate species, and support further development of the Göttingen and Sinclair minipig H-ARS models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies of ship strikes on whales often focus on large vessels (>20 m), with attention to their speeds and the resulting risk of lethality. Smaller coastal vessels also co‐occur with whales, resulting in collisions that merit study. To cast light on injuries caused by vessels of all sizes, we used knowledge of right whale anatomy and Newtonian mechanics to construct simple models that predict the mechanical stresses experienced by whales during collisions. By comparing our predictions with published models and with data from ship strikes on various whale species, we developed a model for lethal injury as a function of several vessel and whale properties, finding that collisions that create stresses in excess of 0.241 MPa were likely to cause lethal injuries to large whales. Furthermore, this model has revealed that (1) vessels of all sizes can yield stresses higher than this critical level, and (2) large vessels produce stresses much larger than this even when travelling at reduced speeds (i.e., 10 knots). The model is fast enough to power an interactive GUI‐based tool (in R) and flexible enough to simulate strikes by vessels of different masses and speeds upon whales of different species, sizes, and physical conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single suicide attempters (SSAs) and multiple suicide attempters (MSAs) represent distinct subgroups of individuals with specific risk factors and clinical characteristics. This retrospective study on a sample of 397 adult psychiatric inpatients analyzed the main sociodemographic and clinical differences between SSAs and MSAs and the possible differences between SSAs, MSAs, and psychiatric patients with and without suicidal ideation (SI). Clinical variables collected included psychiatric diagnoses (Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview), presence of substance use, current suicide risk status (Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale), Clinical Global Impression at admission, Global Assessment of Functioning improvement between admission and discharge, age at onset of psychiatric illness, duration of untreated illness in years, number of hospitalizations in psychiatric settings, and lethality of the most severe suicide attempt. A multinomial logistic regression model with groups showed that MSAs had a higher lethality of their last suicide attempt as compared to SSAs. In addition, MSAs had distinct sociodemographic characteristics compared to both SSAs and patients with SI. Although the study was limited by the relatively small sample size and retrospective nature, the present results suggest that identifying MSAs could be useful in predicting suicide risk and designing ad hoc prevention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This retrospective cohort study included all the subjects diagnosed with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection (n = 2493) in 2 Italian provinces. Two hundred fifty-eight persons died, after a median of 14.0 ± 11.0 days. Adjusting for age, gender, and main comorbidities, the ≥28-day case-fatality rate did not decrease from March to April 2020 (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.93; P  = .6). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Acta Medica Croatica is the property of Croatian Academy of Medical Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Bulletin de la Société de Pathologie Exotique is the property of John Libbey Eurotext Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Habanera de Ciencias Médicas is the property of Universidad de Ciencias Medicas de La Habana and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The lesser-known Sundaic lance-headed pit vipers Trimeresurus wiroti (Malaysia) and Trimeresurus puniceus (Indonesia) contribute to the disease burden of snakebite envenomation in Southeast Asia, but their venom toxicity and neutralization remain insufficiently investigated. This study demonstrated that both venoms were procoagulant (involving thrombin-like activity), hemorrhagic, and lethal to mice, with T. wiroti venom being more lethal (LD 50 = 0.78 μg/g c.f. 1.21 μg/g). The hetero-specific antivenom from Thailand, Green Pit Viper Antivenom (GPVAV, raised against Trimeresurus albolabris) cross-reacted with T. wiroti and T. puniceus venoms with a higher efficacy of immunological binding activity for the latter. The antivenom was also effective in cross-neutralizing the procoagulant, hemorrhagic and lethal effects of the venoms. In lethality neutralization, GPVAV showed a potency of 0.79–1.05 mg venom per mL antivenom, corresponding to the complete neutralization of approximately 8–10 mg venom per unit vial of antivenom for T. wiroti and T. puniceus venoms. Taken together, it was inferred that T. wiroti , T. puniceus , and T. albolabris venoms share common toxin epitopes, thus enabling the cross-neutralization observed. These findings suggest that GPVAV may be potentially useful in the management of envenomation by T. wiroti and T. puniceus while awaiting clinical trial and validation. Image 1 • Lesser-known Trimeresurus wiroti and Trimeresurus puniceus venoms were studied. • Both venoms exhibited procoagulant, hemorrhagic and lethal activities. • Thai Green Pit Viper Antivenom (GPVAV) cross-reacted with the venoms. • GPVAV effectively cross-neutralized the hemotoxic and lethal effects of the venoms. • GPVAV may be potentially useful in treating T. wiroti and T. puniceus envenomings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Lethality Assessment Program (LAP) aims to empower law enforcement officers to screen victims of domestic violence for potential lethality and connect them to service providers. This research surveyed domestic violence victims seeking legal services (n = 141) to assess whether LAP receipt is associated with greater rates of self-protective measures, service use, or empowerment, and to examine victims' perspectives on the LAP process. Findings indicate no relationship between receipt of the LAP and use of self-protective measures or victim empowerment, mixed evidence between receipt of the LAP and service utilization, and room for improvement regarding how law enforcement officers explain the LAP to victims. Implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we provide a presentation of the most popular metrics and systematically apply them to seven terrorist networks studied in the literature and to three new ISIS-affiliated networks. This study then investigates the correlates between structural network characteristics and severity of the attack carried out by the terrorists. Such approach allows us to analyze these networks from several perspectives and to use them to discuss about the security/efficiency trade-off. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stonefish sting lethality in man has been scarcely documented since the middle of the 20th century. We report three clinical cases, including one fatality, emphasizing the cardiovascular toxicity of the Synanceia verrucosa venom, and its potentially lethal effects. All clinical data have been recently collected in New Caledonia and French Polynesia. • Stonefish sting is to be considered as a life-threatening event. • Envenomation may lead to acute pulmonary edema and/or cardiopulmonary arrest. • Prognosis relies on early cardiopulmonary resuscitation and on supportive respiratory care. • Stonefish antivenom is recommended in severe stonefish envenomation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The toxicity of the herbicide Ronstar® to Clarias gariepinus and the behavioural responses of individual fish were studied in a static renewal bioassay system. One hundred and eighty juveniles of C. gariepinus (mean weight 58.86 ± 2.46 g and mean length 24. 6 ± 1.02 cm) were exposed to different concentrations (0.0. 1.0, 3.0, 6.0, 9.0 and 12.0 mg l–1) of Ronstar for 96 h. The mortality and behavioural responses to the test concentrations were recorded every 24 h. The LC50 of Ronstar at 24, 48, 72 and 96 h were 48.67 ± 4.82, 9.62 ± 1.07, 7.86 ± 0.062 and 1.72 ± 0.041 mg l−1, respectively. The mortality of C. gariepinus increased with both duration of exposure to, and concentration of, herbicide. Compared with the control, the aberrant behavioural responses observed include uncoordinated swimming, lethargy, increased opercula and tail beats, as well as the frequency of coming to the surface to gulp air. The opercula and tail beats, as well as the frequency of coming to the surface, were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than the control within the first 48 h of exposure. The current study underscores the importance of integrating ethological changes in fish as an early warning signal of pollution into ecotoxicological surveillance programme of water bodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Annales Françaises de Médecine d'Urgence is the property of John Libbey Eurotext Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Since membranes play essential roles in all living beings, all cells have developed mechanisms for efficient and fast repair of membrane damage. In Escherichia coli , the Phage shock stress A (PspA) protein is involved in the maintenance of the integrity of its inner membrane in response to the damage produced by exposure to stress conditions. A role in thylakoid membrane maintenance and reorganization has been proposed for Vesicle Inducing Protein in Plastid 1 (VIPP1), the putative PspA ortholog in Arabidopsis thaliana. While some membranes of plant cells have been extensively studied, the biosynthesis and maintenance of chloroplast thylakoid membrane remains poorly known. Here, we report the cloning and functional characterization of the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) ortholog of Escherichia coli PspA and Arabidopsis thaliana VIPP1 , which we dubbed SlVIPP1. Our genetic and molecular characterization of slvipp1 , an insertional mutant, allowed us to conclude that the tomato SlVIPP1 gene is needed for development, as Arabidopsis VIPP1 , but not Escherichia coli PspA. Homozygous slvipp1 tomato plants are albino and exhibit early lethality and highly aberrant chloroplast development with almost complete absence of thylakoids. The phenotype of tomato RNAi lines and that of additional slvipp1 alleles generated by CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology confirmed that the morphological and histological aberrations shown by slvipp1 homozygotes are caused by VIPP1 lack of function. We also found that tomato SlVIPP1 overexpression does not cause any visible effect on plant morphology and viability. Our work with slvipp1 plants evidences that SlVIPP1 is an essential gene required for tomato survival, since its function is crucial for the proper formation and/or maintenance of thylakoid membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Treatment of scorpion envenomation is a challenging issue since serotherapy is implemented by administration of polyvalent equine antisera. In our previous study we discovered that recombinant phospholipase D1 (Hl-RecPLD1) is responsible for the lethality of Hemiscorpius lepturus (H. lepturus) venom in mice. Accordingly, this study was aimed to investigate the protectivity of purified anti-Hl-RecPLD1 IgG against the lethality or major complications of H. lepturus venom. The neutralization efficiency of purified anti-Hl-RecPLD1 IgGs against sphingomyelinase activities of the crude venom and Hl-RecPLD1 was also assessed. Anti-Hl-RecPLD1 IgGs at optimum amount of 3.7 mg completely neutralized one Lethal Dose 100 (LD 100) of crude venom in mice. The anti-Hl-RecPLD1 IgGs remarkably reduced the necrosis area from 6.5 to 1 cm2 in rabbit derma, induced by the crude venom. The anti-Hl-RecPLD1 IgGs remarkably reduced the sphingomyelinase and hemolytic activities of crude venom as well. In conclusion, a novel rabbit monovalent IgG against Hl-RecPLD1 was able to completely protect the mice against the lethality of H. lepturus crude venom and reduced its toxicity as well. Such monovalent anti-Hl-RecPLD1 IgGs may have potential applications in serotherapy of H. lepturus envenomation. • Anti-Hemiscorpius lepturus recombinant phospholipase D1 protected the mice against lethality. • Anti-recombinant phospholipase D1 prevented the hemolytic and dermonecrotic activity of venom. • Anti-recombinant phospholipase D1 is a monospecific neutralizing antibody. • The neutralizing efficiency of the antibody was similar to the commercial antisera. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate GTN lethality among Brazilian women comparing cases of death by GTN with those who survived, thereby identifying factors associated with GTN lethality. We retrospectively reviewed medical records of women with GTN treated at ten Brazilian GTN Reference Centers, from January 1960 to December 2017. We evaluated factors associated with death from GTN and used Cox proportional hazards regression models to identify independent variables with significant influence on the risk of death. From 2186 patients with GTN included in this study, 2092 (95.7%) survived and 89 (4%) died due to GTN. When analyzing the relative risk (RR), adjusted for WHO/FIGO score, patients with low risk disease had a significantly higher risk of death if they had choriocarcinoma (RR: 12.40), metastatic disease (RR: 12.57), chemoresistance (RR: 3.18) or initial treatment outside the Reference Center (RR: 12.22). In relation to patients with high-risk GTN, these factors were significantly associated with death due to GTN: the time between the end of antecedent pregnancy and the initiation of chemotherapy (RR: 4.10), metastatic disease (RR: 14.66), especially in brain (RR: 8.73) and liver (RR: 5.76); absence of chemotherapy or initial treatment with single agent chemotherapy (RR: 10.58 and RR: 1.81, respectively), chemoresistance (RR: 3.20) and the initial treatment outside the Reference Center (RR: 28.30). The risk of mortality from low and high-risk GTN can be reduced by referral of these patients to a Reference Center or, if not possible, to involve clinicians in a Reference Center with consultation regarding management. • Our study is the first to independently analyze risk factors for death among low and high-risk GTN, compared with survivors. • Choriocarcinoma, metastatic disease and initial treatment outside the Reference Center are risk factors for GTN lethality. • Concentrating treatment for GTN at Reference Centers is one strategy associated with reduced lethality from this disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Thailand, two species of rhizostome jellyfish, Rhopilema hispidum and Lobonemoides robustus, are commercially harvested. The cnidomes, nematocyst size and toxicities were compared between these species. Rhopilema hispidum and L. robustus each had four types of nematocysts on their oral arms. For R. hispidum, these nematocyst types included two types of isorhiza and two types of rhopaloid, while in L. robustus, there were three types of isorhiza and one type of rhopaloid. For R. hispidum, tubule lengths of the largest nematocyst type (large round isorhiza; mean ± SD = 313.8 ± 62.2 μm) were significantly longer than those of L. robustus (large ellipsoid rhopaloid; 162.1 ± 38.5 μm). Using the freshwater shrimp, Palaemon paucidens, in a bioassay, we determined that the lethal nematocyst concentrations for R. hispidum and L. robustus were 5705.3 ± 1118.1 and 3408.3 ± 1032.9 unit g−1 wet weight, respectively, and that these concentrations were significantly higher in the former than in the latter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]