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This study reports the synthesis of Cu micro-/nanosized particles through the polyol process. Cu particles were synthesized by reducing copper(ii) chloride in ethylene glycol (EG), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), and potassium bromide (KBr) at low temperatures with or without the use of sodium borohydride (NaBH 4 )., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

This work presents the preparation of bioactive glasses 70SiO 2 -(26 - x )CaO-4P 2 O 5 - x Ag 2 O (with x = 0, 1, 3, 10 mol%) by a modified sol-gel method with reduced synthesis time based on hydrothermal reaction in a medium without acid or base catalysts. The synthetic materials were characterized by several physical-chemical techniques such as TG-DSC, XRD, SEM, TEM, and N 2 adsorption/desorption measurement. The analysis data confirmed that the glass sample not containing Ag has a completely amorphous structure, while glass samples containing Ag exhibited a pure phase of metallic nano-silver in the glass amorphous phase. All the synthetic glasses have mesoporous structures with particle sizes of less than 30 nm. The addition of silver to the bioactive glass structure in general did not drastically reduce the specific surface areas and pore volumes of glasses as in previous studies. The bioactivity of the silver-incorporated glasses did not reduce, and even increased in the cases of bioactive glass containing 3, and 10 mol% of Ag 2 O. The biocompatibility of synthetic glasses with fibroblast cells (L-929) was confirmed, even with glass containing high amounts of Ag. Representatively, Ag-incorporated glass samples (sample x = 3, and x = 10) were selected to check the antibacterial ability using bacterial strain Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 (Pa). The obtained results indicated that these glasses exhibited good antibacterial ability to Pseudomonas aeruginosa . Thus, the synthetic method in this study proved to be a fast, environmentally friendly technique for synthesizing Ag-incorporated glass systems. The synthesized glasses show good bioactive, biocompatible, and antibacterial properties., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest in this work., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Background: Treatment for large defects in the non-weight-bearing Achilles tendon and soft tissues remains a reconstructive challenge. The free composite anterolateral thigh flap (ALT) with fascia lata (FL) has been indicated in the single-stage reconstruction of the Achilles tendon and soft tissue defect and this technique remain some disadvantages, such as the inability to perform primary flap thinning, requiring secondary flap thinning, and the delayed normalization of the range of motion of the ankle joint. The free chimeric ALT flap with FL was introduced as a novel alternative with many advantages in reconstructing the Achilles tendon and soft tissue defects. This paper reports the reconstruction of the massive Achilles tendon and overlying skin defects using free chimeric ALT flaps with FL., Methods: From June 2017 to October 2020, we performed on a series of 5 patients receiving free chimeric ALT flaps with FL to reconstruct the Achilles tendon and soft tissue defects. The age of patients ranged from 43 to 62 years old. All five patients had full-layer defects of the Achilles tendon with infection. The sizes of the skin defects ranged from 6 × 4 cm to 12 × 10 cm. The perforators from the descending branch of the lateral circumflex femoral arteries are located using a handheld Doppler. The perforators help to design the outline of the ALT flap and fascia flap. The skin flap was thinned under microscopy if the flap was too thick. The anastomosis was accomplished before insetting the flaps into the defect., Results: The size of the ALT flap ranged from 10 × 5 cm to 15 × 12 cm, and the size of the FL flap ranged from 7 × 4 cm to 10 × 8 cm. The mean perforator length for the skin flap and fascia lata was 3.3 cm (range, 2.5-5.0 cm) and 5.3 cm (range, 3.5-7.0 cm), respectively. Four patients received skin flap thinning up to 57%-79% of the flap thickness, while one patient did not need to debulk. The thickness of the ALT flap ranged from 6 to 13 mm. All the flaps survived completely and postoperative courses were uneventful without any complications. The follow-up time ranged from 12 to 51 months. All patients were able to stand and ambulate, and they were satisfied with the reconstructive results., Conclusions: The free thin chimeric ALT with FL flap is appeared to be an appropriate treatment for the massive Achilles tendon and overlying skin defects. This may be a practical approach to improve the functional outcomes of patients with infected massive Achilles tendon and overlying skin defects., (© 2022 The Authors. Microsurgery published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Objectives: Evaluation of bite force one, two, and four weeks after discharge following treatment of Le Fort I and/or Le Fort II fracture by rigid fixation and mandibulomaxillary fixation., Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate bite force following treatment of Le Fort I and/or Le Fort II fractures by rigid fixation and mandibulomaxillary fixation at one, two, and four weeks after discharge. This provides valuable results to guide the development of a treatment protocol for Le Fort fractures., Method: This was a prospective study including 31 patients who underwent followup examination three times after being discharged from hospital. The examination evaluated bite force using a bite force meter in the right molar, left molar, and incisor regions., Results: One week after discharge, bite forces in the right molar, left molar, and incisor regions were 94.29 ± 58.80 N, 95.42 ± 57.34 N, and 39,94 ± 30,29 N, respectively. Two weeks after discharge, bite forces in the right molar, left molar, and incisor regions were 153.84 ± 89.14 N, 153.00 ± 78.55 N, and 65,9 ± 43.89 N, respectively. Four weeks after discharge, bite forces in the right molar, left molar, and incisor regions were 279.77 ± 95.46 N, 285.00 ± 90,47 N, and 123.42 ± 54.04 N, respectively., Conclusions: Bite forces in the right molar, left molar, and incisor regions were significantly increased one week, two weeks, and four weeks after discharge. Bite force may be a helpful parameter to confirm the stability of the midface bone after treatment of Le Fort fractures., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest to declare., (© 2021 Doan-Van Ngoc, Le Hoai Phuc, Cao Huu Tien, Nguyen-Van Tuan, Le Trung Chanh, Lam Hoai Phuong, Nguyen Minh Duc.)

Background: We aimed to determine the minimum effective period of mandibulomaxillary fixation after the inadequate internal fixation of Le Fort I or Le Fort II fracture., Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the stability of the skeleton after the treatment of Le Fort I or Le Fort II fractures by measuring bite forces and to determine the minimum time required for effective mandibulomaxillary fixation following treatment with internal fixation and mandibulomaxillary fixation., Method: A prospective study was performed to examine the treatment of Le Fort I or Le Fort II fracture in the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery at the National Hospital of Odonto-Stomatology in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. A total of 31 patients were included, with up to 1 month of follow-up after discharge from the hospital. Midface bone stability and the mandibulomaxillary fixation time were evaluated using bite force criteria after 1, 2, and 4 weeks., Results: Midface bone stability values 1, 2, and 4 weeks after treatment were 87.1%, 100%, and 100%, respectively. After 1 week, 87.1% of patients achieved intermaxillary fixation, and 96.3% of these patients were treated with at least three rigid plates. The remaining 12.9% of patients achieved fixation after 2 weeks, and all of these patients were fixed only at zygomaticomaxillary sutures (p < 0.05). Bite forces increased significantly at 2 weeks compared with 1 week and at 4 weeks compared with 2 weeks (p < 0.05)., Conclusion: When treated using only rigid fixation, through the placement of plates and screws at zygomaticomaxillary buttresses, patients with Le Fort I and Le Fort II fractures can achieve mandibulomaxillary fixation after 2 weeks. For Le Fort I fractures, rigid fixation using plates and screws at zygomaticomaxillary buttresses and canine buttress at three positions can achieve mandibulomaxillary fixation after only 1 week (p = 0.0001)., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest to declare., (© 2021 Le Hoai Phuc, Cao Huu Tien, Doan-Van Ngoc, Nguyen-Van Tuan, Le Trung Chanh, Lam Hoai Phuong, Nguyen Minh Duc.)

Background: The protective or pathogenic role of T lymphocytes during the acute phase of dengue virus (DENV) infection has not been fully understood despite its importance in immunity and vaccine development. Objectives: This study aimed to clarify the kinetics of T lymphocyte subsets during the clinical course of acute dengue patients. Study design: In this hospital-based cohort study, 59 eligible Vietnamese dengue patients were recruited and admitted. They were investigated and monitored for T cell subsets and a panel of clinical and laboratory parameters every day until discharged and at post-discharge from the hospital. Results: We described for the first time the kinetics of T cell response during the clinical course of DENV infection. Severe cases showed significantly lower levels of effector CD8 + T cells compared to mild cases at day -1 ( p = 0.017) and day 0 ( p = 0.033) of defervescence. After defervescence, these cell counts in severe cases increased rapidly to equalize with the levels of mild cases. Our results also showed a decline in total CD4 + T, Th1, Th1/17 cells during febrile phase of dengue patients compared to normal controls or convalescent phase. On the other hand, Th2 cells increased during DENV infection until convalescent phase. Cytokines such as interferon-γ, IL-12p70, IL-5, IL-23, IL-17A showed tendency to decrease on day 0 and 1 compared with convalescence and only IL-5 showed significance indicating the production during acute phase was not systemic. Conclusion: With a rigorous study design, we uncovered the kinetics of T cells in natural DENV infection. Decreased number of effector CD8 + T cells in the early phase of infection and subsequent increment after defervescence day probably associated with the T cell migration in DENV infection., (Copyright © 2020 Manh, Weiss, Thuong, Mizukami, Dumre, Luong, Thanh, Thang, Huu, Phuc, Nhung, Mai, Truong, Ngu, Quoc, Ha, Ton, An, Halhouli, Quynh, Kamel, Karbwang, Huong, Huy and Hirayama.)

Background: Considerable progress has been made in dengue management, however the lack of appropriate predictors of severity has led to huge number of unwanted admissions mostly decided on the grounds of warning signs. Apoptosis related mediators, among others, are known to correlate with severe dengue (SD) although no predictive validity is established. The objective of this study was to investigate the association of plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) with SD, and evaluate its prognostic value in SD prediction at acute phase., Methods: This was a hospital-based prospective cohort study conducted in Vietnam. All the recruited patients were required to be admitted to the hospital and were strictly monitored for various laboratory and clinical parameters (including progression to SD) until discharged. Plasma samples collected during acute phase (6-48 h before defervescence) were used to estimate the level of cfDNA., Results: Of the 61 dengue patients, SD patients (n = 8) developed shock syndrome in 4.8 days (95% CI 3.7-5.4) after the fever onset. Plasma cfDNA levels before the defervescence of SD patients were significantly higher than the non-SD group (p = 0.0493). From the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, a cut-off of > 36.9 ng/mL was able to predict SD with a good sensitivity (87.5%), specificity (54.7%), and area under the curve (AUC) (0.72, 95% CI 0.55-0.88; p = 0.0493)., Conclusions: Taken together, these findings suggest that cfDNA could serve as a potential prognostic biomarker of SD. Studies with cfDNA kinetics and its combination with other biomarkers and clinical parameters would further improve the diagnostic ability for SD.

There is no definitive predictor of dengue severity, and this has led to a very large number of unnecessary hospitalizations worldwide. Although mast cell mediators are believed to a play role in dengue severity, the lack of precise kinetic data demands further research on early predictors. We enrolled 111 patients with confirmed dengue and 85 with "other febrile illness" (OFI) in a hospital-based prospective study in Vietnam. Dengue patients were classified as level 1, 2, or 3 based on the clinical intervention received. Blood samples were collected from each patient every day (pre- and post-defervescence) and after discharge. Plasma chymase, total IgE, and dengue-specific IgE were measured. Dengue-specific IgE levels showed an increasing trend during the course of illness and remained high even at post-discharge, although no significant difference was observed among severity levels. Total IgE showed no such trend. The specific IgE/total IgE ratio (S/T ratio) remained constantly higher in level 3 patients compared to other levels, with a significant difference at some time points. The S/T ratio of acute phase samples (before defervescence) tended to increase with increasing severity (level 1 < 2 < 3), and was significantly higher in level 3 patients than in level 1 and OFI patients. As an early predictor of severity allowing level 3 patients to be distinguished from other dengue patients, the S/T ratio achieved a sensitivity of 75% and specificity of 68%. We describe the kinetic profiles of IgEs, their ratio, and chymase levels at different severity levels. The S/T ratio was found to be associated with dengue severity, suggesting that it could potentially be used as an early predictor of severity.

In the diagnosis and management of patients with Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) and chronic Left Ventricular (LV) dysfunction or Heart Failure (HF), there are many uncertainties because of the non-specificity of the symptoms and signs of HF. Usually, severe CAD causes LV dysfunction. However, not rarely, LV dysfunction is the cause or aggravation of ischemia to many subsets of patients with or without CAD. In this article, the care of patients with CAD with LV dysfunction, along with the challenges of diagnosing asymptomatic HF and the criteria for monitoring success are presented. Then the evidence of LV dysfunction triggering or aggravating ischemia is discussed. The newest methodology of assessing the venous blood volume which causes the main presentations of HF when its filling capacity is exceeded will also be presented in details. In summary, the effects of fluid mobilization by conventional medications for CAD (e.g Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitors (ACEI) or Beta-blockers (BB) and their therapeutic mechanisms are discussed. The goal of this review is to present the cardiologist consultants strong scientific evidence of detrimental interaction between CAD and LV dysfunction and the therapeutic action of ACEI and BB in the mobilization of venous fluid. As a result, the management of patients with CAD and HF could be exercised on an advanced level of expertise., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.)

In 2012, it was reported that anticancer drug bexarotene reduced amyloid plaque and improved mental functioning in a small sample of mice engineered to exhibit Alzheimer's like symptoms. It has been suggested that bexarotene stimulates expression of apolipoprotein E (ApoE) leading to intracellular clearance of amyloid beta (Aβ). However, the effect of bexarotene on clearance of plaques has not been seen in some mouse models. Two interesting questions include whether bexarotene can destroy Aβ fibrils via direct interaction with them and how this compound impacts the lag phase in the fibril growth process. By the Thioflavin T fluorescence assay and atomic force microscopy, we have shown that bexarotene prolongs the lag phase, but it does not degrade Aβ fibrils. The impotence of bexarotene in destroying fibrils means that this compound is weakly bound to Aβ. On the other hand, the weak binding would prevent bexarotene from prolonging the lag phase. Thus, our two main in vitro observations seem to contradict each other. In order to settle this problem at the atomic level, we have performed all-atom molecular dynamics simulations in explicit water. We have demonstrated that bexarotene is not capable to reduce amyloid deposits due to weak binding to Aβ fibrils. However, it delays the self-assembly through reduction of the β-content of Aβ monomers at high enough ligand concentrations. Bexarotene is the first compound which displays such an unusual behavior. We have also shown that bexarotene has a low binding propensity to Aβ monomer and dimer.

We report a case of severe chronic bilateral uveitis in a 60-year-old white man without neurological manifestations. Spondylarthritis and isolated malabsorption suggested the diagnosis of Whipple's disease. A normal duodenal biopsy delated the diagnosis, who was secondarily demonstrated an adenopathy biopsy and macrophage study on vitrectomy sample (macrophage distended by periodic acid-Schiff positive material). With 1 year follow-up the uveitis was rapidly and completely cured by an antibiotic association (rifampicin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazol). The characteristics of ocular involvement in Whipple's disease and treatment of the disease are discussed.

Dopaminergic (DA) cells have been revealed by immunohistochemical localization of tyrosine hydroxylase in the retina of cynomolgus monkey, chimpanzee and human. The DA neurons were visualized in cross-sections as well as in flat-mounts of retina. The comparison revealed a striking morphological similarity between the DA neurons in the three species. When observed in flat-mounts, they were of stellate type; when observed in cross-sections, except for a few displaced cells, they were unistratified amacrine cells branching in the outermost sublayer of the inner plexiform layer. Observations in sections suggested the existence of DA-interplexiform cells in ape and human retinas.

Non-specific immunological modifications in mice during syngeneic gestation can be demonstrated. A dramatic transient thymic involution results from a significant reduction in the subpopulations of the thymic cortex with the remaining thymocytes being mainly medullary in nature. Response to PHA and Con A is greatly reduced in this pool which can normally be strongly stimulated. No suppressor cells or alteration in thymic epithelial function could be demonstrated. The unexpected low responsiveness of the remaining thymocytes was reversible after in vitro neuraminidase treatment. Meanwhile, MRL of thymocytes to allogeneic cell during syngenic gestation was not impaired.

S antigen was isolated from human and bovine retinas and purified by two chromatographic steps. Its purity was controlled by SDS-electrophoresis and immunodiffusion. Seven Cynomolgus monkeys received a single subcutaneous immunization with either 50 or 100 micrograms of human S antigen (5 animals) or 100 micrograms of bovine S antigen (2 animals) with complete Freund's adjuvant. All the monkeys had bilateral uveoretinitis and anti-"S" antibodies were found in their serum. The time course of the disease was followed clinically during one year and pathologic features were described at various time intervals. The disease includes prominent retinal vasculitis and granulomatous chorio-retinitis, with a chronic course, and leads after many months to almost complete destruction of the retina, with persistence of inflammatory infiltrates and pigment of cell migration.

Pregnancy-induced thymic atrophy was studied in mice during the course of syngeneic gestation and the post-partum period. Cortical thymocytes were greatly reduced in number as shown by the binding of fluorescein-labelled PNA. The pool of steroid-resistant (SR) medullary thymocytes appeared unchanged in pregnant mice when studied by means of a specific heteroantiserum (SRCA). Therefore, in pregnant mice, these two surface markers demonstrated that thymic atrophy was linked to steroid-sensitive (SS) cortical cell reduction. The presumed hydrocortisone resistance of the mother's remaining thymocytes is not related to a difference in the number of steroid receptors as determined by 3H-dexamethasone binding.

A 20-month-old male patient was referred because of severe growth and mental retardation, bilateral glaucoma, hypospadias, and cryptorchidism. Karyotyping revealed a de novo complex three-chromosome rearrangement as well as deletion of band 11p13:46,XY,t(4;7;15)(q212;p14;q26)del(11)(p13p14). Trabeculectomia revealed bilateral aniridia. Surgery on the genitalia revealed male pseudohermaphroditism and bilateral gonadoblastoma. The kidneys were normal. A deficiency in catalase (CAT) activity allowed the regional assignment of the CAT gene to band 11p13.