Separate Treatment Research Articles

An investigation of the cavitation and vibration phenomena in a cylindrical cyclone

Cylindrical cyclones are a popular choice for oil-water separation and sewage treatment in the petroleum industry. Here, we investigate the cavitation and vibration phenomena in a cylindrical cyclone with a vortex finder by using various cyclone operating parameters and conducting multiphase flow numerical simulations. The lowest point of pressure on the cross section of the main cylinder is defined as the pressure center point and is used to understand the generation of the flow field oscillation, which is shown to exhibit an approximately circular motion. This circular oscillation of the flow field is an important characteristic that influences the overall performance and behavior of the cyclone system. Cavitation analysis results show that an increase in the inlet velocity leads to more intense cavitation and an expansion of the cavitation area. At lower split ratios, cavitation primarily occurs at the junction of the inlet pipe and the main cylinder, while at higher split ratios, the cavitation area gradually extends into the overflow pipe. Additionally, structural response analysis demonstrates that increasing the inlet velocity and overflow split ratio significantly enhances the vibrational degree of the structure, leading to greater stress levels. Adjusting the oil content at the inlet has a relatively minimal impact on the structural response compared with the influence of the inlet velocity and split ratio. Furthermore, dimensional analysis is used to analyze the change of wall pressure, and the wall pressure that induces structural vibration can be calculated using the inlet velocity and the split ratio.

Abstract PR010: Cutaneous melanoma treatment outcomes in Texas: A study of the Texas Cancer Registry/Medicare linked database and an analysis of disparities

Abstract Background: Given that Hispanics make up a large portion of the United States, further research has been necessary to analyze the effects of treatment methods on all-cause and skin cancer mortality in Hispanic populations. While Caucasians have the highest incidence of melanoma, Hispanics make up the second most common group in the United States and in Texas. Incidence of melanoma is increasing, including in the Hispanic population. Importantly, mortality from melanoma is higher in the Hispanic than in the Caucasian population. Methods: We conducted an analysis of patients with cutaneous melanoma in the Texas Cancer Registry Medicare database to assess treatment modalities used and outcomes among demographic groups from 2007 to 2018. A bivariate analysis using Chi-square, Fisher’s exact test, and Student’s T-Test was done to compare patient, clinical, cancer and treatment characteristics between Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White (NHW). A Cox Proportional Hazard regression analysis was performed to assess treatment effect on outcome, with race-ethnicity as an effector modifier. Models were adjusted for patient age, sex, cancer stage, primary care provider, and comorbidity. Results: A higher percentage of Hispanic patients (7.6%) presented with a metastatic tumor stage diagnosis and cancer-related mortality (22.11%) compared to NHW patients (p <0 .0001). In both the Hispanic and NHW cohorts, post-diagnosis radiation (Hispanic 95% CI 0.984 – 2.634, NHW 95% CI 2.082-2.648) and post-diagnosis chemotherapy (Hispanic 95% CI 1.085-3.321, NHW 95% CI 1.664-2.489) are each associated with an increased risk in cancer-related mortality. Similar results are seen with post-diagnosis radiation (Hispanic 95% CI 1.121-2.40, NHW 95% CI 1.644-1.971) and chemotherapy (Hispanic 95% CI 0.900-2.368, NHW 95% CI 1.356-1.869) when considering all-cause mortality in both populations. However, post-diagnosis surgery (95% CI 0.571-0.678) and post-diagnosis immunotherapy (95% CI 0.032-1.565) had the opposite effect in cancer-related mortality for NHW. Cancer-related mortality for post-diagnosis surgery in the Hispanic cohort had a similar trend (95% CI 0.395-0.856), yet the effect of post-diagnosis immunotherapy was dismissed due to small sample size. Conclusion: Our results propose differences in all-cause and cancer-only related mortality with separate treatment modalities, particularly with chemotherapy and radiation therapy; this retrospective cohort study validated that health disparities exist in the Hispanic Medicare population of Texas with cutaneous melanoma. Citation Format: Hannah R. Riva, Fabiola Ramirez, Lorena Fernandez, Yae Kye, David Lopez, Biai Digbeu, Jessica Chacon. Cutaneous melanoma treatment outcomes in Texas: A study of the Texas Cancer Registry/Medicare linked database and an analysis of disparities [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 16th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2023 Sep 29-Oct 2;Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2023;32(12 Suppl):Abstract nr PR010.

Tomato and lemon extracts synergistically improve cognitive function by increasing brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels in aged mice.

Brain ageing, the primary risk factor for cognitive impairment, occurs because of the accumulation of age-related neuropathologies. Identifying effective nutrients that increase cognitive function may help maintain brain health. Tomatoes and lemons have various bioactive functions and exert protective effects against oxidative stress, ageing and cancer. Moreover, they have been shown to enhance cognitive function. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effects of tomato and lemon ethanolic extracts (TEE and LEE, respectively) and their possible synergistic effects on the enhancement of cognitive function and neurogenesis in aged mice. The molecular mechanisms underlying the synergistic effect of TEE and LEE were investigated. For the in vivo experiment, TEE, LEE or their mixture was orally administered to 12-month-old mice for 9 weeks. A single administration of either TEE or LEE improved cognitive function and neurogenesis in aged mice to some extent, as determined using the novel object recognition test and doublecortin immunohistochemical staining, respectively. However, a significant enhancement of cognitive function and neurogenesis in aged mice was observed after the administration of the TEE + LEE mixture, which had a synergistic effect. N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor 2B, postsynaptic density protein 95, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels and tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation also synergistically increased after the administration of the mixture compared with those in the individual treatments. In conclusion, compared with their separate treatments, treatment with the TEE + LEE mixture synergistically improved the cognitive function, neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity in aged mice via the BDNF/TrkB/ERK signalling pathway.

Human iPSC-Derived NK Cells with Knock-in of the BCL2 G101V Mutation Are Resistant to Venetoclax and Demonstrate Improved Anti-AML Activity In Vivo

Treatment options for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients who are unfit for intensive chemotherapy are limited. Both targeted therapy and cellular therapy have been investigated, typically as separate treatments. For patients with AML unfit for intensive induction chemotherapy, venetoclax, a BCL-2 inhibitor, containing regimens have significantly improved treatment outcomes. However, patients treated long-term with venetoclax can develop resistance. Based on the characterization of the BCL2 G101V mutation that mediates resistance to venetoclax, we investigated the ability of homozygous BCL2 G101V knock-in in induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived natural killer (NK) cells to promote resistance to venetoclax in these effector cells to enable concurrent treatment with venetoclax and the engineered iPSC-derived NK cells that we hypothesize will provide improved NK cell-mediated killing of AML. Our group has pioneered the production of genetically modified NK cells from human iPSCs. iPSCs provide an advantage of a stable platform for genome engineering and previous studies demonstrate we can engineer iPSCs to express or delete genes of interest to derive genetically modified iPSC-NK cells with improved anti-tumor activity. To generate iPSC-derived NK cells with resistance to venetoclax, we employed CRISPR-Cas9 technology to knock-in the BCL2 G101V mutation (BCL2 G101V) in iPSCs. iPSCs homozygous for BCL2 G101V were selected and differentiated to NK cells. Homozygous BCL2 G101V engineered iPSC-NK cells demonstrated resistance to venetoclax compared to wildtype (WT) iPSC-NK cells in vitro. BCL2 G101V iPSC-NK cells were 94-fold more resistant to venetoclax compared to wildtype iPSC NK cells with an EC50 of 6018 nM, above the serum levels of patients receiving venetoclax. Analysis of cell surface proteins demonstrated that both sets of iPSC-NK cells had a typical NK cell phenotype with no differences in expression of receptors analyzed. There was no difference seen in cytotoxicity against K562 tumor cells between BCL2 G101V iPSC-NK cells and WT-iPSC NK cells. Additional functional analyses demonstrated that activity of the BCL2 G101V iPSC NK cells was preserved upon exposure to venetoclax. Cytotoxic activity, as measured by CD107a expression on WT iPSC-NK cells stimulated by MOLM13 AML tumors cells, was reduced nearly 3-fold upon addition of venetoclax. In contrast, activation of BCL2 G101V iPSC NK cells was not significantly affected by addition of venetoclax. This resistance to venetoclax was confirmed in longer term 36-hour Incucyte cytotoxicity assays where BCL2 G101V iPSC-NK cells demonstrated more than 10-fold increase in anti-AML activity compared to the WT-iPSC-NK cells. We then conducted in vivo studies to test the WT and engineered NK cells with and without addition of venetoclax in an AML xenograft model using NSG mice (Figure Panels A-D). These studies used MOLM13 AML cells made resistant to venetoclax and demonstrated that without venetoclax treatment, both the WT and the BCL2 G101V iPSC NK cells mediate effective anti-AML killing. With addition of venetoclax, the WT NK cells were unable to effectively kill the AML cells while the BCL2 G101V iPSC cells mediated potent anti-AML activity and demonstrated significantly improved survival when the NK cells are given in combination with venetoclax. Specifically, in this system, the mice treated with WT iPSC-NK cells had a median survival of 22.8 days while the median survival of mice treated with the BCL2 G101V iPSC NK cells was not reached (p<0.01) Intriguingly, BCL2 G101V iPSC NK cells also demonstrated improved activity against MOLM13 cells resistant to venetoclax. Together our results demonstrate that iPSC-NK cells can be engineered to generate venetoclax-resistance for use in combination with concurrent venetoclax therapy to markedly improve treatment of AML. Furthermore, this work demonstrates that novel drug resistance mechanisms can be introduced via genome engineering into iPSC-derived NK cells as a new strategy to produce improved cell products for “off-the-shelf” therapy.

Facile preparation of re-dispersible/amphoteric nanochitin powder via choline chloride/propanedioic composite for stabilizing Pickering emulsions

Choline chloride (ChCl)/propanedioic acid (PA) based hydrated composites are synthesized for producing nanochitins from crab shell in this work. The yield of nanochitin remains higher than 75 %, even if the water content reaches 80 %. ChCl is found necessary for the successful nano-fibrillation of chitin. However, PA contributes more to the yield improvement of nanochitin. ChCl mediated PA hydrolysis leads to the successful grafting of carboxyl groups in nanochitins, contributing to its amphoteric dispersed nature. After salt-induced separation and freeze-drying treatment, dried nanochitin powder can be prepared and found to disperse well either in acidic or alkaline suspension, exhibiting efficient drying/redispersion performance. The well amphoteric and drying/redispersion nature both benefit the facile preparation of nanochitin-based Pickering emulsions. For Pickering emulsion prepared under different pH, creaming only appears under acidic conditions (pH 3) for which the creaming index reaches 10.56 % after 30 days of storage. No obvious de-emulsification can be observed under pH 7 and 10. The efficient amphoteric and drying/redispersion nature together with the simplified preparation process of nanochitins are believed to facilitate the processing and practical applications of nanochitin.

Poly(arylene ether)s-Based Polymeric Membranes Applied for Water Purification in Harsh Environment Conditions: A Mini-Review.

Confronting the pressing challenge of freshwater scarcity, polymeric membrane-based water treatment technology has emerged as an essential and effective approach. Poly(arylene ether)s (PAEs) polymers, a class of high-performance engineering thermoplastics, have garnered attention in recent decades as promising membrane materials for advanced water treatment approaches. The PAE-Based membranes are employed to resist the shortages of most common polymeric membranes, such as chemical instability, structural damage, membrane fouling, and shortened lifespan when deployed in harsh environments, owing to their excellent comprehensive performance. This article presents the advancements in the research of several typical PAEs, including poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK), polyethersulfone (PES), and poly(arylene ether nitrile) (PEN). Techniques for membrane formation, modification strategies, and applications in water treatment have been reviewed. The applications encompass processes for oil/water separation, desalination, and wastewater treatment, which involve the removal of heavy metal ions, dyes, oils, and other organic pollutants. The commendable performance of these membranes has been summarized in terms of corrosion resistance, high-temperature resistance, anti-fouling properties, and durability in challenging environments. In addition, several recommendations for further research aimed at developing efficient and robust PAE-based membranes are proposed.

Co-exposure to polystyrene microplastics and cypermethrin enhanced the effects on hepatic phospholipid metabolism and gut microbes in adult zebrafish

Microplastics (MPs) can absorb environmental pollutants from the aquatic environment to cause mixed toxicity, which has received widespread attention. However, studies on the joint effects of MPs and insecticides are limited. As one of the most widely used pyrethroids, there was a large amount of residual cypermethrin (CYP) in water due to insufficient decomposition. Here, adult female zebrafish were exposed to MPs, CYP, and their mixtures for 21 days, respectively. After exposures, the MPs and CYP caused tissue damage to the liver. Hepatic triglyceride (TG) level increased significantly after MPs + CYP exposure, and the expression of genes about glycolipids metabolism was significantly altered. Furthermore, metabolome results suggested that MPs + CYP exposure resulted in increased content of some glycerophospholipid, affecting phospholipid metabolism-related pathways. In addition, through 16 s rDNA sequencing, it was found that MPs + CYP led to significant changes in the proportion of dominant phyla. Interestingly, Cetobacterium which increased in CYP and the co-exposure group was positively correlated with most lipid metabolites. Our results suggested that co-exposure to MPs and CYP enhanced the disturbances in hepatic phospholipid metabolism by affecting the gut microbial composition, while these changes were not observed in separate treatment groups. These results emphasized the importance of studying the joint toxicity of MPs and insecticides.

Preclinical Studies of Canagliflozin, a Sodium-Glucose Co-Transporter 2 Inhibitor, and Donepezil Combined Therapy in Alzheimer's Disease.

The incidence of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), is continuously growing worldwide, which leads to a heavy economic and societal burden. The lack of a safe and effective causal therapy in cognitive decline is an aggravating factor and requires investigations into the repurposing of commonly used drugs. Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) are a new and efficient class of hypoglycemic drugs and, due to their pleiotropic effects, have indications that go beyond diabetes. There is emerging data from murine studies that SGLT2i can cross the blood-brain barrier and may have neuroprotective effects, such as increasing the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), reducing the amyloid burden, inhibiting acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and restoring the circadian rhythm in the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) activation. The current study investigates the effect of an SGLT2i and donepezil, under a separate or combined 21-day treatment on AD-relevant behaviors and brain pathology in mice. The SGLT2i canagliflozin was found to significantly improve the novelty preference index and the percentage of time spent in the open arms of the maze in the novel object recognition and elevated plus maze test, respectively. In addition, canagliflozin therapy decreased AChE activity, mTOR and glial fibrillary acidic protein expression. The results also recorded the acetylcholine M1 receptor in canagliflozin-treated mice compared to the scopolamine group. In the hippocampus, the SGLT2i canagliflozin reduced the microgliosis and astrogliosis in males, but not in female mice. These findings emphasize the value of SGLT2i in clinical practice. By inhibiting AChE activity, canagliflozin represents a compound that resembles AD-registered therapies in this respect, supporting the need for further evaluation in dementia clinical trials.

The Fusion Clinic: Integrating the care of people with severe mental illness and diabetes.

People with coexisting severe mental illness (SMI) and type 2 diabetes have a shorter life expectancy and poorer diabetes outcomes than those without SMI. This is partly explained by the separate treatment of diabetes and SMI, which occurs in parallel silos in many healthcare systems. The Steno Diabetes Center Sjaelland and Region Zealand established the Fusion Clinic to offer combined psychiatric and diabetes care delivered by both diabetes and mental healthcare professionals. This study describes how the clinic was established and the initial diabetes outcomes. The Fusion Clinic was co-designed by people with diabetes and SMI and healthcare professionals to improve the care of adults with diabetes and SMI. The clinic approach utilised the F-ACT model. The 63 people referred to the Fusion Clinic between 01.02.2020 and 01.01.2022 who attended the clinic for more than 6 months were included in this study. Diabetes outcomes were recorded in the electronic medical records (Sundhedsplatformen EPIC). There was a high prevalence of diabetes complications at baseline. Furthermore, 70% had one or more additional concomitant diseases, as well as SMI and diabetes. Assessment of diabetes complications and measurements of HbA1c and lipid profile improved after referral to the clinic. HbA1c declined during the first 6 months of attendance at the clinic. This model of service delivery has the potential to improve the quality of care for people with SMI and type 2 diabetes.

The Quality of Dairy Cow Bedding and the Occurrence of Environmental Mastitis: Review

An excessive incidence of inflammation of the mammary glands of dairy cows has been observed in many dairy farms in the past, which has been demonstrably correlated with an increased incidence of microbial pathogens in livestock environments. The causes of mastitis can be infectious or non-infectious in nature, one of the main sources of this disease is litter material in the lager. The issue of mastitis has a significant impact on the economic value of dairy cows and therefore it is necessary to create effective measures that eliminate the appearance of pathogenic microorganisms. In this respect, litter material obtained by physical separation and thermal treatment of slurry may represent a suitable alternative ensuring inhibition of the development of dangerous bacteria while maintaining the comfort of dairy cows. Current evidence on the safety and benefits of such material is limited and data on effects on clinical and/or subclinical mastitis are insufficient. In this review, therefore, we would like to shed light on the onset of mastitis in dairy cows and point out possible procedures for treating slurry in practice.

Synergistic Effect of Cypermethrin and Sodium Fluoride on Kidney Histo Pathology of Albino Mice

The aim of the resent study is to understand the renal toxicity, induced by cypermethrin and sodium fluoride (NaF) separately and combined in albino mice. Albino mice were treated with cypermethrin and sodium fluoride (NaF), separately and in combination, with 1/10th of the LD50 dosage of cypermethrin and NaF for individual administration by oral gavage (i.e., 8.5 mg/kg bw and 5.6 mg/kg bw, respectively) and 1/20th of the LD50dose of cypermethrin and NaF for combined administration (i.e., 4.25 mg/kg bw and 2.8 mg/kg bw, respectively). Separate or combined treatment resulted in histopathological changes in the kidney tissue such as degenerative changes in bowman’s capsule (DGBC), distal convoluted tubules (DGDCT),necrotic changes in glomerulus (NCG), atrophied glomerulus (ATG), necrotic change in distal convoluted tubules (NCDCT), necrotic change in bowman’s capsule (NCBC) and necrosis in proximal convoluted tubules (NCPCT), severe necrotic changes in proximal convoluted tubules (SNCPCT) and distal convoluted tubules ( SNCDCT) were observed. The changes were more in combination than individual treatment, this may be because of a synergistic effect of cypermethrin and NaF.

The effect of myofascial therapy on postpartum rectus abdominis separation, low back and leg pain, pelvic floor dysfunction: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

During pregnancy and postpartum, changes in biomechanics can cause dysfunctions in the myofascial system, such as rectus abdominis diastasis, various types of pain, and pelvic floor dysfunction. These common postpartum problems seriously threaten women's health. Myofascial therapy, as an effective means of improving biomechanics, has no unified understanding of its therapeutic effects on postpartum functional disorders. This study aims to systematically evaluate the rehabilitative effects of myofascial therapy on postpartum rectus abdominis diastasis, low back and leg pain, and pelvic floor dysfunction through a meta-analysis of published randomized controlled trials. A systematic literature search of databases in Chinese and English was performed through May 2023. The treatment methods were randomized controlled studies using myofascial therapy in the treatment of rectus abdominis separation, lumbo-leg pain, and pelvic floor dysfunction. The main outcome indicators were abdominal circumference, rectus abdominis separation distance, visual analogue pain score, pelvic floor muscle potential, ability to live daily activities, number of events, and treatment effectiveness. There were 22 studies, including 2235 patients. The result showed that compared with control group, myofascial therapy demonstrated to reduce abdominal circumference and rectus abdominis separation index, improve lumbar function significantly, and decrease urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. In the myofascial therapy group, pelvic floor muscle strength was significantly enhanced, anterior/posterior resting potential of pelvic floor muscle was significantly decreased, and pelvic floor muscle potential was enhanced. Compared with the control group, the number of patients with various types of pain and pain scores were significantly reduced after myofascial therapy. When myofascial therapy lasted <4 weeks, pain relief was greater. In the myofascial therapy group, the ability to perform daily activities was significantly improved. An analysis of the effectiveness of the treatment showed that after myofascial therapy, the patient's symptoms improved significantly. There also saw low heterogeneity among all outcomes. The results suggested that myofascial therapy could effectively reduce rectus abdominis separation, relieve pelvic floor muscle dysfunction, enhance lumbar function, relieve pain, and improve the ability of daily living activities. All the data demonstrated that myofascial therapy had a good therapeutic effect on postpartum dysfunction.

Preliminary Results of Nathali-01: A First-in-Human Phase I/IIa Study of UCART20x22, a Dual Allogeneic CAR-T Cell Product Targeting CD20 and CD22, in Relapsed or Refractory (R/R) Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL)

Background: UCART20x22 is a dual targeted allogeneic CAR T-cell product candidate generated from healthy donor T-cells. Donor-derived T-cells are transduced with a bicistronic lentiviral vector to express CARs targeting CD20 and CD22. TALEN ® gene editing technology is used to inactivate the TRAC and CD52 genes to minimize graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) and allow for the use of alemtuzumab (CLLS52, an anti-CD52 monoclonal antibody) in the lymphodepletion (LD) regimen, respectively. UCART20x22 previously demonstrated robust and sustained activity in vitro and in vivo (Aranda-Orgilles B, et al. Cancer Immunol Res 2023). Here we present the initial preliminary results from the NatHaLi-01 trial (NCT05607420), the first-in-human Phase 1/2a dose-finding and expansion study evaluating UCART20x22 in R/R B-cell NHL. Methods: The primary endpoints are safety, tolerability, and determining the recommended phase 2 dose of UCART20x22. Additional endpoints include anti-lymphoma activity and cellular kinetics of UCART20x22. Key eligibility criteria are age 18-80y, lymphoma expression of CD20 and/or CD22 by local assessment, and ≥ 2 prior treatment regimens including autologous CD19 CAR T-cell therapy (CAR19), if eligible. After LD with FCA (fludarabine 30 mg/m 2 × 3d, cyclophosphamide 0.5g/m 2 × 3d, CLLS52 12 mg on D1, 24 mg on D2, D3), a single infusion of UCART20x22 is administered at a flat dose level ([DL1] 50 x 10 6 cells; [DL2] 150 x 10 6 cells; and [DL3] 450 x 10 6 cells). Results: As of 01 July 2023, 3 pts were enrolled and treated at DL1. Pt 1 is a 76yo female with double-expressor diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) relapsed after R-CHOP, radiation therapy, and polatuzumab vedotin with bendamustine/rituximab (BR) and was considered ineligible for CAR19 due to recent high dose bendamustine. Pt 2 is a 65yo female with R/R triple-hit lymphoma transformed from follicular lymphoma who was previously treated with radiation therapy, BR, dose-adjusted R-EPOCH, and two separate CAR19 treatments. Pt 3 is an 18yo female with R/R DLBCL transformed from marginal zone lymphoma who previously received chemoimmunotherapy, venetoclax, ibrutinib, BR, CAR19, obinutuzumab, glofitamab, tafasitamab, lenalidomide, and an experimental epigenetic modifier. Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) occurred in all patients. Pt 1 had G1 CRS and received tocilizumab (toci) x3 and dexamethasone (dex) x1. Pt 2 had G2 CRS and received toci and dex x1. Pt 3 had G1 CRS and received toci x1. All pts' CRS resolved with treatment. No immune effector cell associated neurotoxicity (ICANS) or GvHD was observed. There were no UCART20x22 dose limiting toxicities (DLTs), and there was 1 CLLS52 SAE and 1 DLT. The SAE was G3 CMV reactivation and was managed with IV antivirals. The DLT was in Pt 2, who entered the study with G1/2 cytopenias and a hypocellular bone marrow and had prolonged bone marrow aplasia after treatment thought to be due to cumulative chemotherapy exposure. This pt proceeded to allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) from a matched donor while in complete remission from UCART20x22 treatment. Responses were assessed per Lugano criteria beginning on D28. At D28, all 3 pts responded with 2 CRs and 1 PR. Host lymphocytes remained suppressed through D28 for all pts. UCART20x22 expansion was observed by flow cytometry in 3/3 pts and was initially detected on D7 followed by peaks between D9-14. Peak expansion ranged from 16-682 cells/μL and was predominantly CD8 T-cells. Ferritin levels and increases in serum cytokines, including IFNγ, TNFα, IL-2, and IL-6, correlated closely with UCART20x22 expansion. Summary: Treatment with UCART20x22 at DL1 has been safe and well-tolerated, with no UCART20x22 DLTs or ICANS, and CRS was &amp;lt;G3 in all pts. There was 1 DLT of prolonged bone marrow aplasia in a pt with impaired hematopoietic reserve at study entry. UCART20x22 was active at DL1, with all 3 pts responding, including 2 CRs in pts who had previously received CAR19. UCART20x22 expansion was observed in all pts. These initial data support the continued study of UCART20x22 in R/R NHL, and updated results will be presented.

Enabling in situ electro-regeneration systems for PFOA-laden spent activated carbon adsorbents reuse

Adsorption is the main commercially used water treatment technology to remove per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from water. Despite the high performance of this physical separation treatment, the endpoint of this technology is the production of PFAS-laden spent activated carbon. So far, several regeneration techniques have been used for spent activated carbon. However, activated carbon regeneration techniques remain challenging due to a limited understanding of cost/benefit analysis. In the present study, we developed the first proof of concept in situ electro-regeneration technique for the regeneration of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA, as a model long chain PFAS compound) laden-F400 using electro-assisted up-flow rapid small-scale column test (RSSCT) setup. The laboratory column experiments were conducted exploring sequential adsorption and electro-regeneration cycles. The results showed that the electro-regeneration of saturated F400 reinstated up to ∼60% of initial capacity. After the 1st regeneration cycle, the regeneration efficiency of spent F400 remained similar following 4 consecutive adsorption/regeneration cycles. The calculated operational cost for electro-regeneration was 0.70 kWh/kg, which is more competitive than current regeneration techniques. Overall, this novel proof-of-concept approach can be used as a promising alternative regeneration technique to existing ones to minimize waste PFAS-laden adsorbents in landfills and decrease the amount of CO2 emissions associated with the incineration of these sorbents.

PSV-1 Pasture Does Not Impact Pork Quality of Finishing Hogs

Abstract Sales of certified organic pork continue to increase, and an increasing number of young farmers are looking to rear hogs with organic or other niche labeling claims that require outdoor access. There is limited research available to support pastured pork operations in developing best management practices for rearing pigs in outdoor environments. The goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of housing on swine performance and pork quality and to build best management strategies for raising hogs on pasture. Pigs (n = 50) from the same sire and farrowing cohort were obtained from 10 separate litters. Pigs were grouped into separate treatments according to average body weights (BW) with equal sex rations among both groups: Indoor (n = 25), and Outdoor (n = 25), with 5 hogs per pen within each treatment. The Indoor groups were housed on 7m2 of solid concrete flooring in a ventilation-controlled barn; the Outdoor groups were housed on native grass pasture with pen size being 23m2, and a third shaded with 40% shade cloth. Outdoor pens were rotated to new grass every 14 days to manage soil destruction, while Indoor pigs remained in original pens for the duration of the project. Water access was provided via a nipple drinker system and fed a standard grow-finish ration ad libitum for both groups. All pigs were slaughtered at 26 weeks of age, with the Indoor group averaging BW of 126kg, and the Outdoor group averaging BW of 111kg (P &amp;lt; 0.05). Hot carcass weights were also larger (P &amp;lt; 0.001) of the Indoor group. All pork quality measurements were taken at the 10th rib. Color and marbling scores were not shown to vary between the treatment groups (P ≥ 0.17). Colorimeter values (L*, A*, B*) were similar across treatments as well (P ≥ 0.41). However, loin eye area exhibited a trend with the Outdoor group having a smaller average size (P = 0.07) In addition to this, pH values were also shown to vary at 0h (P = 0.03), 6h (P = 0.01), and 24h (P &amp;lt; 0.01) postmortem, with the Indoor group having the higher ultimate pH. Based on these data, pasture reduced final market size and loin eye area of hogs, but not overall pork quality. Although pH was reduced for the Outdoor group, no values showed a rapid decline in pH that would indicate a PSE pork product. Further, average pH between treatments were within 0.2 at all sampling times. Further research is needed to evaluate efficacy of best management practices to improve efficiency of pig growth rate on pasture and to ensure that pork quality will not be reduced.

Efficacy of vitamins B1 and B6 as an adjunctive therapy to lithium in bipolar-I disorder: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, clinical trial

BackgroundThe use of adjunctive therapy for bipolar disorder is increasingly considered to increase the efficacy of standard treatments. In this randomized clinical trial, we evaluated the effect of vitamins B1 and B6 in separate treatment arms on mood symptoms, cognitive status, and sleep quality in hospitalized patients with bipolar disorder in manic episodes. MethodIn addition to receiving standard lithium treatment, participants (N = 66) were randomized to one of three conditions: 100 mg of vitamin B1, 40 mg of vitamin B6, or placebo. Outcomes were assessed one and 8 weeks of daily treatment, including the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Scale (PSQI), and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). This study was performed between December 2020 and September 2021 based on the registration code number IRCT20200307046712N1. ResultsVitamin B6 had a significant effect (P value < 0.025 as significant) on mood improvement compared to placebo (F (1, 27.42) = 30.25, P < 0.001, r = 0.72), but vitamin B1 had no significant effect on mood improvement compared to Placebo (F (1/35.68) = 4.76, P = 0.036, r = 0.34). The contrasts between groups on PSQI showed a significant effect (P value < 0.025 as significant) of vitamin B6 over placebo for sleep status improvement (F (1/32.91) = 16.24, P < 0.001, r = 0.57) and also a significant effect of vitamin B1 over placebo (F (1/41.21) = 13.32, P < 0.001, r = 0.49). ConclusionsThe use of vitamin B6 as an adjunctive therapy to lithium can be associated with the improvement of mood symptoms in patients with bipolar disorder in the midst of a manic episode.

Defect engineering in 0D/2D TiO2/g-C3N4 heterojunction for boosting photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline in a tetracycline/Cu2+ combined system

It has been increasingly significant to take advantage of defect engineering in hybrid photocatalysts, aiming to showing novel properties in the remediation of combined pollution such as antibiotic-heavy metal pollution. Herein, a hierarchical 0D/2D TiO2/g-C3N4 heterojunction was fabricated and defects were introduced into the binary-hybrid structure with separate plasma treatment for the each single component. Results show that defect construction on TiO2/CN can exhibit “anisotropic-trapping” effect, where TiO2/D-CN shows stimulation effect while D-TiO2/CN and D-TiO2/D-CN show inhibition on the degradation of tetracycline in the presence of Cu2+. TiO2/D-CN can inhibit the accumulation of Cu2+ and avoid the coverage of active site during the photocatalytic process in contrast to the non-defective or other defective materials. Simultaneously, the formed Cu sites exhibited surface plasmon resonance effect that can enhance the absorption of light, further promoting the photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline. These findings provide new insights into defect construction on binary-heterojunction for the treatment of combined pollution in water.

Hyperarc Vmat and Vmat planning for stereotactic radiosurgery in multiple brain metastases

Automated treatment planning systems are available for linear accelerator (LINAC) based single and more isocenter multitarget stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) of brain metastases. HyperArc Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (HA-VMAT) is a relatively new isocentric Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) technique developed specifically for non-coplanar, multileaf collimator (MLC)-based stereotactic radiotherapy with automatic treatment optimization and dose delivery. The HA-VMAT planning approach was developed to accommodate dosing procedures for brain metastases stereotactic radiosurgery. In this study, it was aimed to compare the dosimetric parameters of treatment plans created with single and multi-isocenter retrospectively VMAT and HA-VMAT techniques in patients with lung cancer and multiple brain metastases (4–7) who received single and multi-fraction stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). Using VMAT and HA-VMAT techniques, two separate treatment plans were created for each case, and tumor target coverage (homogeneity index (HI); conformity index (CI); gradient index (GI)) and organ at risk (OAR) were evaluated dosimetrically. Physical properties and Monitor unit (MU) values of both treatment approaches were compared. Treatment plans were created for study purposes and patients were not treated with these plans. In the study, HI (p = 0.000), CI (p = 0.000) and GI (p = 0.002) values calculated with the HA-VMAT technique are superior to the VMAT technique. Medium-low dose spreads (V4Gy-V16Gy) were significantly reduced in HA-VMAT plans compared to plans with VMAT. HA-VMAT plans result in lower MU than VMAT plans. HA-VMAT planning has significantly less radiation necrosis indicator (V8Gy-V16Gy) compared to VMAT plans. However, there are few studies investigating the ability of the HA-VMAT technique to create high-quality treatment plans for extracranial lesions. HA-VMAT may constitute one of the new options for SRS dose delivery for both single target and multiple targets.

Aluminium Application and Rhizobia Inoculation Effects on Growth, Yield and Nutrients Uptake of Three Kenyan Soy Bean Genotypes

Soy bean (Glycine max L.) grains are important legume crops commonly grown in Kenya. Soy bean genotypes are grown in western Kenyan soils that are highly saturated with aluminium ions. Aluminium toxicity mainly limits crop production. Many soy bean genotypes do not tolerate high acidity in soils. Aluminium stress have effects on root growth, which limits plant growth and development. Inoculation of plants with Rhizobia can restore nitrogen under acid affected soils to produce competitive crop yields. There is little information on response of soy bean genotypes grown in Western Kenya to aluminium toxicity under rhizobium inoculation. This study was designed to determine the effect of aluminium application and Rhizobia inoculation on growth, yield and nutrients uptake of soy bean genotypes. Eight treatments of Al (AlCl3.6H2O) levels and Rhizobia were imposed. Randomized Complete Block Design with three replicates was used. Parameters determined included; number of branches, days to 50% flowering, pod clearance, number of pods, days to harvest maturity and nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium contents. Tukey’s HSD test at 5% level was used to separate treatment means. Mean of branches for NAMSOI was significantly higher compared to mean branches for GAZZELLE and TGX at treatment 4 (T4) on 61 DAT, respectively. Mean number of days to 50% flowering of NAMSOI was significantly higher than that of GAZZELLE and TGX genotypes, respectively at T3.There was a statistically significant interaction between the effects of treatments and genotypes on NPK concentrations in plants. These findings show that Bradyrhizobium japonicum inoculation alleviates Al effects to a level that is significant to improve soy bean yield. Therefore, genotypes GAZELLE and NAMSOI under Rhizobia inoculation were identified to be more tolerant to Al-stress, hence are recommended for growing in Al prone soils. It provides the best conditions in improving soy bean production under Al stress prone soils.

Ar yra ryšys tarp migrenos ir neramių kojų sindromo?

Migraine and restless legs syndrome are diseases that disturb the normal quality of human life. Moreover, comorbidity of these disorders determines even more difficult condition of the patients. Migraine is a headache that can cause severe throbbing pain, usually on one side of the head, and it is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound. Migraine is one of the reasons that can cause unhealthy sleep, and if sleep is disturbed, this leads to the provocation of migraine attacks. Sleep disorders have various clinical manifestations, one of which is restless legs syndrome. It is a neurosensory impairment which is characterized by an unrelenting urge to move the legs that occurs or worsens at rest. For this reason, patients may complain of impaired sleep. Although the relationship between migraine and restless legs syndrome and their pathogenesis is not fully understood, current research suggests that these diseases may be related. People with restless legs syndrome are 1.23 to 2.65 times more likely to develop migraine attacks. It is believed that the occurrence of both diseases is determined by several pathophysiological factors, such as the activity of the dopamin- ergic system, iron deficiency, genetic predisposition, and changes in the gray matter of the brain. Although the association between restless legs syndrome and migraine is being investigated, the predominant pathophysiological link has not yet been established. Separate treatment of these diseases has been known for a long time. The principle of migraine treatment is to suppress pain and reduce the frequency of attacks. Treatment for restless legs syndrome is based on the relief of symptoms. Unfortunately, a common treatment for both diseases in relation to each other has not yet been approved. Because of the similar pathophysiology of these disorders, drugs that affect the dopaminergic system (e.g., pramipexole) are currently being investigated in order to relieve the symptoms of restless legs syndrome and migraine attacks.