Активность

Recent research by Miguel et al. and Dhillon et al. reveals associations between impaired lipid metabolism and kidney fibrosis. Kidney tubule fatty acid oxidation (FAO) gain-of-function in mouse models of kidney disease stimulated cellular respiration, mitochondrial dynamics, and tubular epithelial cell (TEC) differentiation, while upregulation of FAO in kidney tubules provided protection from kidney fibrosis and functional decline.Cases of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a debilitating intestinal disorder with complex pathological mechanisms, have been increasing in recent years, straining the capacity of healthcare systems. Thus, novel therapeutic targets and innovative agents must be developed. Notably, the NLRP3 inflammasome is upregulated in patients with IBD and/or in animal experimental models. As an innate immune supramolecular assembly, the NLRP3 inflammasome is persistently activated during the pathogenesis of IBD by multiple stimuli. Moreover, this protein complex regulates pro-inflammatory cytokines. Thus, targeting this multiprotein oligomer may offer a feasible way to relieve IBD symptoms and improve clinical outcomes. The mechanisms by which the NLRP3 inflammasome is activated, its role in IBD pathogenesis, and the drugs administered to target this protein complex are reviewed herein. This review establishes that the use of inflammasome-targeting drugs are effective for IBD treatment. MHY1485 Moreover, this review suggests that the value and potential of naturally sourced or derived medicines for IBD treatment must be recognized and appreciated.

Benefits of a diverse physician workforce are numerous and the impact of a lack of diversity has been highlighted with the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the commitment of professional societies such as the American College of Radiology to diversity in Radiology, the field and its residency training programs remain the least diverse. With COVID-19 related suspension of in-person medical student rotations, our Department of Radiology redesigned and implemented a virtual radiology internship for underrepresented minority (URM) medical students.

A four-week virtual radiology internship was designed to provide clinical exposure to radiology and to allow students to gain an understanding of what a career in radiology entails. Course design included videoconference patient care sessions, didactic lectures, online modules, mentoring, and extra-clinical curriculum. Feedback from students was collected using online surveys assessing pre- and postcourse attitudes and understanding of a career in radiology and the studeresidency.

Earlier studies have shown that nasalization affects the radiated spectrum by modifying the vocal tract transfer function in a complex manner.

Here we study this phenomenon by measuring sine-sweep response of 3-D models of the vowels /u, a, ᴂ, i/, derived from volumetric MR imaging, coupled by means of tubes of different lengths and diameters to a 3-D model of a nasal tract.

The coupling introduced a dip into the vocal tract transfer function. The dip frequency was close to the main resonance of the nasal tract, a result in agreement with the Fujimura & Lindqvist in vivo sweep tone measurements [Fujimura & Lindqvist, 1972]. With increasing size of the coupling tube the depth of the dip increased and the first formant peak either changed in frequency or was split by the dip. Only marginal effects were observed of the paranasal sinuses. For certain coupling tube sizes, the spectrum balance was changed, boosting the formant peaks in the 2 – 4 kHz range.

A velopharyngeal opening introduces a dip in the transfer function at the main resonance of the nasal tract. Its depth increases with the area of the opening and its frequency rises in some vowels.

A velopharyngeal opening introduces a dip in the transfer function at the main resonance of the nasal tract. Its depth increases with the area of the opening and its frequency rises in some vowels.

The aim of the present study is to validate the Acoustic Voice Quality Index version 03.01 in the Italian language (AVQIv3-IT).

A total of 150 native Italian speakers with normal voices (n=50) and with various voice disorders (n=100) were enrolled. Voice samples of a sustained vowel (SV) [a] and five phonetically balanced continuous speech (CS) samples were recorded. The most appropriate syllable number for a standardized voiced CS approximating 3 seconds was identified. Perceptual evaluations of the overall voice quality were performed by three expert voice clinicians using the G score of the GRBAS scale. AVQIs were calculated using a 3 seconds mid-vowel selection of the SV [a] and the standardized syllable number of the CS. Finally, concurrent validity and diagnostic accuracy of AVQIv3-IT were analysed.

The most appropriate syllable number for a standardized CS approximating 3 seconds in Italian was identified as 25. The perceptual ratings showed robust intra- and inter-rater reliability. A strong correlation was found between AVQI scores and overall voice quality perceptual evaluations (r=0.81, P < 0.001). The best diagnostic outcome for AVQIv3-IT was found for a threshold of 2.35 (sensitivity of 90% and specificity of 92%).

AVQIv3-IT was demonstrated to be a valid and robust tool for quantifying overall acoustic voice quality in the Italian speaking population.

AVQIv3-IT was demonstrated to be a valid and robust tool for quantifying overall acoustic voice quality in the Italian speaking population.While enteroviruses (EV) are a well-recognized cause of aseptic meningitis in children, human parechoviruses (HPeV), especially genotype 3, have been increasingly reported as a frequent cause of sepsis-like illness and meningitis among young infants. The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory characteristics of HPeV infections in infants and to compare them with those of well-known EV infections. This monocentric retrospective study was carried out at the pediatric unit of Nantes University Hospital from January 2015 to August 2018. All patients under 18 years of age with diagnosis codes referring to fever, for whom viral infection was suspected and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens were collected, were included. All CSF specimens were screened by duplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay that allows for the simultaneous detection of EV and HPeV in clinical samples. During the study period, 1373 CSF specimens from patients under 18 were included. A total of 312 CSF samples were positive for HPeV (n=34) or EV (n=278).