Individuals with low socioeconomic status (SES) are at greater risk of contracting and developing severe disease compared to people with higher SES. Age, sex, host genetics, smoking, and Cytomegalovirus (CMV) serostatus are known to have a major impact on human immune responses and thus susceptibility to infection. However, the impact of SES on immune variability is not well understood or explored. Here, we used data from the Milieu Intérieur project, a study of 1,000 healthy volunteers with extensive demographic and biological data, to examine the effect of SES on immune variability. We developed an Elo-rating system using socioeconomic features such as education, income, and household to objectively rank SES in the 1,000 donors. We observed sex specific SES associations, such as females with a low SES having significantly higher frequency of CMV seropositivity compared to high SES females, and males from a low SES having significantly higher frequency of active smoking compared to high SES males. Using random forest models, we identified specific immune genes which were significantly associated with SES in both baseline and immune challenge conditions. Interestingly, many of the SES associations were sex-stimuli specific, highlighting the complexity of these interactions. Our study provides a new way of computing SES in human populations that can help identify novel SES associations and reinforces biological evidence for SES-dependent susceptibility to infection. This should serve as a basis for further understanding the molecular mechanisms behind socioeconomic status effects on immune responses and ultimately disease.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to report our cases of isolated frontal sinus aspergilloma (FSA), and identify key features and aspects suggestive of this pathology. Moreover, we have investigated the pathogenesis of this FSA, which has not been clearly elucidated yet. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study on cases of isolated FSA treated at the unit of Otolaryngology of the Hopital Lariboisière in Paris from 2009 to 2023 was performed. A chart review was done, Demographic and radiologic data, type of treatment with intraoperative findings, and follow-up were analyzed. Moreover, a literature review was carried out on Pubmed and Scopus using the search terms “frontal sinus aspergilloma”, “frontal sinus fungus ball” and “frontal sinus mycetoma”. Non-invasive FSA characteristics, especially the relation with surrounding bony structures were analyzed. Results: Six patients were included. The median age of the patients was 58 years old (range 25-69); 2/6 patients were female. The most common symptom was headache. All the patients underwent exclusive endoscopic sinus surgery. With regards to literature review, 17 papers have been identified reporting a total number of 30 cases of FSA. Overall, frontal sinus walls erosion was described in 47% of the cases showing a prevalence of erosive behavior of this pathology. Conclusions: FSA shows a higher incidence of bone erosion compared to other PSA. The destructive behavior of FSA could increase the risk of potential intracranial and intraorbital complications. Recognizing the radiological features of FSA, is crucial for accurate differential diagnosis with invasive forms of fungal infections and treatment planning.

The paper aims to apply the trigintaduonion spaces to explore the physical properties of four interactions simultaneously, including the electromagnetic fields, gravitational fields, weak nuclear fields, and strong nuclear fields. J. C. Maxwell first applied the algebra of quaternions to study the physical properties of electromagnetic fields. It inspired some subsequent scholars to introduce the quaternions, octonions, sedenions, and trigintaduonions to research the electromagnetic fields, gravitational fields, weak nuclear fields, strong nuclear fields, quantum mechanics, gauge fields, and curved spaces and so forth. The algebra of trigintaduonions is able to discuss the physical quantities of four interactions, including the field potential, field strong, field source, linear momentum, angular momentum, torque, and force. In the field theories described with the algebra of trigintaduonions, the weak nuclear field is composed of three types of fundamental fields. These three fundamental fields, related to weak nuclear fields, can describe the physical properties of weak nuclear fields collectively. This is consistent with the conclusion of the electroweak theory. Meanwhile the strong nuclear field consists of three types of fundamental fields. These three fundamental fields relevant to strong nuclear fields may investigate the physical properties of strong nuclear fields mutually. It is coincident with the deduction of quark theory. According to the properties of trigintaduonions, one can deduce the Yang-Mills equation related to the gauge fields. It means that the electromagnetic field occupies a quaternion space. The gravitational field owns one different quaternion space. The weak nuclear fields occupy three mutually independent quaternion spaces. The properties of weak nuclear fields are different from those of electromagnetic fields or gravitational fields. According to the multiplicative closure, the strong nuclear fields also own three quaternion spaces independent of each other. These explorations further deepen the understanding of the physical properties of weak and strong nuclear fields.

Plant density significantly impacts photosynthesis, canopy structure, crop growth, and yield, thereby shaping the [CO 2] fertilization effect and intricate physiological interactions in rice. An association panel of 171 rice genotypes was evaluated for physiological and yield-related traits, including the cumulative response index, under both normal planting density (NPD) and low planting density (LPD) conditions. LPD, serving as a proxy for elevated atmospheric [CO 2], significantly increased all trait values, except for harvest index, compared to NPD. For the genome-wide association study, 386,817 high-quality SNPs were considered, employing both single-locus and multi-locus models, which collectively identified 172 QTNs, including 12 QTNs associated with at least two different traits under NPD or LPD conditions. A significant r­elationship between the percentage of favorable alleles in the genotypes and their performance under NPD and LPD conditions was observed. Potential haplotypes were validated using genotypes with contrasting [CO 2] responses, grown under LPD and Free-Air CO 2 Enrichment facility. These findings can enable efforts to selectively breed genotypes with favorable alleles and/or superior haplotypes for enhancing [CO 2] responsiveness in rice. Climate smart rice varieties, with increased [CO 2] responsiveness, have the potential to simultaneously enhance grain yield and quality while mitigating losses induced by high night temperatures.

Oropharyngeal Burkitt lymphoma masquerading as oropharyngeal carcinoma in an adult: A diagnostic challengeDr. Sudeep KC1 | Dr. Himani Poudyal2

The Upper Mississippi River (UMR) represents one invasion front to bigheaded carps Hypopthalmichthys spp. in North America. Agencies often sample larvae to determine the conditions that bigheaded carp reproduction occurs, but the ability for conventional ichthyoplankton sampling to detect bigheaded carp reproduction compared to native fish is unknown. We used occupancy models to estimate larval bigheaded carp and native fish larvae detection probabilities and assessed how habitat type, Julian date, river discharge, and water temperature affect occupancy. We sampled larvae in pools 18-20 of the UMR every two weeks at the Iowa, Skunk, and Des Moines River confluences in backwater, side channel, and thalweg habitats. Detection probabilities increased with water volume filtered and was lower for larval bigheaded carp than freshwater drum, gizzard shad, and percids. Freshwater drum and bigheaded carp larvae had higher detection in thalweg and channel border habitats compared to backwaters. Occupancy of bigheaded carp peaked on June 19 th at 20°C, increased with discharge, and declined with coefficient of variation (CV) of water temperature and discharge. Gizzard shad and percids occupancy peaked on May 24 th and increased with CV of water temperature while occupancy of freshwater drum peaked on July 3 rd, decreased with CV of water temperature, and increased with water temperature. Our results indicate bigheaded carp are more difficult to detect than native larvae and identified conditions associated with larval occupancy that can be used to maximize detection and better understand when, where, and under what conditions larvae are present while accounting for imperfect detection.

The analysis of macroecological patterns has necessitated the use of large, composite datasets recording local-scale species occurrences distributed across the globe. These datasets, however, have various spatial and temporal biases. They have rarely been compared to data collected in the field across large spatial gradients. In this paper we use two datasets built from online repositories plus a standardised field collection to reconstruct macroecological patterns for marine bivalves along the eastern coastline of Australia – spanning over 20° of latitude. We test the strength of the latitudinal diversity gradient using four diversity measures and identify a biogeographical boundary. The field collection demonstrates a strong latitudinal gradient, but mixed support was found in the composite datasets. Worse, adding observation-based records to the composite dataset obscured the latitudinal gradient. The biogeographic boundary was consistently found, and the location mirrored two previously published bioregionalisations. Although broad patterns seen in the field can be uncovered from composite macroecological datasets, care both in dataset construction and choice of methods is needed to ensure robust results.

Cutis Verticis Gyrata and epilepsy, is there a typical patient?

Prenatal diagnosis of cystinuria with a heterozygous pathogenic variant in SLC7A9 gene associated with isolated hyperechogenic fetal kidneys: a case report

The renal resistivity index is a tool to evaluate the hemodynamics through arterial resistance. Considering perfusion as one of the first aspects to be affected upon kidney injury, alterations in renal blood flow could be especially important for the early detection of kidney damage. The aim of this systematic review was to retrieve published studies on equine renal resistivity index (RI) in order to develop a standardized method of renal ultrasound examination through a transabdominal approach as well as to evaluate current reference range for renal RI value in horses. An electronic search in Science Direct, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases was performed in February 2023 using the terms “RI” OR “resistivity index” OR “IP” OR “pulsatility index” AND (kidney OR renal) AND (equine OR horse) in titles, keywords and abstracts. The studies were screened based on inclusion criteria and variables of interest were extracted. To assess the methodological quality, the SYRCLES‘s risk of bias tool was used. From the search, a total of 134 studies were identified and five of them were considered eligible. The selected studies had been conducted in healthy non-sedated horses through transabdominal technique. The upper limit of normality for renal RI was 0.58 ± 0.06 for the right kidney of untrained horses, which is considerably lower than the value of 0.70 currently used for humans, cats and dogs. There were heterogenous outcomes among studies, where two out of the five demonstrated difference between RI value of left and right kidneys and one out of the five showed increased renal RI value in the elderly compared to foals and adult animals. Data of RI in horses is still scarce; a normality standard for renal RI studies in horses would greatly improve comparison and good quality results to allow clinical application.

Heptaminol-Induced Hair Depigmentation in a Hemodialysis PatientZmiti.R1, Litaiem.N1, Abderrahim.E2, Zeglaoui.F11) Dermatology department , Charles Nicole hospital, Tunis, Tunisia2) Nephrology department, Charles Nicole hospital , Tunis , TunisiaAbstract: Hair depigmentation induced by heptaminol has been rarely described. We report a case of a patient undergoing treatment with heptaminol (heptamyl) who had chronic renal failure and had been receiving hemodialysis since 2021. Reversal of the hypopigmentation occurred upon cessation of the medication. The precise mechanism underlying the alteration in hair color remains unknown.Keywords: Heptaminol, hair, depigmentation, skin , chronic renal failure(CRF)

Title:Tick-infected upper eyelid of a chicken farmer:a Case ReportAuthors and Affilications:Qi-bin Xu, MD1, Huo-yan Lian, MD2, Zhi-yi Hu, MD3,Qi-bin Xu, MDDepartment of Ophthalmology, Zhejiang Medicine and Western Medicine integrated Hospital, Hangzhou Red-Cross Hospital, Zhejiang Hangzhou, China.Huo-yan Lian, MDDepartment of Ophthalmology, The Third People’s Hospital Of HangZhou Linan District, , Zhejiang Hangzhou, China.Note: Qi-bin Xu and Huo-yan Lian are both considered as first author.

Cell viability and cytotoxicity assays play a crucial role in drug screening and evaluating the cytotoxic effects of various chemicals. The quantification of cell viability and proliferation serves as the cornerstone for numerous in vitro assays that assess cellular responses to external factors. In the last decade, several studies have developed guidelines for defining and interpreting cell viability and cytotoxicity based on morphological, biochemical, and functional perspectives. As this domain continues to experience ongoing growth, revealing new mechanisms orchestrating diverse cell cytotoxicity pathways, we suggest a revised classification for multiple assays employed in evaluating cell viability and cell death. This classification is rooted in the cellular compartment and/or biochemical element involved, with a specific focus on mechanistic and essential aspects of the process. The assays are founded on diverse cell functions, encompassing metabolic activity, enzyme activity, cell membrane permeability and integrity, ATP content, cell adherence, reduction equivalents, dye inclusion or exclusion, constitutive protease activity, colony formation, DNA fragmentation and nuclear splitting. These assays present straightforward, reliable, sensitive, reproducible, cost-effective, and high-throughput approaches for appraising the effects of newly formulated chemotherapeutic biomolecules on the cell survival during the drug development process.

A document by Lu Zhang. Click on the document to view its contents.

Purpose Evaluate the potential risk for long-term complications related to cancer therapy among childhood cancer survivors who completed treatment in Tanzania at Bugando Medical Centre (BMC), and compare the relative risk assessment of BMC survivor cohort and British Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (BCCSS) cohort. Methods Files of all patients age <18 yo with an oncologic diagnosis who received and completed their treatment at BMC from 2016 to 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. Extracted data included patient demographics, primary disease diagnosis and site, treatment received, and cumulative treatment doses. BCCSS risk assessment was assigned. Predicted long term follow up surveillance needs were extrapolated from published Children’s Oncology Group Long-Term Follow-Up Guidelines. Results A total of 173 patients were included in the survivor cohort (47% female, average age =7). The most common diagnoses were Burkitt lymphoma (26%, n=45) and Wilms (30%, n=52). Within the cohort, 98% received chemotherapy (n=170), 49% (n=73) underwent tumor resection, and 18% (n=32) received radiation. Distribution of BCCSS late effect risk assessment included 6% low risk (n=10), 80% moderate risk (n=139) and 14% (n=24) high risk. Based on treatment received, the late effects with highest potential risk were cardiomyopathy (57% of patients, n=98), bladder and urinary tract toxicity (50%, n=87), and ototoxicity (22%, n=38). Conclusion Childhood cancer survivors at BMC have a higher risk of late effects as compared to published survivor cohorts in high-income countries. There is a need to develop and improve long-term follow-up care for survivors by enhancing patient and provider education to promote early detection of late effects.[1](#fn-0002)

Key clinical message:This is the image of dentigerous cyst detected in the medial wall of maxillary sinus, a rare location for the mentioned cyst, which emphasizes the superiority of radiographic features from the site of the lesion. Moreover, the present case showed no facial asymmetry despite the extension of the lesion.Keywords:Dentigerous cyst, impacted third molar, maxillary sinusCase description:A 22-year-old woman was referred to the private radiographic center for a cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scan due to a lesion discovered in a previous panoramic radiography. The patient chief complaint was pus drainage at the distal portion of upper left last tooth. No facial asymmetries or other clinical features were identified, and the patient did not report any other complications including airway obstruction. No medical history was also reported.The evaluation of CBCT scan, including axial, coronal, sagittal and 3-dimensional reconstructed aspects, revealed an extensive lesion surrounding the coronal part of the impacted ectopic tooth no. 16, locating in the left maxillary sinus. The border of the lesion was well-defined and corticated. Double cortex view was visible in coronal, sagittal and axial aspects. The internal structure of the lesion was unilocular and radiolucent. However, it was responsible for the opacity observed in the left maxillary sinus. The dimensions of the lesion were 41 mm vertically, 36 mm antero-posteriorly and 25 mm medio-laterally.The lesion displaced tooth no. 16, pushing it towards nasal fossa. It had also occupied the entire left maxillary sinus, caused displacement and thinning of the left maxillary sinus walls. Bony perforation was visible at the distal site of the tooth no. 15, probably responsible for the pus drainage at the distal portion of tooth no. 15. Additionally, severe displacement of the medial wall of left maxillary sinus to the midline with prolapse into the ethmoidal air cells and nasal fossa, narrowing of left nasal airway, and obstruction of the left maxillary sinus ostium were visible.The lesion was attached to the tooth via cementoenamel junction as seen in figure 1.Among differential diagnoses including unicystic ameloblastoma and dentigerous cyst, based on these radiographic findings, the diagnosis of a dentigerous cyst was made. The patient was then referred to an oral and maxillofacial surgeon for further management of the lesion, which may include marsupialization or enucleation, as well as pathological evaluations.Dentigerous cyst (DC) also called follicular cyst, is the most common noninflammatory and also the second most common odontogenic cyst originating from the reduced enamel epithelium, which is proliferated due to the osmotic pressure resulting from a fluid filled sac (1, 2). It is more frequent in males and the incidence of the aforementioned cyst is approximately 70% in the mandible and its occurrence in the maxilla is rare (2, 3). In cases with the diagnosis of DC in the maxilla, the impacted canine is usually the responsible tooth and the diagnosis of DC involving a maxillary impacted third molar is very rare (3). Radiographically, DC is a radiolucent lesion, presenting either unilocular or scalloping multilocular pattern (2). The important diagnostic key is the engagement of the cyst’s well-defined and corticated periphery to the cementoenamel junction of the involved tooth (1).Author contributionsMaryam Mohebiniya: Conceptualization, investigation, project administration, supervision, visualization, writing – review & editing. Soheila Jadidi: writing – original draft, writing – review & editing.Conflict of interestsNoneDeclaration of patient consentThe patient has given her consent for her clinical information to be reported in the journal.AcknowledgmentNoneReferences1. Sanjay Mallya EL. White and Pharoah’s Oral Radiology. 8th ed2018.2. Motamedi MHK, Talesh KT. Management of extensive dentigerous cysts. British Dental Journal. 2005;198(4):203-6.3. Asnani S, Mahindra U, Rudagi B, Kini Y, Kharkar V. Dentigerous cyst with an impacted third molar obliterating complete maxillary sinus: Official Publication of Indian Society for Dental Research. Indian Journal of Dental Research. 2012;23(6):833-5.Figure LegendsFigure 1: (a) axial and (b) coronal CBCT scan revealing an extensive lesion surrounding the coronal part of the impacted ectopic tooth no. 16, locating in the left maxillary sinus. Note the attachment of the lesion to the tooth via cementoenamel junction.

Silicon epitaxy is an essential building block in the manufacturing of complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) devices. Accurate determination of epitaxial layer thickness is indispensable for a uniform and reproducible process. In this paper, we compare thickness values of the transition zone in silicon epitaxial wafers obtained by two of Semilab’s production-compatible electrical and optical characterization techniques: Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) reflectometry and spreading resistance profiling (SRP). We demonstrate a high correlation between transition zone thicknesses obtained from the optical modelling of FTIR reflectance spectra and SRP profiles. The dependance of transition zone thickness change on the high-temperature annealing steps is also examined. FTIR reflectometry thus offers a quick, contactless alternative for obtaining structural parameters of an epitaxial layer, and these values can be well matched to those given by SRP.

Animal camouflage serves the dual purpose of enhancing predation or anti-predation efficiency through strategies such as background matching, disruptive coloration, countershading, masquerade, and motion dazzle. Although body size and shape determine the visual appearance of animals, potentially affecting their camouflage effectiveness, research over the past two centuries has primarily focused on animal coloration. Over the past two decades, attention has gradually shifted to the impact of body size and shape on camouflage. In this review, we analyze the impact of animal body size and shape on camouflage based on existing research and identify research issues and challenges. The results of existing studies indicate a negative correlation between background matching effectiveness and an animal’s body size, whereas flatter body shapes enhancing background matching. The effectiveness of disruptive coloration is also negatively correlated with body size, whereas irregular body shapes physically disrupt the body outline, reducing the visibility of true edges and making it challenging for predators to identify prey. Countershading is more likely to occur in larger mammal groups with smaller individuals, whereas body size is unrelated to countershading in smaller animal groups. Different body shapes also contribute to variations in countershading effectiveness. Animals employing masquerade achieve camouflage by resembling inanimate objects in their habitats in terms of body size and shape. The camouflaging effect of motion dazzle is negatively correlated with body size; however, the impact of body shape on motion dazzle remains unknown. A significant research gap exists in examining correlations between various camouflage strategies and body size and shape. Further, insufficient exploration of these strategies warrants thorough investigation in the future to better understand the mechanisms and evolutionary factors influencing camouflage in animals. Our review provides a theoretical foundation for the development of novel camouflage strategies.