Resilience of countries to COVID-19 correlated with trust

We characterized > 150 countries’ resilience to COVID-19 as the nationwide decay rate of daily cases or deaths from peak levels. Resilience to COVID-19 varies by a factor of ~ 40 between countries for cases/capita and ~ 25 for deaths/capita. Trust within society is positively correlated with country-level resilience to COVID-19, as is the adaptive increase in stringency of government interventions when epidemic waves occur. By contrast, countries where governments maintain greater background stringency tend to have lower trust within society and tend to be less resilient. All countries where > 40% agree “most people can be trusted” achieve a near complete reduction of new cases and deaths, but so do several less-trusting societies. As the pandemic progressed, resilience tended to decline, as adaptive increases in stringency also declined. These results add to evidence that trust can improve resilience to epidemics and other unexpected disruptions, of which COVID-19 is unlikely to be the last.

Concise syntheses of GB22, GB13 and himgaline by cross-coupling and complete reduction

Class III neuroactive metabolites from the bark of Galbu-limima belgraveana occur in variable distribution and are not easily procured by chemical synthesis. Here we decrease the synthetic burden of himgaline to nearly one-third of the prior best (7–9 vs. 19–31 steps) by cross-coupling high fraction aromatic (FAr) building blocks followed by com-plete, stereoselective reduction to high-fraction sp3 (Fsp3) products. This short entry into GB alkaloid space allows its extensive exploration and biological interrogation.

LH2 Tanker Design Based on WIT Operating Model and CAPEX as Competitive Advantage

This paper presents the concept and design of a tanker powered by, and carrying, liquid hydrogen (LH2). Beyond the realization of a complete reduction in carbon emissions, the concept is closely related to the authors’ proposal for a rethinking of ship operation with a substitution of Just-in-Time (JIT) by Warehouse-in-Transit (WIT). Ways to fund a LH2 tanker is also reviewed and suggested.

Surgical outcomes with anatomic reduction of high-grade spondylolisthesis revisited: an analysis of 101 patients

OBJECTIVE The ideal strategy for high-grade L5–S1 isthmic spondylolisthesis (HGS) remains controversial. Critical questions include the impact of reduction on clinical outcomes, rate of pseudarthrosis, and postoperative foot drop. The scope of this study was to delineate predictors of radiographic and clinical outcome factors after surgery for HGS and to identify risk factors of foot drop. METHODS This was a single-center analysis of patients who were admitted for HGS, defined as grade III or greater L5 translation according to the Meyerding (MD) classification. Complete postoperative reduction was defined as MD grade I or less and L5 slip < 20%. Forty-six patients completed health-related quality-of-life questionnaires (Oswestry Disability Index, Physical Component Summary of SF-36, and visual analog scale) and ≥ 2 years’ follow-up (average 105 months). A 540° approach was used in 61 patients, a 360° approach was used in 40, and L5 corpectomy was used in 17. Radiographic analysis included measures of global spinopelvic balance (e.g., pelvic incidence [PI], lumbar lordosis) and measurement of lumbosacral kyphosis angle (LSA), L4 slope (L4S), L5 slip (%), and postoperative increase of L5–S1 height. RESULTS The authors included 101 patients with > 1 year of clinical and radiographic follow-up. The mean age was 26 years. Average preoperative MD grade was 3.8 and average L5 slip was 81%; complete reduction was achieved in 55 and 42 patients, respectively, according to these criteria. At follow-up, LSA correlated with all clinical outcomes (r ≥ 0.4, p < 0.05). Forty patients experienced a major complication. Risk was increased in patients with greater preoperative deformity (i.e., LSA) (p = 0.04) and those who underwent L5 corpectomy (p < 0.01) and correlated with greater deformity correction. Thirty-one patients needed revision surgery, including 17 for pseudarthrosis. Patients who needed revision surgery had greater preoperative deformity (i.e., MD grade and L5 slip) (p < 0.01), greater PI (p = 0.02), and greater postoperative L4S (p < 0.01) and were older (p = 0.02), and these patients more often underwent L5 corpectomy (p < 0.01). Complete reduction was associated with lower likelihood of pseudarthrosis (p = 0.08) and resulted in better lumbar lordosis correction (p = 0.03). Thirty patients had foot drop, and these patients had greater MD grade and L5 slip (p < 0.01) and greater preoperative LSA (p < 0.01). These patients with foot drop more often required L5 corpectomy (p < 0.01). Change in preoperative L4S (p = 0.02), LSA (p < 0.01), and L5–S1 height (p = 0.02) were significantly different between patients with foot drop and those without foot drop. A significant risk model was established that included L4S change and PI as independent variables and foot drop as a dependent variable (82% negative predictive value and 71% positive predictive value, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS Multivariable analysis identified factors associated with foot drop, major complications, and need for revision surgery, including degree of deformity (MD grade and L5 slip) and correction of LSA. Functional outcome correlated with LSA correction.

Engineering of Yeast Old Yellow Enzyme OYE3 Enables Its Capability Discriminating of (E)-Citral and (Z)-Citral

The importance of yeast old yellow enzymes is increasingly recognized for direct asymmetric reduction of (E/Z)-citral to (R)-citronellal. As one of the most performing old yellow enzymes, the enzyme OYE3 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae S288C exhibited complementary enantioselectivity for the reduction of (E)-citral and (Z)-citral, resulting in lower e.e. value of (R)-citronellal in the reduction of (E/Z)-citral. To develop a novel approach for the direct synthesis of enantio-pure (R)-citronellal from the reduction of (E/Z)-citral, the enzyme OYE3 was firstly modified by semi-rational design to improve its (R)-enantioselectivity. The OYE3 variants W116A and S296F showed strict (R)-enantioselectivity in the reduction of (E)-citral, and significantly reversed the (S)-enantioselectivity in the reduction of (Z)-citral. Next, the double substitution of OYE3 led to the unique variant S296F/W116G, which exhibited strict (R)-enantioselectivity in the reduction of (E)-citral and (E/Z)-citral, but was not active on (Z)-citral. Relying on its capability discriminating (E)-citral and (Z)-citral, a new cascade reaction catalyzed by the OYE3 variant S296F/W116G and glucose dehydrogenase was developed, providing the enantio-pure (R)-citronellal and the retained (Z)-citral after complete reduction of (E)-citral.

Trust boosts recovery of countries from COVID-19

Why have some countries suppressed waves of the COVID-19 pandemic much more effectively than others? We find that the decay rate of daily cases or deaths from peak levels varies by a factor of ~40 between countries. This measure of country-level resilience to COVID-19 is positively correlated with trust within society, and with the adaptive increase in stringency of government interventions when epidemic waves occur. All countries where >40% agree most people can be trusted achieve a near complete reduction of new cases and deaths. In contrast, countries where governments maintain greater background stringency tend to be less trusting and less resilient. Building trust is therefore critical to resilience, both to epidemics and other unexpected disruptions, of which COVID-19 is unlikely to be the last.

Single Pot Synthesis of Gellan Gum Coated Silver Nanoparticles and its Antimicrobial Activity

A single pot synthesis of gellan gum coated silver nanoparticles using aniline as a reducing agent has been investigated in present study. The reaction was facile at 80 ºC under reflux condition and the complete reduction of silver ions was noted within 2 h. The resulting gellan gum protected silver nanoparticle was isolated and analyzed with various analytical tools. The antimicrobial activity of the prepared nanocomposite had shown an excellent activity against some selected pathogenic microorganisms.

Surgical extrusion: A reliable alternative for saving fractured anterior teeth

Crown-lengthening procedures are necessary to rehabilitate supracrestal insertion tissue and to guarantee a suitable dental restoration. The objective of this article was to report a surgical extrusion procedure as a treatment option for a fractured anterior tooth. A 24-year-old male patient presented to our department to rehabilitate his maxillary right lateral incisor. The tooth was fractured due to a trauma and presented a healthy periodontium. Endodontic treatment was performed before the surgical extrusion. A fixed crown was cemented after complete reduction of tooth mobility after 6 months. No complication was observed at 6 months post-operatively. A minimally traumatic surgical extrusion technique provided highly successful results in both functional and esthetic aspects, especially in the anterior region, where the latter is of great interest.

A Safe and Effective Posterior Intra-Articular Distraction Technique to Treat Congenital Atlantoaxial Dislocation Associated With Basilar Invagination: Case Series and Technical Nuances

BACKGROUND The management of atlantoaxial dislocation (AAD) associated with basilar invagination (BI) is challenging, and traditional posterior-only approaches lack the ability to release the anterior soft tissue resulting in unsatisfactory reduction. Furthermore, vertebral artery anomalies and deformed anatomy increase surgical risks. OBJECTIVE To introduce a safe and efficient technique to reduce congenital AAD and BI through a single-stage posterior-only approach. METHODS A total of 65 patients with AAD and concomitant BI who had congenital osseous abnormalities were retrospectively analyzed. All patients had anterior soft tissue released through a posterior-only approach, followed by intra-facet cages implantation, cantilever correction, and instrumentation. Clinical results were measured using the Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) scale, and radiographic measurements included the atlanto-dental interval, the distance of odontoid tip above Chamberlain's line, clivus-canal angle (CCA), and syrinx length. Paired t-tests were used to compare preoperative and postoperative measurements. RESULTS The mean JOA score increased from 10.98 to 14.40 at 1-yr follow-up. Complete reduction of AAD and BI was achieved in 48 patients (73.8%). The mean CCA improved from 115° preoperatively to 129° postoperatively. Reduction of syrinx size was observed in 14 patients at 1 wk and in 35 patients 1 yr after surgery. All patients achieved bony fusion. CONCLUSION Posterior intra-articular distraction followed by cage implantation and cantilever correction can achieve complete reduction in most cases of congenitally anomalous AAD associated with BI.