Numerical Simulation of Reinforced Concrete beam Under Flexure Using Finite Element Method

Understanding the response of concrete structural components such as beams, columns, walls during loading is indispensable for the development of safeand efficient structures. The present report deals with the non-linear static analysis of a Reinforced Concrete (RC) beam, having dimensions 4000mmX400mmX 250mm, with 4 nos. of 16mm diameter bar as main reinforcements, 8mm diameter at 200mm c/c as shear reinforcement, with two faces of the beam as fixed modeled and analyzed when subjected to two point loads at one-third span from each fixed support using the Finite Element Analysis software Ansys. The behavior of the analyzed beam has been observed in terms of flexural behavior, load-deflection responses, and crack pattern for various loading conditions until failure load. Keywords: Finite element analysis, ANSYS, flexural behavior, Reinforced Concrete (RC) beams, material non- linearity, shear reinforcement.

Nasal mucoepidermoid carcinoma after radiotherapy: Case report

Introduction Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) is a tumor originated from the epithelium of the glandular excretory ducts and has highly variable biological potential. It is the most prevalent cancer of the salivary glands. The present report aims to describe a case of nasal mucoepidermoid carcinoma that developed after adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) treatment of a recurrent pituitary macroadenoma. Case Report Male patient, 62 years old, presented with recurrent nasal epistaxis on the right, associated with intense pulsatile headache, visual analogical scale (VAS) 10/10, with improvement only with the use of opioids and morphine. After undergoing oncological screening and study by imaging exams, the presence of an expansive seal lesion with suprasellar extension was seen, involving the medial wall of the cavernous segment of the right carotid artery and the anterior cerebral artery, as well as the presence of a new expansive lesion in the right nasal cavity, with ethmoid bone invasion superiorly and medial orbit wall invasion laterally, compressing the ipsilateral optic nerve canal. Discussion Sinonasal neoplasms represent a small portion of all malignancies of the upper aerodigestive tract, accounting for < 5% of these neoplasms. The development of MEC involves risk factors such as occupational issues, history of trauma and surgery involving the nasal area, and radiation exposure, as in previous RT. Conclusion Mucoepidermoid carcinoma is an uncommon neoplasia and can be associated with RT treatment, as used in cases of recurrent pituitary macroadenoma. In general, surgical resection to obtain free margins of neoplastic tissue is the aimed treatment, seeking better prognosis.

Management of giant osteoma in the mandible associated with minor trauma: a case report

Background Osteoma is a benign tumor of the bones, which can be classified as central or peripheral. The occurrence in the jawbones is uncommon, but when it occurs, there is a greater prevalence of the mandible. The etiology is still unknown, and the hypothesis of its development is debated. Case presentation A 35-year-old Caucasian man presenting a tumor lesion in the right jawbone that had been growing for 8 years sought medical service complaining of speaking impairment. According to the patient, the tumor appeared shortly after a minor trauma caused by tooth extraction. The diagnosis of the lesion was made through clinical, radiographic, and histological methods, and the surgical treatment was successful and satisfactory for the patient as well as the surgical team, despite a short follow-up. Conclusion Etiopathogenesis of osteoma is not determined in the majority of cases. In the present report, it was possible to hypothesize the association between a minor trauma and the development of the tumor, reinforcing the reactive theory of tumor development. The uncommon location of the osteoma, as well the possibility of identifying the possible cause of the lesion, makes this case particularly interesting.

Associations Among PCSK9 Levels, Atherosclerosis-Derived Extracellular Vesicles, and Their miRNA Content in Adults With Obesity

Background: Extracellular vesicles (EV) concentration is generally increased in patients with cardiovascular diseases, although the protective role of EVs in atherosclerosis has been reported. Among the specific cargo of EVs, miRNAs contribute to different stages of atherosclerosis. Aim of the present report has been to investigate, in individuals with obesity, the interplay among EVs derived from cells relevant for the atherosclerotic process (i.e., platelets, endothelium, monocytes/macrophages, and neutrophils), their miRNA content and proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9), one of the main regulators of low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR).Methods and Results: EVs have been isolated from 936 individuals with obesity (body mass index = 33.6 ± 5.6 Kg/m2) and a raised cardiovascular risk (e.g., LDL-C = 131.6 ± 36.4 mg/dL, HOMA-IR = 3.1, and roughly 50% on anti-hypertensive medications). PCSK9 levels were negatively associated with EV count in the range 150–400 nm and with those derived from macrophages (CD14+), endothelium (CD105+), and neutrophils (CD66+). The association between PCSK9 and platelet-derived EVs (CD61+) was modified by platelet counts. PCSK9 was significantly associated with five EV-derived miRNAs (hsa-miRNA−362−5p,−150,−1244,−520b-3p,−638). Toll-like receptor 4 and estrogen receptor 1 were targeted by all five miRNAs and LDLR by four. The effect on LDLR expression is mainly driven by hsa-miR-150. Considering the implication of EV in atherosclerosis onset and progression, our findings show a potential role of PCSK9 to regulate EV-derived miRNAs, especially those involved in inflammation and expression of low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) receptor.

Corticosterone-mediated regulation and functions of miR-218-5p in rat brain

Chronic stress is one of the key precipitating factors in major depressive disorder (MDD). Stress associated studies have underscored the mechanistic role of epigenetic master players like microRNAs (miRNAs) in depression pathophysiology at both preclinical and clinical levels. Previously, we had reported changes in miR-218-5p expression in response to corticosterone (CORT) induced chronic stress. MiR-218-5p was one of the most significantly induced miRNAs in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of rats under chronic stress. In the present report, we have investigated how chronic CORT exposure mechanistically affected miR-218-5p expression in the rat brain and how miR-218 could trigger molecular changes on its downstream regulatory pathways. Elevated expression of miR-218-5p was found in the PFC of CORT-treated rats. A glucocorticoid receptor (GR) targeted Chromatin-Immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay revealed high GR occupancy on the promoter region of Slit3 gene hosting miR-218-2 in its 3rd intron. RNA-sequencing data based on RNA Induced silencing Complex Immunoprecipitation (RISC-IP) with AGO2 in SH-SY5Y cells detected six consistent target genes of miR-218-5p (APOL4, DTWD1, BNIP1, METTL22, SNAPC1, and HDAC6). The expression of all five genes, except APOL4, was successfully validated with qPCR in CORT-treated rat PFC. Further, Hdac6-based ChIP-seq experiment helped in mapping major genomic loci enriched for intergenic regions in the PFC of CORT-treated rat. A proximity-based gene ontology (GO) analysis revealed a majority of the intergenic sites to be part of key genes implicated in central nervous system functions, notably synapse organization, neuron projection morphogenesis, and axonogenesis. Our results suggest that the upregulation of miR-218-5p in PFC of CORT-treated rats possibly resulted from GR biding in the promoter region of Slit3 gene. Interestingly, Hdac6 was one of the consistent target genes potentially found to regulate CNS related genes by chromatin modification. Collectively, these findings establish the role of miR-218-5p in chronic stress and the epigenetic function it plays to induce chromatin-based transcriptional changes of several CNS genes in triggering stress-induced disorders, including depression. This also opens up the scope to understand the role of miR-218-5p as a potential target for noncoding RNA therapeutics in clinical depression.

Single Image-Based Vignetting Correction for Improving the Consistency of Neural Activity Analysis in 2-Photon Functional Microscopy

High-resolution functional 2-photon microscopy of neural activity is a cornerstone technique in current neuroscience, enabling, for instance, the image-based analysis of relations of the organization of local neuron populations and their temporal neural activity patterns. Interpreting local image intensity as a direct quantitative measure of neural activity presumes, however, a consistent within- and across-image relationship between the image intensity and neural activity, which may be subject to interference by illumination artifacts. In particular, the so-called vignetting artifact—the decrease of image intensity toward the edges of an image—is, at the moment, widely neglected in the context of functional microscopy analyses of neural activity, but potentially introduces a substantial center-periphery bias of derived functional measures. In the present report, we propose a straightforward protocol for single image-based vignetting correction. Using immediate-early gene-based 2-photon microscopic neural image data of the mouse brain, we show the necessity of correcting both image brightness and contrast to improve within- and across-image intensity consistency and demonstrate the plausibility of the resulting functional data.

Jejunal strangulation and incarceration associated with bilateral perineal hernias in a neutered male dog

CASE DESCRIPTION An 8-year-old 6.8-kg neutered male Dachshund was presented for evaluation of vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia, and swelling over the right perineal region. The dog had a history of a bilateral perineal herniorrhaphy and castration 14 months prior to presentation. CLINICAL FINDINGS Bilateral perineal hernias were confirmed by digital rectal examination. Abdominal ultrasonography confirmed the presence of intestine within the right hernia. Three days after admission to the hospital, the region of the right perineal hernia became painful, erythematous, and edematous. Computed tomography revealed jejunal incarceration within the right hernia with dilation of 1 jejunal segment that indicated intestinal obstruction. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME Abdominal exploratory surgery was performed, during which irreducible small intestinal incarceration was confirmed. Intra-abdominal jejunal resection and anastomosis was performed, and an approximately 13-cm-long section of the jejunum was resected. Bilateral perineal herniorrhaphies with internal obturator and superficial gluteal muscle transposition were performed. Six months after surgery, digital rectal examination of the dog revealed that the repair was intact. The dog had no perineal hernia–related clinical signs at the time of the recheck examination. CLINICAL RELEVANCE For the dog of the present report, surgical management of small intestinal strangulation associated with a perineal hernia was successful. Although a portion of the small intestines can frequently be found within perineal hernias in dogs, perineal hernia-related small intestinal strangulation has not been previously described, to the authors’ knowledge. Veterinarians and clients should be aware of this potential complication secondary to perineal hernia and be prepared to perform an abdominal surgical procedure to address small intestinal incarceration in affected dogs.

Polymerisation of Styrene using Pincer Type Amine Functionalized Azo Aromatic Complexes of Co(II) as Catalysts

In this present report, three mononuclear azo-aromatic complexes of Co(II), 1-3, and an imine-based Co(II) complex, 4, were synthesized through a reaction of respective amine-functionalized pincer-like ligands, HL1-4, with CoCl2.6H2O...

Autonomic Status Epilepticus in a Patient with Parasellar Meningioma: A Case Report

Autonomic status epilepticus (Aut SE) is a condition characterized by ongoing focal autonomic seizure lasting for &#x3e;30 min. Aut SE can show a variety of clinical manifestations including vomiting, nausea, changes in heart rate, piloerection, pupillary abnormalities, and visual abnormalities. Although Aut SE is a common finding in childhood in the context of Panayiotopoulos syndrome, few reports have described this condition during adulthood. In the present report, we describe a case of Aut SE in an adult patient with parasellar meningioma and bilateral frontotemporal epileptiform activity on EEG record.

3-Formylchromone Counteracts STAT3 Signaling Pathway by Elevating SHP-2 Expression in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading cancers that contribute to a large number of deaths throughout the globe. The signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is a tumorigenic protein that is overactivated in several human malignancies including HCC. In the present report, the effect of 3-formylchromone (3FC) on the STAT3 signaling pathway in the HCC model was investigated. 3FC downregulated the constitutive phosphorylation of STAT3 and non-receptor tyrosine kinases such as JAK1 and JAK2. It also suppressed the transportation of STAT3 to the nucleus and reduced its DNA-binding ability. Pervanadate treatment overrode the 3FC-triggered STAT3 inhibition, and the profiling of cellular phosphatase expression revealed an increase in SHP-2 levels upon 3FC treatment. The siRNA-driven deletion of SHP-2 led to reinstate STAT3 activation. 3FC downmodulated the levels of various oncogenic proteins and decreased CXCL12-driven cell migration and invasion. Interestingly, 3FC did not exhibit any substantial toxicity, whereas it significantly regressed tumor growth in an orthotopic HCC mouse model and abrogated lung metastasis. Overall, 3FC can function as a potent agent that can display antitumor activity by targeting STAT3 signaling in HCC models.