Zeaxanthin augments CD8 effector T cell function and immunotherapy efficacy.

The detailed mechanisms underlying the regulatory significance of dietary components in modulating anti-tumor immunity remain largely unknown. Here, we apply a co-culture-based screening approach using a blood nutrient compound library and identify zeaxanthin (ZEA), a dietary carotenoid pigment found in many fruits and vegetables and known for its role in eye health, as an immunomodulator that enhances the cytotoxicity of CD8 T cells against tumor cells. Oral supplementation with ZEA, but not its structural isomer lutein (LUT), enhances anti-tumor immunity in vivo.

Trans-vaccenic acid reprograms CD8 T cells and anti-tumour immunity.

Diet-derived nutrients are inextricably linked to human physiology by providing energy and biosynthetic building blocks and by functioning as regulatory molecules. However, the mechanisms by which circulating nutrients in the human body influence specific physiological processes remain largely unknown. Here we use a blood nutrient compound library-based screening approach to demonstrate that dietary trans-vaccenic acid (TVA) directly promotes effector CD8 T cell function and anti-tumour immunity in vivo.

Biomechanical Effects of Thoracolumbosacral Orthosis Design Features on 3D Correction in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: A Comprehensive Multicenter Study.

Study Design: Multicenter numerical study.

Objective: To biomechanically analyze and compare various passive correction features of braces, designed by several centers with diverse practices, for three-dimensional (3D) correction of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

Summary Of Background Data: A wide variety of brace designs exist, but their biomechanical effectiveness is not clearly understood.

Steatite Powder Additives in Wood-Cement Drywall Particleboards.

The objective of this study was to develop a new drywall wood-based particleboard as an alternative to gypsum board. Various development iterations have led to the use of wood particles, steatite powder and Portland cement. The resulting outcome shows that screw withdrawal resistance was improved by 37% and bending properties by 69% compared to gypsum board of a similar density (0.

Mainstem Bronchial Diameters and Dimensions in Infants and Children: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Anatomic measurements of the right (RMB) and left mainstem bronchi (LMB) in infants and children have been accomplished using various modalities. The objective of the present review was to determine whether enough data were available to provide standardized lower airway dimensions in the pediatric population. For the present study, 12 studies with data of the lower pediatric airway dimensions of 1,611 children published from 1923-2020 were reviewed and analyzed.

Distinct, sex-dependent miRNA signatures in piglet hippocampus induced by a clinically relevant isoflurane exposure: a pilot study.

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of sex on miRNA expression in the hippocampus after isoflurane anesthesia in a neonatal piglet model.

Methods: Six male and 6 female piglets, aged 3-5 days, were anesthetized with 2% isoflurane in room air for 3 h. Full physiologic monitoring was observed.

The Effect of Wood Ash as a Partial Cement Replacement Material for Making Wood-Cement Panels.

The aim of this study was to consider the use of biomass wood ash as a partial replacement for cement material in wood-cement particleboards. Wood-cement-ash particleboards (WCAP) were made with 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% of wood ash as a partial replacement for cement with wood particles and tested for bending strength, stiffness, water absorption, and thermal properties. Test results indicate that water demand increases as the ash content increases, and the mechanical properties decrease slightly with an increase of the ash content until 30% of replacement.

The pediatric airway: Historical concepts, new findings, and what matters.

New observations from novel imaging techniques regarding the anatomy, dimensions, and shape of the pediatric airway have emerged and provide insight for potential changes in the clinical management of the airway in infants and children. These new findings are challenging the historical concepts of a funnel-shaped upper airway with the cricoid ring as the narrowest dimension. Although these tenets have been accepted and used to guide clinical practice in airway management, there are limited clinical investigations in children to support the validity of these concepts.

Postoperative pain management in patients undergoing thoracoscopic repair of pectus excavatum: A retrospective analysis of opioid consumption and adverse effects in adolescents.

Introduction: Although the Nuss procedure provides excellent cosmetic results for the correction of pectus excavatum, the provision of analgesia following such procedures can be challenging.

Methods: The current study retrospectively reviews our experience over a 2.5 year period with thoracic epidural analgesia (TE), paravertebral blockade (PVB), and intravenous opioids delivered via patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) to provide postoperative analgesia.

Use of a Piglet Model for the Study of Anesthetic-induced Developmental Neurotoxicity (AIDN): A Translational Neuroscience Approach.

Anesthesia cannot be avoided in many cases when surgery is required, particularly in children. Recent investigations in animals have raised concerns that anesthesia exposure may lead to neuronal apoptosis, known as anesthesia-induced developmental neurotoxicity (AIDN). Furthermore, some clinical studies in children have suggested that anesthesia exposure may lead to neurodevelopmental deficits later in life.

Cricoid ring: Shape, size, and variability in infants and children.

Background: Knowledge regarding the shape, size, and variability of the cricoid ring is important to properly choose the correct endotracheal tube (ETT) in the pediatric patient. Studies have measured the size of the cricoid ring using methodologies such as moulages, magnetic resonance imaging, and video-bronchoscopy. In the present study, computed tomography (CT) -based images were used to determine the shape, size, and configuration of the cricoid ring in the pediatric population taking into considerations growth and development.

Selective induction of IL-1β after a brief isoflurane anesthetic in children undergoing MRI examination.

Purpose: To determine if isoflurane anesthesia without surgery causes systemic inflammation in children. Inflammation is targeted as responsible for the development of many neurologic pathologies. The effect will be evaluated by measuring serum cytokine levels before and after isoflurane anesthesia.

Effects of partial sleep deprivation on reaction time in anesthesiologists.

Background: Fatigue in anesthesiologists may have implications that extend beyond individual well-being.

Aim: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of sleep deprivation on the reaction time in anesthesiologists either after an overnight call or regular working hours. Moderation of this effect by coping strategies was observed.

A novel, clinically relevant use of a piglet model to study the effects of anesthetics on the developing brain.

Background: Anesthesia-induced neurotoxicity research in the developing brain must rely upon an unimpeachable animal model and a standardized treatment approach. In this manner, identification of mechanisms of action may be undertaken. The goal of this study was to develop a novel, clinically relevant, translational way to use a piglet model to investigate anesthesia effects on the developing brain.

Time to talk about work-hour impact on anesthesiologists: The effects of sleep deprivation on Profile of Mood States and cognitive tasks.

Background: A physician's fatigue raises significant concerns regarding personal and patient safety. Effects of sleep deprivation on clinical performance and the quality of patient care are major considerations of today's health care environment.

Aim: To evaluate the impact of partial sleep deprivation after a 17-h overnight call (3 pm-7 am) on the mood status and cognitive skills of anesthesiologists in an academic clinical hospital setting, as compared to these parameters during regular working hours.

Age-based analysis of pediatric upper airway dimensions using computed tomography imaging.

Background: Recent studies have challenged the historically accepted fact that the larynx is cone-shaped in infants and children. The present study used computed tomography (CT)-based measurements to evaluate airway dimensions. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the dimensional transition between the subglottic area and the cricoid ring in children.

Penicillin allergy and surgical prophylaxis: Cephalosporin cross-reactivity risk in a pediatric tertiary care center.

Background: First generation cephalosporins are commonly used as antibiotic prophylaxis prior to surgery. Patients labeled as penicillin-allergic are often precluded from receiving cephalosporins because of an allergic cross-reactivity. The aims of this study were to evaluate the clinical practice for surgical prophylaxis at Nationwide Children's Hospital and to determine the incidence of adverse effects and allergic reactions when using cephalosporins in patients labeled as penicillin-allergic.

Plethysmography variability index response to isovolemic hemodilution in children prior to surgery for congenital heart disease.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the response of pleth variability index (PVI) to phlebotomy in anesthetized children prior to surgery for congenital heart disease. After induction of general anesthesia and prior to surgical incision, approximately 10 mL/kg of blood was removed from 40 mechanically ventilated children over a 5-10 min period. The PVI was continuously monitored.

Effects of hemodilution after traumatic brain injury in juvenile rats.

Background: Normovolemic hemodilution (HD) in adult animal studies has shown exacerbation of traumatic brain injury (TBI) lesion volumes. Similar studies in juvenile rats have not been reported and outcomes are likely to be different. This study investigated the effects of normovolemic hemodilution (21% hematocrit) in a juvenile TBI (jTBI) model.

Brain temperature: heat production, elimination and clinical relevance.

Neurological insults are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, both in adults and especially in children. Among possible therapeutic strategies to limit clinical cerebral damage and improve outcomes, hypothermia remains a promising and beneficial approach. However, its advantages are still debated after decades of use.

Continuous bupivacaine infusion post-iliac crest bone graft harvesting in pediatric cleft surgery: role and comparison with ketorolac.

Objective: To investigate the use of intravenous ketorolac and iliac crest bupivacaine infusion in the management of iliac crest donor-site pain in the pediatric cleft population. The null hypothesis was there is no difference with respect to pain scores between ketorolac and iliac crest bupivacaine infusion as analgesic adjuncts to intravenous opioids.

Methods: A total of 54 children and adolescents (27 boys, 27 girls) undergoing alveolar cleft repair or Le Fort I osteotomy were assigned randomly in a prospective, single-blinded fashion to one of three groups: intravenous ketorolac plus iliac crest normal saline infusion, intravenous ketorolac plus iliac crest bupivacaine infusion, or iliac crest bupivacaine infusion alone.

Fundamentals of neuronal apoptosis relevant to pediatric anesthesia.

The programmed cell death or apoptosis is a complex biochemical process that has risen to prominence in pediatric anesthesia. Preclinical studies report a dose-dependent neuronal apoptosis during synaptogenesis following exposure to intravenous and volatile anesthetic agents. Although emerging clinical data do not universally indicate an increased neurodegenerative risk of general anesthesia in early human life, a great deal of uncertainty was created within the pediatric anesthesia community.