A Method to Investigate Sterilization Processes and the Bacterial Inactivation Resolved in Time and Space.

In this study, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was developed to predict all relevant phenomena occurring during a moist heat sterilization process at a high level of temporal and spatial resolution. The developed CFD model was used to simulate the distribution of, for example, pressure, temperature, and residual air within a large-scale industrial steam autoclave (multiphase flow models), which was not published until now. Moreover, the thermodynamic behavior and distribution of fluids and temperatures inside the sterilization load were simulated and were verified with measurements.

Hummingbird: efficient performance prediction for executing genomic applications in the cloud.

Motivation: A major drawback of executing genomic applications on cloud computing facilities is the lack of tools to predict which instance type is the most appropriate, often resulting in an over- or under- matching of resources. Determining the right configuration before actually running the applications will save money and time. Here, we introduce Hummingbird, a tool for predicting performance of computing instances with varying memory and CPU on multiple cloud platforms.

COVID-19 related reduction in pediatric emergency healthcare utilization - a concerning trend.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted healthcare systems worldwide. In addition to the direct impact of the virus on patient morbidity and mortality, the effect of lockdown strategies on health and healthcare utilization have become apparent. Little is known on the effect of the pandemic on pediatric and adolescent medicine.

A case of SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia with successful antiviral therapy in a 77-year-old man with a heart transplant.

The SARS-CoV-2 infection can be seen as a single disease, but it also affects patients with relevant comorbidities who may have an increased risk of a severe course of infection. In this report, we present a 77-year-old patient with a heart transplant receiving relevant immunosuppressive therapy who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 after several days of dyspnea, dry cough, and light general symptoms. Computed tomography confirmed interstitial pneumonia.

Biochemical characterization and immunogenicity of Neureight, a recombinant full-length factor VIII produced by fed-batch process in disposable bioreactors.

Hemophilia A is a X-linked recessive bleeding disorder consecutive to the lack of circulating pro-coagulant factor VIII (FVIII). The most efficient strategy to treat or prevent bleeding in patients with hemophilia A relies on replacement therapy using exogenous FVIII. Commercially available recombinant FVIII are produced using an expensive perfusion technology in stainless steel fermenters.

Upregulation of SERCA2a following short-term ACE inhibition (by enalaprilat) alters contractile performance and arrhythmogenicity of healthy myocardium in rat.

Chronic angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEIs) treatment can suppress arrhythmogenesis. To examine whether the effect is more immediate and independent of suppression of pathological remodelling, we tested the antiarrhythmic effect of short-term ACE inhibition in healthy normotensive rats. Wistar rats were administered with enalaprilat (ENA, i.

Development and validation of a novel cell-based assay for potency determination of human parathyroid hormone (PTH).

Parathyroid hormone (PTH) is the primary regulator of serum calcium homeostasis and plays a major role in bone metabolism. Its actions are mediated via the PTH1 receptor (PTH1R) resulting in adenylate cyclase activation and consequently production of cyclic adenosine mono-phosphate (cAMP). The latter stimulates cellular metabolic pathways.

Metabolic engineering for p-coumaryl alcohol production in Escherichia coli by introducing an artificial phenylpropanoid pathway.

The plant polymer lignin is the greatest source of aromatic chemical structures on earth. Hence, the chemically diverse lignin monomers are valuable raw materials for fine chemicals, materials synthesis, and food and flavor industries. However, extensive use of this natural resource is hampered by the large number of different lignin monomers and the complex and irregular structure of lignin, which renders current processes for its chemical or enzymatic degradation inefficient.

Reproducible quantification of osteoclastic activity: characterization of a biomimetic calcium phosphate assay.

Osteoclasts are responsible for bone and joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis, periodontitis, and osteoporosis. Animal tusk slice assays are standard for evaluating the effect of therapeutics on these cells. However, in addition to batch-to-batch variability inherent to animal tusks, their use is clearly not sustainable.

Quantification of a pegylated interferon-alpha2a product by a customised and validated reverse phase-high performance liquid chromatography method.

There is increasing development of pegylated proteins as clinical products for therapeutic interventions in human disease. Quantification of such products relies on appropriately calibrated traditional methods, including reverse phase-high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). However, currently available pharmacopoeia calibrants, e.

The effects of interleaving versus blocking on foreign language pronunciation learning.

Many studies have shown that students learn better when they are given repeated exposures to different concepts in a way that is shuffled or interleaved, rather than blocked (e.g., Rohrer Educational Psychology Review, 24, 355-367, 2012).

Expression of recombinant staphylokinase in the methylotrophic yeast Hansenula polymorpha.

Background: Currently, the two most commonly used fibrinolytic agents in thrombolytic therapy are recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) and streptokinase (SK). Whereas SK has the advantage of substantially lower costs when compared to other agents, it is less effective than either rt-PA or related variants, has significant allergenic potential, lacks fibrin selectivity and causes transient hypotensive effects in high dosing schedules. Therefore, development of an alternative fibrinolytic agent having superior efficacy to SK, approaching that of rt-PA, together with a similar or enhanced safety profile and advantageous cost-benefit ratio, would be of substantial importance.

Measurements of vocal fold elasticity using the linear skin rheometer.

Objective: The linear skin rheometer (LSR), which measures skin visco-elasticity, was adapted for measurements of vocal fold properties. A series of studies was performed on animal and human excised larynges to determine if the LSR technique can be applied to the vocal fold.

Methods: In excised larynges, small patches of mucosa were driven sinusoidally at 0.

Analysis assistant for single-molecule force spectroscopy data on membrane proteins--MPTV.

Unlabelled: Force-distance (F-D) curves of single membrane proteins reveal information on inter- and intramolecular interactions occurring within a protein and between proteins. However, the analysis of single-molecule force spectroscopy data is a time consuming and complex process requiring objective criteria. In most cases the user requires additional information to interpret F-D curves.

Fibronectin-induced proliferation in thyroid cells is mediated by alphavbeta3 integrin through Ras/Raf-1/MEK/ERK and calcium/CaMKII signals.

We recently demonstrated in an immortalized thyroid cell line that integrin stimulation by fibronectin (FN) simultaneously activates two signaling pathways: Ras/Raf/MAPK kinase (Mek)/Erk and calcium Ca2+/calcium calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII). Both signals are necessary to stimulate Erk phosphorylation because CaMKII modulates Ras-induced Raf-1 activity. In this study we present evidence that extends these findings to normal human thyroid cells in primary culture, demonstrating its biological significance in a more physiological cell model.