Associated ultrasonographic findings in fetuses with microcephaly due to suspected Zika virus (ZIKV) infection during pregnancy

Abstract

Objective

To describe associated fetal ultrasonographic findings and outcome in a series of cases of fetal microcephaly associated with Zika virus infection.

Methods

Retrospective case series of microcephaly with definite (laboratory evidence) or highly probable (specific neuroimaging findings and negative laboratory results) maternal Zika virus infection. Microcephaly was graded as mild if the head circumference was between 2 and 3 standard deviation (SD) below the mean, and severe if 3 or more SD below the mean. Associated central nervous system (CNS) and extracranial malformations are described.

Results

19 singleton pregnancies fulfilling the inclusion criteria were identified. Severe microcephaly and mild microcephaly were identified in 14 and 5 fetuses, respectively. Additional CNS malformations were present in 17 cases and 7 had extracranial congenital anomalies. Symptoms were reported in 13/19 cases at a gestational age between 5 and 16 weeks. Mean (±SD) gestational age at ultrasound diagnosis was 32.3 ± 5.1 weeks. Amniocentesis was performed in 5 cases at a median gestational age of 31 weeks (range 28-38) and was positive for ZIKV RT-PCR in 2 cases. There were three neonatal deaths and one stillbirth.

Conclusion

In the presence of fetal microcephaly associated with Zika virus infection, CNS malformations are frequently detected.

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Viruses, Vol. 8, Pages 217: Erratum: Smither, S.; et al. Effectiveness of Four Disinfectants against Ebola Virus on Different Materials. Viruses 2016, 8, 185

The Viruses Editorial Office wishes to notify its readers of corrections in [1].[...]

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Energies, Vol. 9, Pages 619: Sustainable New Brick and Thermo-Acoustic Insulation Panel from Mineralization of Stranded Driftwood Residues

There is considerable interest recently in by-products for application in green buildings. These materials are widely used as building envelope insulators or blocks. In this study, an experimental study was conducted to test stranded driftwood residues as raw material for possible thermo-acoustic insulation panel and environmentally sustainable brick. The thermal and acoustic characteristics of such a natural by-product were examined. Part of samples were mineralized by means of cement-based additive to reinforce the material and enhance its durability as well as fire resistance. Several mixtures with different sizes of ground wood chips and different quantities of cement were investigated. The thermo-acoustic in-lab characterization was aimed at investigating the thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, volumetric specific heat, and acoustic transmission loss. All samples were tested before and after mineralization. Results from this study indicate that it is possible to use stranded driftwood residues as building materials with competitive thermo-acoustic properties. In fact, the thermal conductivity was shown to be always around 0.07 W/mK in the unbound samples, and around double that value for the mineralized samples, which present a much higher volumetric specific heat (1.6 MJ/m3K) and transmission loss capability. The lignin powder showed a sort of intermediate behavior between the unbound and the mineralized samples.

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Materials, Vol. 9, Pages 654: New Surface-Treatment Technique of Concrete Structures Using Crack Repair Stick with Healing Ingredients

This study focused on the development of a crack repair stick as a new repair method along with self-healing materials that can be used to easily repair the cracks in a concrete structure at the construction site. In developing this new repair technique, the self-healing efficiency of various cementitious materials was considered. Likewise, a crack repair stick was developed to apply to concrete structures with 0.3 mm or lower crack widths. The crack repair stick was made with different materials, such as cement, an expansive material (C12A7), a swelling material, and calcium carbonate, to endow it with a self-healing property. To verify the performance of the crack repair stick for concrete structures, two types of procedures (field experiment and field absorption test) were carried out. As a result of such procedures, it was concluded that the developed crack repair stick could be used on concrete structures to reduce repair expenses and for the improved workability, usability, and serviceability of such structures. On the other hand, to evaluate the self-healing performance of the crack repair stick, various tests were conducted, such as the relative dynamic modulus of elasticity test, the water tightness test, the water permeability test, observation via a microscope, and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis. From the results, it is found that water leakage can be prevented and that the durability of a concrete structure can be improved through self-healing. Also, it was verified that the cracks were perfectly closed after 28 days due to application of the crack repair stick. These results indicate the usability of the crack repair stick for concrete structures, and its self-healing efficiency.

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How Do Intensity and Duration of Rehabilitation Services Affect Outcomes from Severe Traumatic Brain Injury? A Natural Experiment Comparing Healthcare Delivery Systems in Two Developed Nations

Publication date: Available online 3 August 2016
Source:Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Author(s): Tessa Hart, John Whyte, Ingrid Poulsen, Karin Spangsberg Kristensen, Annette M. Nordenbo, Inna Chervoneva, Monica J. Vaccaro
ObjectiveDetermine effects of inpatient and outpatient treatment intensity on functional and emotional well-being outcomes at 1 year post severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).DesignProspective, quasi-experimental study comparing outcomes in a US TBI treatment center with those in a Denmark (DK) center providing significantly greater intensity and duration of rehabilitation.SettingInpatient and outpatient TBI rehabilitation.Participants274 persons with severe traumatic brain injury.InterventionsInpatient rehabilitation interventions were counted daily by discipline. Outpatient treatments were estimated per discipline using a structured interview administered to patients and/ or caregivers at 12 months.Main Outcome MeasuresFIM, Glasgow Outcome Scale- Extended, Disability Rating Scale, Participation Assessment with Recombined Tools-Objective, Perceived Quality of Life, SF-12, Brief Symptom Inventory-18 item version.ResultsDespite identical inclusion criteria, patient severity on admission was greater at the DK site. After adjustment for patient/ injury characteristics, there were no site differences in either functional or emotional outcome at 12 months. Significantly more inpatient + outpatient treatment was administered to DK patients than to those in the US. For functional but not emotional treatments, more severely impaired patients received higher doses. One-year outcomes were predicted by admission severity, age, employment, and other baseline characteristics.ConclusionsContrary to expectation, DK patients who received significantly more rehabilitation services during the year following severe TBI did not differ in outcome from their less intensively treated US counterparts, after adjusting for initial severity. The negative association of functional treatment dose with extent of early disability suggests that dose was driven by unmeasured factors reflecting need for services. Improved measures of injury-related factors driving treatment allocation are needed to model the independent effects of treatment on outcomes.



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Sensors, Vol. 16, Pages 1228: Real-Time Identification of Smoldering and Flaming Combustion Phases in Forest Using a Wireless Sensor Network-Based Multi-Sensor System and Artificial Neural Network

Diverse sensing techniques have been developed and combined with machine learning method for forest fire detection, but none of them referred to identifying smoldering and flaming combustion phases. This study attempts to real-time identify different combustion phases using a developed wireless sensor network (WSN)-based multi-sensor system and artificial neural network (ANN). Sensors (CO, CO2, smoke, air temperature and relative humidity) were integrated into one node of WSN. An experiment was conducted using burning materials from residual of forest to test responses of each node under no, smoldering-dominated and flaming-dominated combustion conditions. The results showed that the five sensors have reasonable responses to artificial forest fire. To reduce cost of the nodes, smoke, CO2 and temperature sensors were chiefly selected through correlation analysis. For achieving higher identification rate, an ANN model was built and trained with inputs of four sensor groups: smoke; smoke and CO2; smoke and temperature; smoke, CO2 and temperature. The model test results showed that multi-sensor input yielded higher predicting accuracy (≥82.5%) than single-sensor input (50.9%–92.5%). Based on these, it is possible to reduce the cost with a relatively high fire identification rate and potential application of the system can be tested in future under real forest condition.

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Marine Drugs, Vol. 14, Pages 147: Acetylated Triterpene Glycosides and Their Biological Activity from Holothuroidea Reported in the Past Six Decades

Sea cucumbers have been valued for many centuries as a tonic and functional food, dietary delicacies and important ingredients of traditional medicine in many Asian countries. An assortment of bioactive compounds has been described in sea cucumbers. The most important and abundant secondary metabolites from sea cucumbers are triterpene glycosides (saponins). Due to the wide range of their potential biological activities, these natural compounds have gained attention and this has led to their emergence as high value compounds with extended application in nutraceutical, cosmeceutical, medicinal and pharmaceutical products. They are characterized by bearing a wide spectrum of structures, such as sulfated, non-sulfated and acetylated glycosides. Over 700 triterpene glycosides have been reported from the Holothuroidea in which more than 145 are decorated with an acetoxy group having 38 different aglycones. The majority of sea cucumber triterpene glycosides are of the holostane type containing a C18 (20) lactone group and either Δ7(8) or Δ9(11) double bond in their genins. The acetoxy group is mainly connected to the C-16, C-22, C-23 and/or C-25 of their aglycone. Apparently, the presence of an acetoxy group, particularly at C-16 of the aglycone, plays a significant role in the bioactivity; including induction of caspase, apoptosis, cytotoxicity, anticancer, antifungal and antibacterial activities of these compounds. This manuscript highlights the structure of acetylated saponins, their biological activity, and their structure-activity relationships.

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