Our aim was to investigate the validity of osmolality from 24-h urine collection in examining the risk for calcium-oxalate (CaOx) kidney stone formation in patients with recurrent urolithiasis. Three hundred and twelve subjects (males/females 184/128) from France with a history of recurrent kidney stones from confirmed or putative CaOx origin were retrospectively included in the study (46 ± 14 years, BMI 25.3 ± 5.0 kg·m-2). Tiselius' crystallization risk index (CRI) was calculated based on urinary calcium, oxalate, citrate, magnesium, and volume from 24-h samples. The diagnostic ability of 24-h urine osmolality to classify patients as high risk for kidney stone crystallization was examined through the receivers operating characteristics analysis. High risk for CaOx crystallization was defined as CRI > 1.61 and > 1.18, for males and females, respectively. The accuracy of urine osmolality to diagnose risk of CaOx stone formation (AUC, area under the curve) for females was 84.6%, with cut-off point of 501 mmol·kg-1 (sensitivity 83.3%, specificity 76.0%). Males had AUC of 85.8% with threshold of 577 mmo·kg-1 (sensitivity 85.5%, specificity 77.6%). A negative association was found between 24-h urine volume and osmolality (r = - 0.63, P  577 mmol·kg-1, in female and in male, respectively, was associated with a risk for CaOx kidney stone formation in patients with a history of recurrent urolithiasis. Thus, when CaOx origin is confirmed or suspected, 24-h urine osmolality provides a simple way to define individualized target of urine dilution to prevent urine crystallization and stone formation.Postoperative leaks after gastrointestinal surgery are important to identify to decrease patient morbidity and mortality. Fluoroscopic studies are commonly employed to detect postoperative leak. While the literature addresses the sensitivity and specificity of these examinations, there is generally a lack of description of the fluoroscopic technique itself and there may be variability between radiologists in how these studies are performed. It is important to balance a standardized fluoroscopy protocol while tailoring the exam for each surgical and patient situation. Here we will briefly review common postoperative anatomy in the upper gastrointestinal tract, propose fluoroscopic techniques to improve postoperative leak detection, and illustrate teaching points with clinical cases.Acute liver failure (ALF) is a rare clinical entity with high morbidity and mortality frequently requiring liver transplantation for survival. Imaging, particularly with ultrasound, plays an important role, especially to distinguish patients with underlying chronic liver disease who have lower transplant priority. We discuss the clinical and imaging findings in the three subtypes of ALF using a multi-modality approach with an emphasis on ultrasound.Oudemansiella species are worldwide distributed and they are characterized for having attractive appearance, a soft fleshy context and mild taste and odor, what makes them interesting for mushroom intensive production. However, studies on their cultivation are scarce and there is no information regarding productive and morphological parameters of fruiting bodies obtained in culture. Here, we propose a methodology to determine the best production technique for the cultivation of not only Oudemansiella species but also of other xylophagous species assaying five different mushroom cultivation systems. Also, the optimal temperature of vegetative growth, the optimal lignocellulosic substrates and the nutritional properties of two naturally occurring Oudemansiella species were determined. As a result, bags with holes-system proved to be the most appropriate technique for the production of fruiting bodies, 25 °C was determined as the optimal temperature for mycelial growth and wheat straw as the best substrate. The evaluated species showed a higher content of fats and fiber and a lower content of proteins and carbohydrates compared to other mushrooms. Furthermore, this is the first report of the cultivation of O. cubensis on agricultural wastes in the world.The roles of Candida albicans CHK1, a key gene from two-component system, in oral mucosal infection are not clear. This study evaluated the key roles of CHK1 gene in vitro and in vivo. The expression of CHK1 and its regulated virulence factors were tested during the oral epithelial cell infection. The production of lactate dehydrogenase, ROS, and IL-1α combined with the confocal and scanning electron microscope observation was employed to identify the capability of CHK1 in damaging the epithelial cells. Both immunocompetent and immunodeficient mice oropharyngeal infection models were involved to confirm the roles of CHK1 gene in vivo. The expression of CHK1 gene was significantly increased during the oral epithelial cell infection. The chk1Δ/Δ mutant failed to damage the epithelial cells or induce IL-α and ROS production. Interestingly, chk1Δ/Δ can also form the similar hyphae with WT and complementary strains. Accordingly, chk1Δ/Δ did not affect the adhesion and invasion rates of C. albicans to oral epithelial cells. However, chk1Δ/Δ significantly decreased the expression levels of the virulence factors, including ALS2, SAP6, and YWP1. The chk1Δ/Δ also failed to cause oral candidiasis in both immunocompetent and immunodeficient mice indicating that CHK1 gene from the two-component system is essential for the pathogenicity of C. albicans. KEY POINTS • CHK1gene is essential for C. albicans in oral candidiasis • C. albicans without CHK1 gene can form "non-pathogenic" hyphae. • CHK1 gene regulates the virulence of C. albicans.Aeromonas veronii can cause a variety of diseases such as sepsis in humans and animals. However, there has been no effective way to eradicate A. veronii. In this study, the intracellular antibacterial activities of the C-terminal aminated marine peptide N6 (N6NH2) and its D-enantiomer (DN6NH2) against A. veronii were investigated in macrophages and in mice, respectively.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/mk-0159.html  The result showed that DN6NH2 with the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 1.62 μM is more resistant to cathepsin B than N6NH2 (3.23 μM). The penetration percentages of the cells treated with 4-200 μg/mL fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-DN6NH2 were 52.5-99.6%, higher than those of FITC-N6NH2 (27.0-99.1%). Both N6NH2 and DN6NH2 entered macrophages by macropinocytosis and an energy-dependent manner. DN6NH2 reduced intracellular A. veronii by 34.57%, superior to N6NH2 (19.52%). After treatment with 100 μg/mL DN6NH2, the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and IL-1β were reduced by 53.45%, 58.54%, and 44.62%, respectively, lower than those of N6NH2 (15.