Posttreatment Lyme disease syndrome and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome:A systematic review and comparison of pathogenesis

Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne illness in the United States and has been causing significant morbidity since its discovery in 1977.It is well-documented that about 10%of patients properly treated with antibiotics never fully recover,but instead go on to develop a chronic illness dubbed,posttreatment Lyme disease syndrome(PTLDS)characterized by severe fatigue,cognitive slowing,chronic pain,and sleep difficulties.This review includes 18 studies that detail the symptoms of patients with PTLDS and uses qualitative analysis to compare them to myalgic encephalitis/chronic fatigue syndrome(ME/CFS),a strikingly similar syndrome.In the majority of the PTLDS studies,at least four of the six major symptoms of ME/CFS were also noted,including substantial impairment in activity level and fatigue for more than 6 months,post-exertional malaise,and unrefreshing sleep.In one of the included PTLDS articles,26 of the 29 ME/CFS symptoms were noted.This study adds to the expanding literature on the post-active phase of infection syndromes,which suggests that chronic illnesses such as PTLDS and ME/CFS have similar pathogenesis despite different infectious origins.

Enhancing corrosion resistance of plasma electrolytic oxidation coatings on AM50 Mg alloy by inhibitor containing Ba(NO_(3))_(2) solutions

To enhance the long-term corrosion resistance of the plasma electrolytic oxidation(PEO)coating on the magnesium(Mg)alloy,an inorganic salt combined with corrosion inhibitors was used for posttreatment of the coating.In this study,the corrosion performance of PEO-coated AM50 Mg was significantly improved by loading sodium lauryl sulfonate(SDS)and sodium dodecyl benzene sulf-onate into Ba(NO_(3))_(2) post-sealing solutions.Scanning electron microscopy,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,X-ray diffraction,Fourier transform infrared spectrometer,and ultraviolet-visible analyses showed that the inhibitors enhanced the incorporation of BaO_(2) into PEO coatings.Electrochemical impedance showed that post-sealing in Ba(NO_(3))_(2)/SDS treatment enhanced corrosion resistance by three orders of magnitude.The total impedance value remained at 926Ω·cm^(2)after immersing in a 0.5wt%NaCl solution for 768 h.A salt spray test for 40 days did not show any obvious region of corrosion,proving excellent post-sealing by Ba(NO_(3))_(2)/SDS treatment.The corrosion resistance of the coating was enhanced through the synergistic effect of BaO2 pore sealing and SDS adsorption.

Optimizing methyl-eugenol aromatherapy to maximize posttreatment effects to enhance mating competitiveness of male Bactrocera carambolae （Diptera： Tephritidae）

Methyl-eugenol （ME） （1,2-dimethoxy-4-（2-propenyl）benzene）, a natural phy- tochemical, did enhance male Bactrocera carambolae Drew ＆ Hancock （Diptera： Tephri- tidae） mating competitiveness 3 d after ingestion. Enhanced male mating competitiveness can significantly increase the effectiveness of the sterile insect technique （SIT）. ME appli- cation to mass reared sterile flies by feeding is infeasible. ME application by aromatherapy however, would be a very practical way of ME application in fly emergence and release facilities. This approach was shown to enhance mating competitiveness ofB. carambolae 3 d posttreatment （DPT）. Despite this added benefit, every additional day of delaying re- lease will reduce sterile fly quality and will add cost to SIT application. The present study was planned to assess the effects of ME-aromatherapy on male B. carambolae mating competitiveness 1DPT and 2DPT. ME aromatherapy 1DPT or 2DPT did enhance mating competitiveness of B. carambolae males whereas ME feeding 1DPT and 2DPT did not. Male mating competitiveness was enhanced by the ME aromatherapy irrespective if they received 1DPT, 2DPT or 3DPT. ME aromatherapy, being a viable approach for its applica- tion, did enhance mating competitiveness of male B. carambolae 1 d posttreatrnent as ME feeding did 3 d after ingestion.

The conflict on posttreatment Lyme disease syndrome: a clinical mini review

Is Borrelia burgdorferi responsible for the persistence of symptoms after the standard successful course of antibiotics in Lyme disease patients?This highly controversial issue,concerning the underlying mechanism of posttreatment Lyme disease syndrome(PTLDS),still seems to be a matter of intense conflict of opinion.PTLDS is the manifestation of nonspecific symptoms including fatigue,musculoskeletal pain,dysesthesias,and neurocognitive deterioration after the standard antimicrobial therapy administered to patients suffering from Lyme disease.In this article,we review the conflicting views and published highlights of recent human studies regarding PTLDS.

A New Kind of Void Soap-free P(MMA-EA-MAA) Latex Particles

Soap-free P(MMA-EA-MAA) particles with narrow size distribution were synthesized by seeded emulsion polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA), ethyl acrylate (EA) and methacrylic acid (MAA), and large voids inside the particles were generated by alkali posttreatment in the presence of 2-butanone. Results indicated that the size of void and the particle volume were related with the amount of 2-butanone. The generation mechanism of voids was proposed.