Adenomyosis (ADM) is a multifaceted uterine pathology characterized by the ectopic infiltration of endometrial tissue into the myometrium, afflicting approximately 20% of women in the reproductive age group seeking gynecological care. This condition manifests as a range of debilitating symptoms, including dysmenorrhea, menorrhagia, impaired fertility, and heightened susceptibility to miscarriage and obstetric complications. Substantial research has been dedicated to exploring its underlying molecular mechanisms and developing non-invasive precision medical therapies. ADM is primarily characterized by a dysregulation in sex-steroid hormone homeostasis, particularly estrogen and progesterone. However, emerging evidence suggests that additional endocrine mediators and disruptors may exert contributory roles in the etiology of ADM. Furthermore, genetic and epigenetic alterations of endocrine signaling pathways have been implicated as prevailing mechanisms underlying the development and progression of the disease. The present review aims to provide an updated and comprehensive overview of the current understanding of the pathophysiology of ADM, with a particular emphasis on the dysregulated hormonal milieu and the potential involvement of endocrine disruptors. By elucidating these intricate molecular mechanisms, this review seeks to pave the way for novel research directions in the development of targeted therapeutic strategies for ADM management.

In modern inverter applications, multilevel converters are used thanks to their capability of reducing the passive fi lter volumes, improving the overall THD, sharing the power sources across the several converter cells, and providing a reconfi guration ability in case of failure. However, increasing the number of cells makes more complex the control of the converter. This article proposes a decentralized control technique based on the use of elementary modular controllers, associated with each converter cell and communicating with their close neighbors to obtain the balancing of the powers they supplied. Each modular controller can be dynamically removed or added to allow reconfi guration of the converter for functional safety purpose. This method is applied to a 240V/3A 5-cells Cascaded Full-Bridge Multilevel Converter. The response of the system to load transients and cell voltage disturbances demonstrates the robustness of the proposed decentralized control method. Thanks to the use of modular controllers, the number of levels of the converter can be extended to the order N without adding complexity to its control.

Existing implants used with Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA), Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA), and other joint reconstruction treatments, have displayed premature failures and frequent needs for revision surgery in recent years, particularly with young active patients who represent more than 55% of all joint reconstruction patients. Bone cement and stress shielding have been identified as the major reasons for premature joint failures. A breakdown of the cement may happen, and revision surgery may be needed because of the aseptic loosening. The significant mismatch of stiffness properties of patient trabecular bones and metallic implant materials in joint reconstruction surgery results in the stress shielding phenomenon. This could lead to significant bone resorption and increased risk of bone fracture and the aseptic loosening of implants. The present project introduces an approach for development of customized cellular structures to match the mechanical properties and architecture of human trabecular bone. It consists of four modules:1- characterization of geometry, microarchitecture, and stiffness properties of patient’s bones; 2- developing customized lattice structures tailored to mimic properties established in module 1; 3 - integration of developed lattice structure into full scale implant design and manufacturing; 4- implementation of the developed technology for use in implants that would overcome most of the issues related to aseptic loosening phenomenon. The present work aims at fulfilling the objectives of module 2 by exploring new designs of customized lattice structures and texture tailored to mimic closely patients’ bone anisotropic properties and that can incorporate an engineered biological press-fit fixation technique. The effects of various lattice design variables on mechanical performance of the structure are examined through systematic experimental plan using statistical design of experiments technique and analysis of variance method. All tested lattice designs were explored under realistic geometrical, biological, and manufacturing constraints. Of the four design factors examined in this study, strut thickness was found to have the highest percent contribution (41%) regarding the structure stiffness, followed by unit cell type, and cell size. Srut shape was found to have the lowest effect with only 11% contribution. The introduced solution offers lattice structure designs that can be adjusted to match bone stiffness distribution and promote bone ingrowth and hence eliminating the phenomenon of stress shielding while incorporating biological press-fit fixation technique.

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of death in males in America, with advanced prostate cancers exhibiting a 5-year survival rate of only 32%. Castration-resistance is often developed during the course of treatment, though its influences require further understanding. This study explores the human microbiome for its implications in castration-resistance and metastasis in prostate cancer. RNA sequencing data was downloaded for bone and soft tissue biopsies of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. These sequences were mapped to bacterial sequences to yield species-level abundance approximations. Numerous species were found to correlate to the expression of known markers of castration-resistance, including AR, PI3K, and AKT. Castration-resistance-associated signaling pathways were also enriched with these species, including PI3K-AKT signaling and endocrine resistance. For their implications in cancer aggression and metastasis, cancer stem cell markers were further explored for relation to these species. EGFR and SLC3A2 were widely downregulated with greater abundance of most species. Our results suggest that the microbiome is heavily associated with castration-resistance and stemness in prostate cancer. By considering the microbiome’s importance in these factors, we may better understand the highly aggressive and highly invasive nature of prostate cancer, allowing for needed improvement in the treatment of this disease.

Coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever) is a disease caused by inhalation of Coccidioides spp. This neglected tropical disease of the Americas has substantial public health impact despite its geographic restriction to desert areas of the southwestern U.S., Mexico, Central and South America. The incidence of this infection in California and Arizona has been increasing over the past fifteen years. The burden of disease in outside the U.S. remains poorly understood. Several large cities are within the endemic region in the U.S. Coccidioidomycosis accounts for 25,000 hospital admissions per year in California. While most cases of coccidioidomycosis resolve spontaneously, up to 40% are severe enough to require anti-fungal treatment, and a significant number disseminate beyond the lungs. Disseminated infection, especially involving the meninges, is fatal without appropriate treatment. Infection with Coccidioides spp. is protective against a second infection, so vaccination seems biologically plausible. This review of efforts to develop a vaccine against coccidioidomycosis focuses on vaccine approaches and the difficulties in identifying protein antigen/adjuvant combinations that protect in experimental mouse models. Although the quest for a vaccine has not yet resulted in a clinically useful product, scientific efforts of vaccine development pave the way for future success.

The incorporation of wind generation introduces challenges to the operation of the power system due to its uncertain characteristics. Therefore, the development of methods to accurately model the uncertainty is necessary. In this paper, the spatio-temporal Kriging and analog approaches are used to forecast wind power generation and used as input to solve an economic dispatch problem, considering the uncertainties of wind generation. Spatio-temporal Kriging takes into account the spatial and temporal information given by the database to enhance wind forecasts. We evaluate the performance of using the spatio-temporal Kriging, and comparisons are carried out versus other approaches in the framework of the economic power dispatch problem, for which simulations are developed on the modified IEEE 3-bus and IEEE 24-bus test systems. The results show that the use of Kriging-based spatio-temporal models in the context of economic power dispatch can provide an opportunity for lower operating costs in the presence of uncertainty when compared to other approaches.

This review is focused on the current status of quantitative MR (qMR) of skeletal muscle. The first section covers the techniques of qMR in muscle with the focus on each quantitative parameter, the corresponding imaging sequence, discussion of the relation of the measured parameter to underlying physiology/ pathophysiology, the image processing and analysis approaches, and studies on normal subjects. We cover the more established parametric mapping from T1 weighted imaging for morphometrics including image segmentation, proton density fat fraction, T2 mapping, diffusion tensor imaging to emerging qMR features such as magnetization transfer including ultralow TE imaging for macromolecular fraction, and strain mapping. The second section is a summary of current clinical applications of qMR of muscle; the intent is to demonstrate the utility qMR in different disease states of the muscle rather than a complete comprehensive survey.

Endurance triathlons impose substantial physiological stress, yet effects of short-course formats remain relatively unexplored. In this preliminary study, we assessed proteinuria and hydration levels in 27 well-trained triathletes (41.9 [7.4] years) who completed a sprint triathlon consisting of a 1500-m swim, 26-km cycle, and 8-km run. Urine samples were collected before and after the race. The results showed an increase in cases of post-race proteinuria from four to nine (p=0.03). Also, one case of urobilinuria and ketoacidosis was observed after the race. Pre-race glucosuria, which was present in nine cases, decreased to three cases post-race. Although hematuria cases decreased from six to two (p=0.13), pre-race leukocyturia (found in two cases) resolved post-race. There was a significant increase in urine specific gravity (from 1.018 to 1.023, p=0.03), indicating dehydration. In conclusion, short-course triathlons were found to induce post-race proteinuria, urobilinuria, and dehydration without exacerbating pre-race glucosuria, hematuria, or leukocyturia. These preliminary findings contribute to our understanding of medical guidelines for sprint triathlons, an area of endurance sports that has received limited research attention. Further investigation, both mechanistic and longitudinal, is warranted in this regard.

Background/Objectives: Women's reproductive and overall well-being are intricately associated to vitamin D levels. In Morocco, vitamin D deficiency is a major issue for premenopausal women, yet little data exists on their dietary intake of this nutrient. This study explores vitamin D dietary intake, socio-demographic determinants, and its correlation with serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D3] in premenopausal Moroccan women. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 355 women aged 18-49 in Meknes, Morocco, using validated questionnaires to assess dietary intake and sun exposure. Potential covariates such as physical activity and BMI were also assessed . Serum 25(OH)D was measured via chemiluminescence immunoassay. Chi-square tests and Spearman correlation were used to identify socio-demographic factors influencing vitamin D intake. Linear and multivariate regression analysis determined the main predictors of serum 25(OH)D levels. Results :The median (interquartile range) vitamin D dietary intake was 2.8 (2.7) µg/day , with less than 20% of women meeting the recommended 5 µg/day. Major dietary sources were fish (48%), dairy (24.3%), and meat (9.4%), with fortified foods contributing only for 7%. Lower intake was linked to younger age (p=0.004) and rural living (p=0.024). While no significant association was found between dietary intake and serum 25(OH)D ((β(SE): 0.155(0.094), p=0.340 ) , sun exposure positively predicted serum levels(β(SE): 0.343 (0.128), p=0.008) , and BMI negatively affected them (β(SE): -1.128 (0.337), p=0.001). Conclusions: Our findings highlight insufficient vitamin D intake among premenopausal Moroccan women, especially younger and rural women. Nutritional interventions are needed to address this deficiency, promoting better dietary habits, sun exposure, and healthy weight.

To stabilize the Earth’s climate a large-scale transition is needed to non-carbon emitting renewable energy technologies like wind and solar energy. Although these renewable energy sources are now lower-cost than fossil fuels, their inherent intermittency make them unable to supply a constant load without storage. To address these challenges rechargeable electric batteries are currently the most promising option; however, their high capital costs limit current deployment velocities. To both reduce the cost as well as improve performance 3D printing technology has emerged as a promising solution. This literature review provides the state-of-the-art enhancements of battery properties with 3D printing including efficiency, mechanical stability, energy and power density, customizability and sizing, production process efficiency, material conservation and environmental sustainability as well as the progress in solid-state batteries. The principles, advantages, limitations, and recent advancements associated with the most common types of 3D printing are reviewed focusing on their contributions to the battery field. 3D printing batteries offer design flexibility, material flexibility, reduces pack weight, minimizes material waste, increases the range of applications and has the potential to reduce costs. As 3D printing technologies become more accessible, the prospect of cost-effective production for customized batteries is extremely promising.

Immunofluorescent methods in vitro have been widely used to characterize the distribution and extent of colocalization of molecules located in various intracellular compartments. These are key processes to better understand the role of those molecules in physiological and pathological conditions.In the brain, interactions of astrocytes with neurons are fundamental for the establishment and proper functioning of neuronal circuits. Among these, the phagocytosis of synapses that need to be removed is a process known as synaptic pruning. When this process is dysregulated, it might lead to the development of several brain disorders. Here, we describe the adaptation of a method to characterize the astrocyte-mediated synaptic phagocytosis and evaluate astrocytic (dys)functions in healthy cells and cells derived from an animal model of major depressive disorder (MDD).

Microbial populations involved in forming the distinctive precipitates of the S, Fe, Mn, and Ca cycles in the San Diego River watershed reflect an interplay between mineralogy of the rocks in the watershed, sparse rainfall, ground- and surface-water anoxia, and runoff of high sulfate, treated imported water. In the less developed headwaters, Temescal Creek tributary emerges from pyrite-bearing metamorphic rocks, and thus exhibits both an oxidized Fe and reduced S cycle. In the middle reaches, the river moves through developed land where treated, imported high sulfate Colorado River water enters from urban runoff. Mast Park surrounded by caliche-bearing sedimentary rocks is a site where marl is precipitating. Cobbles in riffles in the river are coated black with Mn oxide. When the river encounters deep-seated volcanic bedrock, it wells up to precipitate both Fe and Mn oxides at Old Mission Dam. Then, directly flowing through caliche-laced sedimentary rocks, Birchcreek tributary precipitates tufa. Further downstream, at a site that periodically receives full sunlight, a sulfuretum sets up during the summer when the river is deoxygenated. Such a rich geochemistry results in activity of iron and manganese oxidizing bacteria, sulfur oxidizers and reducers, and cyanobacteria precipitating calcareous marl and tufa.

The synthesis of enantiomeric forms of D-amino acids can be achieved by a two-step "hydantoinase process" based on the sequential catalysis of substrates by specific enzymes, D-carbamoylase and D-hydantoinase. In addition to our previously studied D-hydantoinase, we describe here the structural features of D-carbamoylase from Pseudomonas, the encoded gene of which was chemically synthesized and cloned into Escherichia coli. A significant fraction of the overexpressed recombinant protein forms insoluble inclusion bodies, which are partially converted to a soluble state upon treatment with N-lauroylsarcosine or upon incubation of the cells at low temperatures. Analysis of the substrate specificity of the purified His-tag protein showed that D-carbamoylase exhibits the highest activity toward N-carbamoyl-D-alanine and N-carbamoyl-D-tryptophan. Molecular docking analysis revealed the location of the substrate binding site in the three-dimensional structure of D-carbamoylase. Molecular dynamics simulations showed that the binding pocket of the enzyme in complex with N-carbamoyl-D-tryptophan is stabilized within 100 ns. The free energy of binding indicated a possible role of residues Arg176 and Asn173 in the formation of hydrogen bonds between the enzyme and N-carbamoyl-D-tryptophan. The properties of the studied D-carbamoylase and D-hydantoinase support further development of a combined biotechnological process for the production of new drugs and peptide hormones.

The continuing mutability of the SARS-CoV-2 virus can result in failures of diagnostic assays. To address this, we describe a generalizable bioinformatics-to-biology pipeline developed for calibration and quality assurance of inactivated SARS-COV-2 variant panels provided to Radical Acceleration of Diagnostics programs (RADx)-radical program awardees. Heuristic genetic analysis based on variant-defining mutations demonstrated the lowest genetic variance in the Nucleocapsid protein (Np)- C-terminal domain (CTD) across all SARS-COV-2 variants. We then employed the Shannon entropy method on (Np) sequences collected from the major variants, verifying the CTD with lower entropy (less prone to mutations) than other Np regions. Polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies were raised against this target CTD antigen and used to develop an Enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) test for SARS-CoV-2. Blinded Viral Quality Assurance (VQA) panels comprising of UV-inactivated SARS CoV-2 variants (XBB.1.5, BF.7, BA.1, B.1.617.2, and WA1) and distractor respiratory viruses (CoV 229E, CoV OC43, RSV A2, RSV B, IAV H1N1, and IBV) were assembled by the RADx-rad Diagnostics core and tested using the ELISA described here. The assay tested positive for all variants with high sensitivity (Limit of Detection: 1.72-8.78 ng/mL) and negative for the distractor virus panel. Epitope mapping for the monoclonal antibodies identified a twenty amino acid antigenic peptide on the Np-CTD that an in-silico program also predicted for the highest antigenicity. This work provides a template for a bioinformatics pipeline to select genetic regions with a low propensity for mutation (low Shannon entropy) to develop robust ‘pan-variant’ antigen-based assays for viruses prone to high mutational rates.

The application of smartphone-based color evaluation of passive sampling devices for gases has only been sparsely reported. The present review aims to compile available publications with respect to the configuration of the passive samplers, conditions of smartphone photographing, analytical procedure for color detection and quantification (including calibration processes), and their application to different target gases. The performance of the methods - whenever available - is presented regarding the analytical specifications selectivity, sensitivity, and limit of detection in comparison with other color evaluation methods of passive samplers. Practical aspects like requirements of instrumentation and ease of use will be outlined in view of the potential employment in education and citizen science projects. In one section of the review the inconsistent terminology of passive and diffusive sampling is discussed in order to clarify the distinction of information obtained from the uptake of the passive samplers between gas-phase concentration and the accumulated deposition flux of gaseous analytes. Colorimetric gas sensors are included in the review when applied in passive sampling configurations and evaluation is performed with smartphone-based color evaluation. Differences in the analytical procedures employed after the passive sampling step and prior to the detection of the colored compounds are also presented.

The performance of the presurgical test (preSurg) for temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) was evaluated via video-electroencephalography (VEEG), electroencephalography (EEG), 99mTc-HmPAO single-photon emission tomography (SPECT) and 1.5 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in a group of 112 men (37.0 ± 1.1 years) and 106 women (39.7 ± 1.1 years) operated on for TLE. The epileptic zone (EZ) was adequately identified to determine whether the patient reached an Engel I grade (EI) at least one year postop. Accuracy was evaluated by the coefficient α, ranging from 3 (when result = EZ) to 2 (result in the same hemisphere as the EZ), 1 (noninformative result) or 0 (EZ in the contralateral hemisphere). The simplicity of diagnosis was defined as the number of preSurg surgeries needed to identify the EZ. EI was obtained in 85.8% of patients even though 42.2% of patients had noninformative MRI results. For preSurg α was (mean ± SEM) = VEEG (2.83 ± 0.04) > MRI (2.14 ± 0.08) > EEG (1.87 ± 0.09) > SPECT (1.71 ± 0.09). The accuracy (combination of sensitivity and specificity) was calculated as follows: VEEG (0.797) > MRI (0.518) > EEG (0.446) > SPECT (0.360). The likelihood positive ratio was greater, and the likelihood negative ratio was lower for VEEG. The most relevant factor for the regression model was VEEG (3.106) > MRI (2.558) > EEG (1.905), and the factors were not significantly related to SPECT. EZs in EI patients with low simplicity were identified mainly by VEEG. A very good postoperative outcome can be obtained even in TLE patients with no lesions on MRI. The VEEG is the most reliable preSurg test and may be the only reliable test for patients with very low simplicity (i.e., difficult).single paragraph of about 200 words maximum. For research articles, abstracts should give a pertinent overview of the work. We strongly encourage authors to use the following style of structured abstracts, but without headings: (1) Background: Place the question addressed in a broad context and highlight the purpose of the study; (2) Methods: briefly describe the main methods or treatments applied; (3) Results: summarize the article’s main findings; (4) Conclusions: indicate the main conclusions or interpretations. The abstract should be an objective representation of the article and it must not contain results that are not presented and substantiated in the main text and should not exaggerate the main conclusions.

This study checked whether vitamin D (Vit-D) supplementation improves the efficacy of resistance training (RT) in terms of increasing muscle strength and lean body mass (LBM) and influencing cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2max) in Vit-D insufficient middle-aged healthy men. Participants (n = 28) were quasi‐randomly assigned to one of the two groups, which, in a double‐blind manner, supplemented their diet daily with either Vit‐D (8000 IU; VD) or placebo (PLC) during participation in a 12‐week supervised RT program. During the intervention, serum Vit‐D concentrations increased 2.6‐fold (p < 0.001) in the VD group, while no changes occurred in the PLC group. Muscle strength gains (p < 0.001) as measured in seven exercises performed on RT equipment and increases (p < 0.001) in LBM were similar in the two groups. Total fat mass, percent total fat, and percent android fat decreased (p < 0.05) to a similar extent in both groups, but there was no change in VO2max in either group. In conclusion, in healthy Vit‐D insufficient middle-aged men engaged in resistance training, Vit‐D supplementation increases serum 25(OH)D levels but does not enhance gains in muscle strength and LBM or decreases in fat mass and fat percentage and does not affect cardiorespiratory fitness.

Ship detection from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery is crucial for various fields in real-world applications. Numerous deep learning-based detectors have been investigated for SAR ship detection, which require a substantial amount of labeled data for training. However, SAR data annotation is time-consuming and demands specialized expertise, resulting in that deep learning-based SAR ship detectors struggle due to a lack of annotations. With limited labeled data, semi-supervised learning is a popular approach for boosting detection performance by excavating valuable information from unlabeled data. In this paper, a semi-supervised SAR ship detection network is proposed, termed as Multi-Teacher Dempster-Shafer Evidence Fusion Net-work (MTDSEFN). The MTDSEFN is an enhanced framework based on the basic teacher-student skeleton frame, comprising two branches: the Teacher Group (TG) and the Agency Teacher (AT). The TG utilizes multiple teachers to generate pseudo-labels for different augmentation versions of unlabeled samples, which are then refined to obtain high-quality pseudo-labels by using Dempster-Shafer (D-S) fusion. The AT not only serves to deliver weights of its own teacher to the TG at the end of each epoch, but also updates its own weights after each iteration, enabling the model to effectively learn rich information from unlabeled data. The combination of TG and AT guarantees both reliable pseudo-label generation and learning comprehensive diversity information from numerous unlabeled samples. Extensive experiments were performed on two public SAR ship datasets, and the results demonstrated the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed approach.

D-dimer testing in combination with clinical assessment is commonly used to diagnose suspected DVT and pulmonary embolism. However, as D-dimer levels are physiologically higher in elderly patients, this test loses clinical specificity in the setting of geriatric patients. The aim of our study was to investigate the changes in D-dimer levels with age and the specificity of the D-dimer test in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism. 1617 elderly patients consecutively admitted to the Geriatric Emergency Care Department of the INRCA-IRCCS hospital between January 2013 and February 2014 and for whom D-dimer results were available were included. The D-dimer immunoturbidimetric assay was performed on a cs-2100i Sysmex Siemens using a conventional cut-off level of 500 µg/L. The median D-dimer level was 1200 [550-2990] µg/L FEU, and the percentage of patients with D-dimer levels below the conventional cut-off was only 22.1%. As expected, there was a significant age-related increase in D-dimer, even when sex was considered, and a significant decrease in the specificity of D-dimer assay with age. The most established use of D-dimer testing is in the diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism. Our study confirms the need for an age-adjusted cut-off for D-dimer testing in geriatric patients.

Abstract: Background/Objectives: Schizophrenia (SZ) is a severe psychiatric disorder characterized by a complex interplay of genetic, developmental, and environmental factors that significantly increase the risk of suicidal ideation (SI) and suicide attempts (SAs). This systematic review synthesizes current research on the developmental predictors of SI in individuals with SZ, aiming to delineate the multifactorial etiology of suicide within this population. Methods: A comprehensive search across Medline, PsycINFO, and EMBASE databases identified 23 eligible studies, emphasizing the varied methodological approaches and the global distribution of research efforts. Results: These studies demonstrate a robust association between early life adversities, particularly childhood trauma such as physical neglect, emotional abuse, and sexual abuse, and the increased prevalence of SI and SAs in SZ. This review also highlights the significant genetic factors associated with development of suicidality in SZ, suggesting that polymorphisms in inflammation-related genes and neurodevelopmental abnormalities may influence susceptibility to SI. Notably, family history of psychiatric conditions may exacerbate the risk of SI through both hereditary and environmental mechanisms. Environmental factors, including socioeconomic status and social support, are also implicated, underscoring the role of broader socio-environmental conditions influencing outcomes. Conclusions: This review supports the integration of biopsychosocial models in understanding SI in SZ, advocating for interventions addressing the complex interplay of risk factors and the need for longitudinal studies to elucidate the dynamic interactions between risk factors over time. This comprehensive understanding is crucial for developing targeted preventative strategies and enhancing the clinical management of SZ, aiming to reduce suicidality in this vulnerable population.

Glassy carbon (GC) microelectrodes have been successfully used for detection of electroactive neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin through voltammetry. However, non-electroactive neurotransmitters such as glutamate, lactate, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) are inherently unsuitable for detection through voltammetry techniques without functionalizing the surface of the microelectrodes. To that end, we present here the immobilization of L-glutamate oxidase (GluOx) enzyme on the surface of GC microelectrodes to enable catalysis of chemical reaction between L-glutamate, oxygen, and water to produce H2O2, an electroactive byproduct that is readily detectable through voltammetry. This immobilization of GluOx on the surface of bare GC microelectrodes and the subsequent catalytic reduction of H2O2 through fast scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) helped demonstrate indirect in vitro detection of glutamate, a non-electroactive molecule, at concentrations as low as 10 nM. The functionalized microelectrodes formed part of 4-channel arrays of microelectrodes (30 m x 60 m) on a 1.6 cm long neural probe supported on a flexible polymer, with potential for in vivo applications. The type and strength of the bond between the GC microelectrode surface and its functional groups on one hand, and glutamate and the immobilized functionalization matrix on the other hand, were investigated through molecular dynamics (MD) modeling and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Both MD modeling and FTIR demonstrated the presence of several covalent bonds in the form of C-O (carbon-oxygen polar covalent bond), C=O (carbonyl), C-H (alkenyl), N-H (hydrogen bond), C-N (carbon-nitrogen single bond), and C≡N (triple carbon nitrogen bond). Further, penetration tests on agarose hydrogel model confirmed that the probes are mechanically robust with their penetrating forces being much lower than the fracture force of the probe material.

The nuclear hormone family of receptors regulates gene expression. The androgen receptor (AR) shuttles upon ligand binding and homodimerization from the cytosol into the nucleus to activate gene expression. Thyroid hormone receptors(TR), retinoic acid receptors (RAR), and the vitamin D receptor (VDR) are present in the nucleus bound to chromatin as a heterodimer with the retinoid X receptors (RXR) and repress gene expression. Ligand binding leads to transcription activation. The hormonal ligands for these receptors play crucial roles to ensure the proper conduct of very many tissues and exert effects on prostate cancer (PCa) cells. Androgens support PCa proliferation and deprivation alone or with chemotherapy is the standard therapy for PCa. RAR activation and 3,5,3'-triiodo-L-thyronine (T3) stimulation of TR support the growth of PCa cells. Ligand stimulation of VDR drives growth arrest, differentiation, and apoptosis of PCa cells. Often these receptors are explored as separate avenues to find treatments for PCa and other cancers. However, there is accumulating evidence to support receptor interactions and crosstalk of regulatory events whereby a better understanding might lead to new combinatorial treatments.

Background and Objectives: The Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego Autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A) is designed to assess affective temperaments. The short version of TEMPS-A (TEMPS-A-SV) was translated into diverse languages for its broad application in research and clinical settings. However, no study was conducted to validate the Korean version of TEMPS-A-SV among patients with mood disorders. The purpose of this study is to examine the reliability and validity of the TEMPS-A-SV in mood disorder patients of the Korean population. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional retrospective study, a total of 715 patients (267 patients with major depressive disorder, 94 patients with bipolar disorder I, and 354 patients with bipolar disorder II) completed the Korean TEMPS-A-SV. Cronbach's alpha and McDonald’s omega was used to assess reliability. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was also performed. Spearman's correlation coefficient was used to examine associations between five temperaments. The difference in five temperament scores between gender or diagnosis groups were analyzed, and the correlation between five temperament scores and age were tested. Results: The Korean TEMPS-A-SV displayed good internal consistency (α = 0.65–0.88, ω = 0.66–0.9) and significant correlations between the subscales except one (correlation between hyperthymic and anxious). Using EFA, a two-factor structure was produced: Factor I (cyclothymic, depressive, irritable, and anxious) and Factor II (hyperthymic). The cyclothymic temperament score differed by gender and the anxious temperament score was significantly correlated with age. All the temperaments, except for irritable temperament, showed significant differences between diagnosis groups. Conclusions: Overall, our findings indicate that TEMPS-A-SV is a valid and reliable measure of estimating affective temperaments among Koreans. Our results confirm validity of TEMPS-A-SV among Korean patients with mood disorders. However, more study is required on affective temperaments and associated characteristics in people with mood disorders.

For very first time, we report the synthesis of 8-(2-methoxyphenyl)-6-methyl-2-(1-methyl-1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)quinoline 1. This was achieved in several steps, including usage of Suzuki reaction for functionalization of 2-(1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)quinoline moiety. The new compound exhibits blue fluorescence. Its structure was confirmed with 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopy, IR-spectroscopy, high-resolution mass spectrometry and X-ray analysis.

In this paper, we integrate the Finite Element Method (FEM) with orthogonal polynomial approximation in high-dimensional spaces to innovatively model the Moon’s surface gravity anomaly. Our aim is to approximate solutions to Laplace’s classical differential equations of gravity, employing classical Chebyshev polynomials as basis functions. Using classical Chebyshev polynomials as basis functions, the least-squares approximation was used to approximate discrete samples of the approximation function. These test functions provide an understanding of errors in approximation and corresponding errors due to differentiation and integration. These test functions provide an understanding of errors in approximation and corresponding errors due to differentiation and integration. The first application of this project is to substitute the globally-valid classical spherical harmonic series of approximations with locally-valid series of orthogonal polynomial approximations (i.e. using the FEM approach). With an error tolerance set at 10−9ms−2, we use this method to adapt the gravity model radially upwards from the lunar surface. The results showcase a need for a higher degree of approximation on and near the lunar surface, with the necessity decreasing as the radius increases. Notably, this method achieves a computational speedup of five orders of magnitude when applying the method to radial adaptation. More intrinsically, our second application involves using the methodology as an effective tool in solving boundary value problems. Specifically, we implement this approach to solve classical differential equations involved with high precision, long-term orbit propagation. This application provides a four-order of magnitude speedup in computational time while maintaining an error within the 10−10ms−2 error range for various orbit propagation tests. Alongside the advancements in orthogonal approximation theory, the FEM enables revolutionary speedups in orbit propagation without compromising accuracy.

The utilization of inertial measurement units (IMUs) as wearable sensors is proliferating 1 across various domains such as healthcare, sports, and rehabilitation. This expansion is driven by 2 the continuous improvement of sensor technology to accommodate specific operational demands. 3 This paper introduces the development of a configurable wearable device capable of capturing both 4 high-frequency and low-frequency signals, tailored for a wide range of monitoring applications.Our 5 focus is on a comprehensive evaluation of the device in terms of deviation, noise levels, and precision. 6 We present initial findings that demonstrate the device’s robust performance, and put on the spotlight 7 the most critical optimizations needed to improve the device to reach the goal of a smart general-use 8 unit for human motion monitoring.

Although Eulerian approaches are standard in computational acoustics, they are less effective for certain classes of problems like bubble acoustics and combustion noise. A different approach for solving acoustic problems is to compute with individual particles following particle motion. In this paper, a Lagrangian approach to model sound propagation in moving fluid is presented and implemented numerically, using three meshfree methods to solve the Lagrangian acoustic perturbation equations (LAPE) in the time domain. The LAPE split the fluid dynamic equations into a set of hydrodynamic equations for the motion of fluid particles and perturbation equations for the acoustic quantities corresponding to each fluid particle. Then, three meshfree methods, the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method, the corrective smoothed particle (CSP) method, and the generalized finite difference (GFD) method, are introduced to solve the LAPE and the linearized LAPE (LLAPE). The SPH and CSP methods are widely used meshfree methods, while the GFD method based on the Taylor series expansion can be easily extended to higher orders. Applications to modeling sound propagation in steady or unsteady fluids in motion are outlined, treating a number of different cases in one and two space dimensions. A comparison of the LAPE and the LLAPE using the three meshfree methods is also presented. The Lagrangian approach shows good agreement with exact solutions. The comparison indicates that the CSP and GFD method exhibit convergence in cases with different background flow. The GFD method is more accurate, while the CSP method can handle higher Courant numbers.

This research aims to apply Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods, specifically Artificial Immune Systems (AIS), to design an optimal control strategy for a multivariable control plant. Two specific industrial control approaches are investigated: I-PD (Integral-Proportional Derivative) and PI-D (Proportional-Integral Derivative) control. The motivation for using these variations of PID controllers is that they are functionally implemented in modern industrial controllers, where they provide precise process control. The research results in a novel solution to the control synthesis problem for the industrial system. In particular, the research deals with the synthesis of I-P control for a two-loop system in the technological process of a distillation column. This synthesis is carried out using the AIS algorithm, which is the first application of this technique in this specific context. Methodological approaches are proposed to improve the performance of industrial multivariable control systems by effectively using optimization algorithms and establishing modified quality criteria. The numerical performance index ISE justifies the effectiveness of the AIS-based controllers in comparison with conventional PID controllers (ISE₁ = 1.865, ISE₂ = 1.56). The problem of synthesis of the multi-input multi-output (MIMO) control system is solved, considering the interconnections due to the decoupling procedure.

This is a single tertiary center in southwest Romania, population-based, study. We retrospectively compared data obtained in two periods: January 2008 - December 2013 and January 2018 - De-cember 2023, respectively. The global incidence of transposition of great arteries (TGA) - the ter-minated cases added to the ones resulting in live-born pregnancies, remained almost constant. The live-born incidence of TGA decreased (0.34% to 0.013%). The prenatal detection rate increased slightly (71.42% to 87.5%). The median gestational age at the diagnosis decreased, from 29.3 ges-tational weeks (mean 25.4) to 13.4 weeks (mean 17.2). The proportion of terminated pregnancies significantly increased (14.28% to 75%, p = 0.019).

The expression of the oncogene zinc-finger protein 217 (ZNF217) has been reported to play a central role in cancer development, resistance, and recurrence. Therefore, targeting ZNF217 has been proposed as a possible strategy to fight cancer, making necessary to discover novel com-pounds. The present work aims to characterize the chemopreventive properties of cucurbitacin D , a compound with a broad range of anticancer effectsin relation to the ZNF217 expression. Different cucurbitacins were isolated from the Vietnamese plant Elaeocarpus hainanensis. The purified compounds were tested on nucleophosmin-mutated acute myeloid leukemia and other hematology cancer to study their effects on viability, apoptosis, cell cycle and on the expression of ZNF217. Cucurbitacin D reduced the number of acute myeloid leukemia cells by increasing apoptosis and blocking cell cycle progression. It also significantly decreased ZNF217 expression but only in the OCI-AML3 Nucleophosmin-mutated cell line, but not in other hematologic cancers. The reduction in ZNF217 expression contributed significantly to the blocking of cell cycle progression but not to apoptosis as established by the silencing of the same gene. The obtained results suggest Cucurbitacin D as a promising molecule to target the mutated Nu-cleophosmin or its pathway in acute myeloid leukemia cells, although further studies are needed for in depth investigatiion of its specificity.

Over the last decades, in addition to the improvement of pathophysiological knowledge regarding the role and mechanisms of action of Vitamin D, there has been a progressive advancement in analytical technologies for its determination, as well as in methodological standardization. A significant number of scientific works, meta-analyses, and guidelines have been published on the importance of Vitamin D and the need for supplementation in deficient individuals. However, it appears necessary to clarify the fundamental elements related to the determination of Vitamin D (both at the strictly analytical and post-analytical levels) and the scientific evidence related to the efficacy/safety of supplementation. Additionally, given the important interrelations between Vitamin D, parathyroid hormone (PTH), and fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF23), the analytical issues and clinical utility of these biomarkers will be discussed.

Recent studies have demonstrated a relationship between poor vitamin D status and respiratory infections and diarrhea among young children. Acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) and diarrhea are among the two most important causes of death in under-5 children. In this analysis, we examine the extent to which vitamin-D deficiency (<10 ng/ml) predicts these outcomes using data from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of daily folic acid and/ or vitamin B12 supplementation for six months in 6 to 30 months old children conducted in Delhi, India. Of the 960 subjects who had vitamin-D concentrations measured, 331(34.5%) were vitamin-D deficient. We found, after controlling for relevant potential confounders (age, sex, breastfeeding status, wasting, stunting, underweight, anemia status at base line and season), the risk of ALRI was significantly higher among vitamin-D deficient (OR 1.26; 95% CI: 1.03 to 1.55) compared to vitamin-D-replete children in the six months follow-up period. Vitamin-D status was not significantly associated with episodes of diarrhea and clinical pneumonia. The extent of causal relationship of vitamin-D status and ALRI needs to be explored in further studies.

Neuropathic pain (NeP) is a complex and debilitating condition that impacts millions of people globally. Although various treatment options exist, their effectiveness is often limited, and they can be accompanied by significant side effects. In recent years, there has been increasing interest in targeting the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) as a potential therapeutic approach to alleviate different types of neuropathic pain. This narrative review aims to provide a comprehensive examination of NMDAR antagonists, specifically ketamine, memantine, methadone, amantadine, carbamazepine, valproic acid, phenytoin, dextromethorphan, riluzole, and levorphanol, in the management of NeP. By analyzing and summarizing current preclinical and clinical studies, this review seeks to evaluate the efficacy of these pharmacologic agents in providing adequate relief for NeP.

Although vitamin D deficiency has been correlated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), there are few data on the association between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH) D) and atherogenic indices predictive of CVD. This study aimed to investigate the relationship of vitamin D status with lipid profile and atherogenic indices in adult women in Morocco. Three hundred healthy women, aged 18 to 50 years, from Meknes were included. Fasting 25(OH) D and lipid concentrations were determined using a one-step electrochemiluminescence-based immunoassay and an enzymatic method, respectively. Atherogenic indices (Atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), non-HDL cholesterol (Non-HDL-C), Atherogenic coefficient (AC), Castelli risk indices I and II (CRI-I and II), and CHOLIndex (CI)) were calculated using conventional lipid parameters. Logistic regression models and operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis were used to assess the relationship of the variables and estimate the threshold of 25(OH) D levels associated with high atherogenic indices. 25(OH) D below 20 ng/ml was significantly associated with an enhanced risk of hypertriglyceridemia and elevated values of AIP, AC, Non-HDL-C, and CRI-I with an OR (95% CI) of 4.904 (1.856-12.959); 3.637(2.149-6.158); 3.589(1.673-7.700); 2.074(1.215-3.540), and 2.481(1.481-4.123), respectively. According to ROC analysis, the likelihood of hypertriglyceridemia and high values of AIP, AC, Non-HDL-C, and CRI-I were associated with 25(OH)D thresholds ≤15.15 ng/ml, ≤ 17.5 ng/ml, ≤ 19.8 ng/ml, ≤ 20.1 ng/ml and ≤ 19.5 ng/ml, respectively, all p &lt; 0.01. Based on atherogenic indices, this study indicates that vitamin D below 20 ng/ml may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in adult women. Additional health efforts are needed to raise awareness among women and healthcare providers in preventing and controlling cardiovascular risk factors.

Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) is essentially featured by self-tissue destruction by means of the adaptive immune responses that evade immune regulation. Vitamin D carries out an immunomodulatory role that appears to promote immune tolerance. The aim of this study is to elaborate a narrative review about the relationship between vitamin D status and HT and the role of vitamin D supplementation to reduce HT risk by modulating the immune system. There is an extensive literature confirming that vitamin D levels are significantly lower in HT patients compared to healthy people. On the other hand, after the supplementation with cholecalciferol in patients with HT and vitamin D deficiency, thyroid autoantibody titer decreased significantly, However, there are no conclusive results on the effect of vitamin D supplementation on the thyroid function. The confirmation of the beneficial effects of vitamin D in the prevention and treatment of autoimmune thyroid diseases require additional randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials with longer follow-up.

This paper aims to demonstrate that, beyond the small world of Riemann-Liouville and Caputo derivatives, there is a vast and rich world with many derivatives suitable for specific problems and various theoretical frameworks to develop, corresponding to the different paths taken. Notions of time and scale sequences are introduced and general associated basic derivatives, namely right/stretching and left/shrinking, are defined. A general framework for fractional derivative definitions is reviewed and applied to get both known and new fractional order derivatives. Several fractional derivatives are considered, mainly: Liouville, Hadamard, Euler, bilinear, tempered, q-derivative, and Hahn.

Western countries are experiencing an increasing aging population, resulting in heightened disability and mobility issues. This trend is expected to escalate in the coming decades. Therefore, ensuring adequate accessibility in collective residential housing –where individuals spend much of their daily lives– is of paramount importance. This paper presents a case study focused on the accessibility of building entrances in collective residential housing in Southeast Spain, specifically in the Region of Murcia. In this region, 9.8% of the population has disabilities, and 15.75% were over 64 years old in 2020. The study began by compiling the relevant national and regional accessibility regulations for existing buildings. Subsequently, extensive fieldwork was conducted, analyzing 150 collective residential housing buildings. Based on this analysis, a set of recommendations to enhance accessibility was formulated for buildings not complying with the regulations. The results are presented and discussed in detail. The most frequent recommendation was the construction of accessible ramps, identified as the primary solution in over 40% of cases, either alone or in conjunction with other measures. In 54% of the cases, multiple interventions were necessary to achieve effective accessibility adaptation. The findings of this study could inform the development of public policies aimed at improving accessibility conditions in urban areas.

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) develops when the immunotolerant environment of the liver is compromised due to excessive alcohol consumption. ALD progression involves variations in the expression of multiple genes, resulting in liver inflammation and the development of a leaky gut. Molecular mechanism involved for ALD progression is still unclear, and due to that there are currently no FDA-approved drugs available for its treatment. In this study, the protective effects of Graphene oxide nanoparticles (GO) was investigated against ethanol-induced damage in the gut-liver axis in in vitro. GO was synthesized using a modified Hummer's method and characterization was done. Given the general concerns regarding nanoparticle toxicity, assessment of cell viability, lipid accumulation, DNA damage, cell death, and the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were conducted using various techniques. Furthermore, gene expression of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines was done using RT-qPCR. The findings revealed that GOs promoted cell viability even against ethanol treatment. Additionally, lipid accumulation significantly decreased when cells were treated with GO alongside ethanol compared to ethanol treatment alone, with similar trends observed for other assays. Gene expression analysis indicated that GO treatment reduced the expression of proinflammatory cytokines while enhancing the expression of antioxidant genes. Moreover, GO treatment led to improvements in gut permeability and a reduction in proinflammatory cytokines in colon cells damaged by ethanol. These findings suggest that GO holds promise as a drug carrier, exhibiting no observed toxic effects. By shedding light on the protective effects of GO against ethanol-induced damage, this study contributes to the burgeoning field of nanoparticle-mediated therapy for ALD.

Phytochemicals have a long and successful history in drug discovery. With recent advancements in analytical techniques and methodologies, discovering bioactive leads from natural compounds has become easier. Computational techniques like molecular docking, QSAR modelling and machine learning, and network pharmacology are among the most promising new tools that allow researchers to make predictions concerning natural products' potential targets, thereby guiding experimental validation efforts. Additionally, approaches like LC-MS or LC-NMR speed up compound identification by streamlining analytical processes. Integrating structural and computational biology aids in lead identification, thus providing invaluable information to understand how phytochemicals interact with potential targets in the body. Emerging computational approach is machine learning involving QSAR modelling and deep neural networks that interrelate phytochemical properties with diverse physiological activities such as antimicrobial or anticancer effects.

Agricultural crops productivity is heavily influenced by the strength of their seeds. Current methods for testing seed vigor, such as the germination rate and tetrazolium test, rely on time-consuming human visual inspections. Computer Vision, a crucial technology in smart production processes, offers an automated alternative and is increasingly applied in digital agriculture processes. Here we propose a method that combines YOLOv8 and morphological analysis of seeds using X-ray images to aid seed quality analysts in classifying seed lots based on their physiological potential. We examined the internal morphology of three seed lots and generated X-ray images to train a YOLOv8-based model with a post-segmentation module. This model assessed various parameters such as the total seed area, area filled by the embryo and endosperm, length, width, and calculated the percentage occupied by the embryo and endosperm in relation to the total seed area. Subsequently, seeds were classified into four categories based on the internal area occupied by the endosperm and embryo. Our findings reveal the robust performance of the YOLOv8 model in segmenting and classifying despite the challenges posed by a relatively small dataset. Notably, the proposed model achieved an impressive accuracy of up to 95.6% in identifying and segmenting the endosperm over 1,500 epochs with just 15 training images. The endosperm/seed area ratio, particularly within the 50-60% range covering over 50% of the samples, emerged as a significant metric for evaluating the viability of seed batches.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) are highly prevalent conditions, each significantly contributing to the global burden of morbidity and mortality. CVD and CKD share a great number of common risk factor, such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and smoking among others. Their relationship extends beyond these factors, encompassing intricate interplay between the two systems. Within this complex network of pathophysiological processes, vitamin D has emerged as a potential linchpin, exerting influence over diverse physiological pathways implicated in both CKD and CVD. In recent years, scientific exploration has unveiled a close connection between these two prevalent conditions and vitamin D, a crucial hormone traditionally recognized for its role in bone health. This article aims to provide an extensive review of vitamin D's multifaceted and expanding actions concerning its involvement in CKD and CVD.

MicroRNAs, short non-protein coding RNAs, are overexpressed in GCTs. Circulating levels of germ cell tumor (GCT)- associated miRNAs, such as miR-371a-3p, can be utilized as efficient and cost-effective alternatives in diagnosing and managing patients presenting with GCTs. This quality of miRNAs has demonstrated favorable performance characteristics as a reliable blood-based biomarker with high diagnostic accuracy compared to current serum tumor markers (STMs) including α-fetoprotein (AFP), beta human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). The conventional STMs exhibit limited specificity and sensitivity. Potential clinical implications of miRNAs include impact on de-escalating or intensifying treatment, detecting recurrence at earlier stages, and lessening the necessity of cross-sectional imaging or invasive tissue biopsy for non-teratomatous GCTs. Here we also highlight the outstanding issues that must be addressed prior to clinical implementation. Standards for measuring circulating miRNAs and determining ideal cutoff values are essential for integration into current clinical guidelines.

Short-range Internet of Things (IoT) sensor nodes operating at 2.4 GHz need to provide ubiquitous wireless sensor networks (WSNs) with energy-efficient, wide-range output power (POUT) and fully integrated on a single chip for wireless body area networks (WBANs) and wireless personal area networks (WPANs) using low-power Bluetooth (BLE) and Zigbee standards. The proposed fully integrated transmitter (TX) utilizes a digitally controllable current-mode class-D (CMCD) power amplifier (PA) with a second harmonic distortion (HD2) suppression to reduce VCO pulling in an integrated system while meeting harmonic limit regulations. The CMCD PA is divided into 7-bit slices that can be reconfigured between differential and single-ended topologies. Duty cycle distortion compensation is performed for HD2 suppression, and an HD2 rejection filter and a modified C-L-C low-pass filter (LPF) reduce HD2 further. Implemented in a 28 nm CMOS process, the TX achieves a wide POUT range of from 12.1 to -31 dBm and provides a maximum efficiency of 39.8% while consuming 41.1 mW at 12.1 dBm POUT. The calibrated HD2 level is -82.2 dBc at 9.93 dBm POUT, resulting in a transmitter figure of merit (TX_FoM) of -97.52 dB. Higher order harmonic levels remain below -41.2 dBm even at 12.1 dBm POUT, meeting regulatory requirements.

Aseptic implant loosening after total joint replacement is partially influenced by material-specific factors when cobalt-chromium alloys are used, including osteolysis induced by wear- and corrosion products, and stress shielding. Here, we aim to characterize a hybrid material consisting of alumina-toughened zirconia ceramics (ATZ) and additively manufactured Ti-35Nb-6Ta (TiNbTa), joined by a glass solder. The structure of the joint, static and fatigue shear strength, the influence of accelerated aging, and the cytotoxicity using an elution assay with human osteoblasts is characterized. Furthermore, the biomechanical properties of functional demonstrators of a femoral component for total knee replacements are evaluated. TiNbTa-ATZ specimens showed a homogenous joint with statistical distributed micro-pores and a slight accumulation of Al-rich compounds at the glass solder-TiNbTa interface. The static shear strength was 26.4 ± 4.2 MPa (Ti-ATZ reference: 38.2 ± 14.4 MPa, p = 0.117), all specimens survived 107 cycles of shear loading to 10 MPa, and aging did not reduce the strength. TiNbTa-ATZ did not impair the proliferation and metabolic activity of human osteoblasts. Functional demonstrators of TiNbTa-ATZ provided a maximum bearable extension-flexion moment of 40.7 ± 2.2 Nm. Biomechanical and biological properties of TiNbTa-ATZ demonstrate potential application for endoprosthetic implants.

Article explores participant specific study of muscle inherehit dynamics hidden inside the diognostic electromyography (D-EMG) signals during load pull exercises, aiming to uncover underlying patterns and nonlinear behaviors. Employing a multi-step analytical framework, the study first evaluates signal stationarity through Quantile-Quantile (Q-Q) plot and surrogate data analyses, revealing insights into signal stability. Subsequent use of phase space reconstruction techniques exposes intrinsic dynamics within the EMG signals, visualized through Poincar´e maps, elucidating attractor geometry and system dynamics. Histogram analysis further dissects the Poincar´e maps, offering insights into signal behavior relative to physiological processes. Additionally, the study quantifies the largest Lyapunov exponent from the Poincar´e maps, providing a measure of dynamical complexity within the muscle EMG signals during load pull exercises. By integrating these methods, this research sheds light on the nuanced interplay between EMG signals and muscle activity during dynamic exercises, offering valuable insights for rehabilitation strategies.

OPMDs (Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders) are a group of disorders affecting the oral mucosa that are characterized by aberrant cell proliferation and a higher risk of malignant transformation. Vitamin D (VitD) and its receptor (VDR) have been extensively studied for their potential contributions to the prevention and therapeutic management of a range of diseases and neoplastic conditions, including oral cancer. Observational studies suggest correlations between VitD deficiency and higher cancer risk, worse prognosis, and increased mortality rates. Interestingly, emerging data also reveals a link between VitD insufficiency and the onset or progression of OPMDs. Understanding the role of the VitD-VDR axis not only in established oral tumors but also in OPMDs might thus enable early detection and prevention of malignant transformation. With this article, we want to provide an overview of current knowledge about OPMDs and VitD, and investigate their potential association and ramifications for clinical management of OPMDs.

In the present work we revise and extend the Characteristic Crystallographic Element (CCE) norm, an algorithm used to simultaneously detect radial and orientational similarity of computer-generated structures with respect to specific reference crystals and local symmetries. Based on the identification of point group symmetry elements, the CCE descriptor is able to gauge local structure with high precision and finely distinguish between competing morphologies. As test cases we use computer-generated monomeric and polymer systems of spherical particles interacting with the hard-sphere and square-well attractive potentials. We demonstrate that the CCE norm is able to detect and differentiate, between others, among: hexagonal close packed (HCP), face centered cubic (FCC), hexagonal (HEX) and body centered cubic (BCC) crystals as well as non-crystallographic fivefold (FIV) local symmetry in bulk 3-D systems; triangular (TRI), square (SQU) and honeycomb (HON) crystals, as well as pentagonal (PEN) local symmetry in thin films of one-layer thickness (2-D systems). The descriptor is general and can be applied to identify the symmetry elements of any point group for arbitrary atomic or particulate system in two or three dimensions, in the bulk or under confinement.

Unmanned aerial vehicles serving as air base stations (UAV-BSs) are used in telecommunications, when the network is overloaded or unavailable, providing access to users on the ground. Due to its dynamics of providing access to networks in different altitudes, the electromagnetic signal of UAVs suffers losses along the path, thus facing several problems related to transmission, such as: attenuation, fading and distortion. In this work is proposed a 3D positioning strategy for UAVs, taking into account height, coverage radius and flight energy efficiency. Results show that the proposed algorithm is able to position the UAVs in suboptimal locations, providing network access for mobile users, maximizing the number of connected devices in the UAV-BS and saving energy, thus obtaining better performance than the approaches conventional.

Vocational interest inventories are widely used by career counselors to help individuals to make career choices. The most common approach to assess vocational interests is based on verbal or textual stimuli. However, some of them are based on pictorials to overcome reading limits and provide additional information about the working environment and the activities related to a particular job. This article aims to present two studies on the development and first validation of the Multilingual Iconographic Professional Interest Inventory (MIPII) on two samples, one composed of 792 high-school students, and one composed of 366 middle school students. The inventory aimed to assesses the vocational interests of people over 19 areas by illustrations representing 95 jobs, five for each one, combined with their title in six different languages (Arabic, German, English, Spanish, French and Italian in this order). Both illustrations and titles are provided separately in the male and female version on the same page.

In the last four years, the evolution and adoption of blockchain and, more generally, distributed ledger systems have shown the affirmation of many concepts and models with significant differences in system governance and suitable applications. This work aims to update the critical analysis of blockchain technologies carried out by our previous contribution to this journal, extending the focus to distributed ledger components and systems. Starting from the topical concept of decentralization, we introduce concepts and building blocks currently adopted in the available systems centering on their functional aspects and impact on possible applications. We present some conceptual framing tools helpful in the application context, and we will propose the concept of process authenticity, which we will discuss through two use cases: blockchain document dematerialization and e-voting.

Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is a common mitochondrial genetic disease, causing irreversible blindness in young individuals. Current treatments are inadequate, and there is no definitive cure. This study evaluates the effectiveness of delivering wildtype human NADH ubiquinone oxidoreductase subunit 4 (hND4) gene using mito-targeted AAV(MTSAAV) to rescue LHOH mice. We observed declining pattern electroretinograms amplitudes as mice aged across all groups (P&lt; 0.001), with significant differences among groups (P = 0.023, Control vs. LHON, P = 0.008; Control vs. Rescue, P = 0.228). Inner retinal thickness and intraocular pressure do not change significantly with age or groups. Compared to LHON mice, those rescued with wildtype hND4 exhibit improved retinal visual acuity (0.29± 0.1 cy/deg vs.0.15 ± 0.1 cy/deg) and increased functional hyperemia response (effect of flicker, P&lt;0.001, effect of Group, P=0.004; Interaction Flicker x Group, P&lt;0.001). Postmortem analysis shows a marked reduction in retinal ganglion cell density in the LHON group compared to the other groups (Effect of Group, P&lt;0.001, Control vs. LHON, P&lt;0.001, Control vs. Rescue, P=0.106). These results suggest that MTSAAV-delivered wildtype hND4 gene rescues, at least in part, visual impairment in an LHON mouse model and has the therapeutic potential to treat this disease.

The risk classification of barrier lake is the key to conducting emergency treatment in a scientific manner. Such difficulties are faced as short time for risk evaluation, complex evaluation indicators, difficulty in obtaining information quickly and quantifying index weights. Based on this, this paper constructs a quantitative risk classification model for barrier lakes based on D-AHP. On the basis of studies on nearly 100 cases of barrier lakes, an 8-factor evaluation index system and quantitative classification are proposed. The methods of rapid calculation of reservoir capacity curve of barrier lake and intelligent identification of particles on the surface of barrier body were developed, which realized the rapid acquisition of 8-factor evaluation index information in emergency environment. The D-AHP method dealt with inconsistent weight assignment to evaluation factors by experts, which helped achieve weight quantification of 8 factors. The risk assessment on15 barrier lakes such as Tangjiashan barrier lake show that the conclusion drawn with risk classification method proposed in this paper is basically consistent with that of the traditional table-lookup method. However, the table-lookup method ignores cumulative loss’s impacts on the risk level of barrier lakes, and considers the extremely severe loss of barrier lakes as a sufficient condition for the evaluation level to be grade I, and thus a deviation in the evaluation. The risk classification method proposed in this paper is more reasonable and reliable.

The enantioselective alpha-amination of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds has been performed using a catalytic system based on deep eutectic solvents (DES) and chiral 2-amino benzimidazole-derived organocatalysts. This procedure avoids the use of toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as a reaction medium, providing access to highly functionalized chiral molecules, which are important intermediates for the natural product synthesis, in a selective and efficient manner. Furthermore, the reaction can be performed on a large scale and recycling the catalytic system is possible for at least five times, leading to a clean, cheap, simple, and scalable procedure that meets most of the criteria required to be a green and sustainable process.

The unusual occurrence and developmental diversity of asexual eukaryotes still remain a puzzle. Despite asexual organisms have a theorized two-fold reproductive advantage over sexuals, asexual lineages are rare among multicellular eukaryotes. Justification of such disparity relies on the consequences of a lack of meiosis, which restricts genotype diversity and adaptation to novel conditions while accelerating the genetic degeneration that drives asexual lineages to an early demise. However, evidence indicates asexuals use different strategies to limit negative consequences of ameiosis, and age estimates show some asexual vertebrates and plants are much older than expected. If rapid extinction is not a factor influencing asexuals lifespan, then why asexuals are not more frequent? Here we review traditional ideas and new data and provide a novel unified evolutionary frame to understand the intriguing nature, developmental diversity and maintenance of asexual lineages. As a rule, de novo formation of a functioning asexual genome requires a unique assemblage combining particular sets of genes or gene states to disrupt cellular mechanisms of meiosis and gametogenesis, and affect discrete components of sexuality to produce clonal or hemiclonal offspring. We highlight two usually overlooked but essential conditions to understand the molecular nature of clonal organisms, i.e. a non-recombinant genomic assemblage retaining modifiers of the sexual program, and a complementation between altered reproductive components. These subtle conditions are the basis for physiologically viable and genetically balanced transitions between generations. Genomic and developmental evidence from asexual animals and plants indicates the lack of complementation of molecular changes in the sexual reproductive program is likely the main cause of asexuals' rarity, and can provide an explanatory frame for the developmental diversity and lability of developmental patterns in some asexuals as well as for the discordant time to extinction estimations.

This study develops a hybrid machine learning (ML) algorithm integrated with IoT technology to improve the accuracy and efficiency of soil monitoring and tomato crop disease prediction in Anakapalle, a south Indian station. An IoT device collected one-minute and critical soil parameters—humidity, temperature, pH values, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K)—essential for assessing soil health and optimizing crop growth. Kendall's correlations were computed to rank these parameters for utilization in hybrid ML techniques. Various ML algorithms including K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), Support Vector Machines (SVM), Decision Tree (DT), Random Forest (RF), and Logistic Regression (LR) were evaluated. A novel hybrid algorithm, 'Bayesian Optimization with KNN', was introduced to combine multiple ML techniques and enhance predictive performance. The hybrid algorithm demonstrated superior results with 95% accuracy, precision, and recall, and an F1 score of 94%, while individual ML algorithms achieved varying results: KNN (80% accuracy), SVM (82%), DT (77%), RF (80%), and LR (81%) with differing precision, recall, and F1 scores. This hybrid ML approach proved highly effective in predicting tomato crop diseases in natural environments, underscoring the synergistic benefits of IoT and advanced ML techniques in optimizing agricultural practices.

D-type cyclins encode G1/S cell cycle checkpoint proteins, that play a crucial role in defining cell cycle exit and progression. Precise control of cell cycle exit is vital during embryonic development, with defects in the pathways regulating intracellular D-type cyclins resulting in abnormal initiation of stem cell differentiation in a variety of different organ systems. Furthermore, stabilisation of D-type cyclins is observed in a wide range of disorders characterised by cellular over-proliferation, including cancers and overgrowth disorders. In this review, we will summarise and compare the roles played by each D-type cyclin during development and provide examples of how their intracellular dysregulation can be an underlying cause of disease.

Vitamin D and iron deficiencies are the most prevalent micronutrient deficiencies among women of reproductive age (WRA) in Morocco. Recent studies suggest that Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) may reduce iron bioavailability necessary for erythropoiesis, potentially leading to iron deficiency (ID) and anemia. This study investigates the association between vitamin D status, iron levels, and anemia risk among Moroccan WRA aged 18-49 years. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 463 participants. Serum levels of 25(OH)D, blood count parameters, iron, ferritin, C-reactive protein, and creatinine were measured. Lifestyle factors, including dietary intake, sun exposure, and physical activity, were evaluated using validated questionnaires, and anthropometric data were collected. Linear and logistic regression models assessed the relationships between variables, while Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis evaluated the predictive accuracy of VDD for ID and anemia. VDD (25(OH)D &lt; 20 ng/ml) was significantly associated with lower levels of hemoglobin, hematocrit, red blood cells, and ferritin (all p &lt; 0.01), suggesting a role of vitamin D in erythropoiesis and iron storage. Multivariate logistic regression showed that VDD increased the risk of anemia (OR: 7.17, 95% CI: 3.19-19.28, p &lt; 0.001), ID (OR: 2.20, 95% CI: 1.32-3.77, p = 0.007), and IDA (OR: 4.10, 95% CI: 1.73-12.08, p = 0.004). Dietary iron intake was inadequate among all participants, with minimal protective effect against anemia and ID (β(SE): -0.08(0.03), p = 0.030 and β(SE): -0.05(0.02), p=0.037 respectively). ROC analysis demonstrated moderate discriminative power for VDD in diagnosing IDA and anemia (AUC: 0.643 and 0.603) but reduced accuracy for ID (AUC: 0.575). This study identifies VDD as a significant risk factor for impaired iron status and anemia among Moroccan WRA, underscoring the need for targeted nutritional interventions and further research to explore effective prevention strategies.

This article studies electrostatic fields and potentials in the presence of conductors and point charges under the framework of solving Laplace’s equation with specifi ed boundary conditions. The results demonstrate that many problems posed and solved in elementary electrostatics through various heuristics such as the method of images, can be more rigorously treated under the solution framework of Laplace’s equation.

The most recent National Research Council Nutrient Requirements for Sheep and Goats was published in 2007, one of the most consequential nutrient requirement recommendations for sheep and goats in the world. It is pertinent to continue the refinement and discussion of nutrient utilization and requirements for the purposes of enhancing the efficiency of production systems, maximizing resource economy, and minimizing the carbon footprint, among others. Progress has been made in the estimation of energy and protein requirements in sheep and goats, mainly utilizing empirical feeding experimentation, comparative slaughter technique and minimum endogenous loss method. In sheep, newer estimates of energy and protein requirements for maintenance and growth and partial efficiencies had been reported since 2007. There were suggestions that energy and protein requirements could have been affected by breed, wool growth, gender and size; with these reported values being similar or lower than the recommended values in international feeding systems such as NRC, ARC, INRA and AFRC. In goats, energy and protein requirements for growing goats were reported to be either higher or lower than the established recommendations, depending upon meat or dairy breeds. Effect of gender on energy requirement appeared to be related to the stage of growth or degree of maturity. Newer data also suggested that the guidelines of the major feeding systems for the entire growth phase may not be adequate for non-pregnant and non-lactating pubertal females. In multiparous pregnant goats, energy and protein requirements for maintenance did not appear to be affected by days of pregnancy, but efficiencies of metabolizable energy and metabolizable protein utilization for pregnancy were. There were suggestions that that metabolizable protein synthesis in the rumen can be predicted from energy intake using combined equations that encompass both sheep and goats, but more data on goats were called for to account for specific differences in nutrition. In addition to sulfur, there has been progress made on the estimation of maintenance and growth requirements of calcium, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium in goats, with suggestions on the consideration of gender and breed differences. Species, level of Intake, genotype, mature size, age, gender, body composition, use of tissue energy, activity, season, and acclimatization continue to be important considerations for the estimation of nutrient requirements in sheep and goats, with emerging factors such as climate change, heat stress, parasitism and secondary plant compounds. Model equations and partial efficiencies used by NRC to predict energy and protein requirements for maintenance, growth, lactation, and fiber have been highlighted and discussed for the purpose of a more focus discussion and refinement for the future. Potential and limitation of both traditional and emerging methodologies in determining the nutrient requirements in sheep and goats were discussed. To justify the research investment, emerging methodologies such as nutrigenomics will have to be linked more directly to the improvement of production efficiency via more precise prediction of nutrient requirement.

Abstract: NFinFET transistors with fin channel length 90nm and a planar MOSFET transistor with channel length 180nm and 90nm are presented with characteristic curves at various gate biases. A finalized algorithm with kink effects is effectively responsible for addressing the field effect transistors. The algorithm includes the modified conventional current-voltage formula and a nonlinear heat-associated kink solution which is simplified as a Gaussian form. Three parameters in modified model includes kN (related with channel width, channel length, and gate oxide capacitor, and proportional to the mobility of carriers)Vth(Threshold Voltage), and (the inverse of Early Voltage). Those parameters are determined to minimize the discrepancies between the measured data and the fitting values, but leave kinks located at around (VGS－Vth), which are deliberately eliminated by the Gaussian form because of the agitation of thermal kink effects. The whole fitting is made to be as close as the as-measured IDS-VDS. In the mean time, those determined parameters are physically meaningful after the analysis has been done.

Background: Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS) is a neuropsychological tool used in clinical practice to measure executive function in clinical and non-clinical populations, in individuals aged 8-89 years, and consists of nine subtests that can be administered either as a single system or separately. Aims: In the present study, were established norms for the Verbal Fluency Test as well as the Design Fluency Test of the D-KEFS in a Greek population aged 20 to 49 years, since there is no previous study conducted in Greece for these age clusters. Methods: The study sample consisted of 100 healthy adults (44.4% male and 55.6% female), aged 20 to 49 years (M=32.81 SD=11.04) with education from 12 to 18 years (M=14.73, SD= .91). First, Spearman and Pearson tests explored the associations of gender, age and education with D-KEFS subtests’ performance. Afterwards, we calculated normative data using raw scores and transformed to percentile scores. Results: The present study is the first attempt to calculate norms for the two fluency subtests of the D-KEFS in Greek adult population stratified by age and educational level. Conclusion: Future research will promote the use of D-KEFS, in order to introduce a widely used tool which measures all basic executive functions subtypes for Greek adult population. Given that the majority of neuropsychological tools are adapted for older adult population, the current study aims at filling the gap in neuropsychological assessment of young adults as well as those who have co existing neurological or psychiatric disorders.

It is a well-established fact that inadequate Vitamin D (Vit-D) levels have negative effects on the development and progression of malignant diseases, mainly cancer. The purpose of this paper was to elucidate the effects of Vit-D intake and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin-D (25(OH)D) levels on cancer incidence and mortality, the current evidence in this field, and the biases of this evidence using the meta-meta-analysis method. Meta-analyses focusing on Vit-D intake, serum 25(OH)D levels, and cancer risk/mortality were identified. A structured computer literature search was performed in PubMed/Medline, Web of Science (WoS), and Scopus electronic databases using predetermined keyword combinations. Primary and secondary meta-meta-analyses were carried out, combining odds ratios (ORs), risk ratios (RRs), and hazard ratios (HRs) for outcomes reported in selected meta-analyses. A total of 35 eligible meta-analyses assessing the association between Vit-D and cancer incidence and/or mortality were included in this study. In the pooled analysis, higher Vit-D intake and serum 25(OH)D levels were associated with lower cancer risk (OR = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.90-0.96, p < 0.001; OR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.72-0.89, p < 0.001, respectively) and cancer-related mortality (RR = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.86-0.93, p < 0.001; RR = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.58-0.78, p < 0.001, respectively). When meta-analyses whose primary reports included only randomized controlled trials were pooled, there was no significant association between Vit-D intake and cancer risk (OR = 0.99, 95% CI: 0.97-1.01, p = 0.320). In subgroup analysis, Vit-D consumption was associated with a significant decrease in colorectal and lung cancer incidence (OR = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.83-0.96, p = 0.002; OR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.83-0.94, p < 0.001, respectively). Taken together, both Vit-D intake and higher 25(OH)D levels may provide remarkable benefits in terms of cancer incidence and mortality, however, careful evaluation according to cancer types is critically important and recommended.

Background/Objectives: The global burden of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is increasing at an alarming rate. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality in MASLD patients, therefore, the therapeutic interventions for MASLD should improve coronary risk factors such as obesity, diabetes and dyslipidemia, in addition to improving liver function. The evidence on effect of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) which have beneficial pharmacological properties for MASLD, especially the long-term effects, on the progression of MASLD in Asian population is very limited. Methods: The retrospective longitudinal study was performed by using the medical records at the National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Kohnodai Hospital, Japan. We picked up patients with type 2 diabetes who had taken SGLT2is for at least 3 years or longer between April 1, 2014 and March 31, 2018. We collected the data on metabolic parameters, including blood tests and anthropometric parameters, and compared the data before and after the initiation of SGLT2is treatment. Results: During the observation period, 324 patients had taken SGLT2is for 3 years. The 3-year-SGLT2is treatment significantly reduced body weight, hemoglobin A1c, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, triglyceride and non-high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) and significantly increased HDL-C. Furthermore, this treatment significantly improved liver function and the markers for hepatic steatosis and hepatic fibrosis. Conclusions: Considering that the development of CVD determines the prognosis of MASLD patients, the long-term SGLT2is treatment may be an ideal therapy for MASLD patients.

We recently demonstrated the effectiveness of long-term treatment with rifaximin and the probiotic VSL#3 at improving urogenital and gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with both chronic inflammatory prostatitis (IIIa prostatitis) and diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D), relative to patients with IBS-D alone. Because low-grade inflammation of the intestine and prostate may be one of the reasons for co-developing both IIIa prostatitis and IBS-D, we designed the present study to once again evaluate the efficacy of combined rifaximin and VSL#3 treatment in patients affected by IIIa prostatitis plus IBS-D, but we also measured seminal plasma pro-inflammatory (IL-6) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10) cytokines before and after treatment. We consecutively enrolled 124 patients with IIIa prostatitis and IBS-D (diagnosed using the Rome III criteria). Patients were randomized into two groups: group A (n=64) was treated with rifaximin (seven days per month for three months) followed by VSL#3, and group B (n=60) was treated with a placebo. At the beginning of the study and after three months of treatment, all patients completed NIH-CPSI and IBS-SSS questionnaires to score the severity of their urogenital and gastrointestinal symptoms, and we measured seminal plasma levels of IL-6 and IL-10 using ELISA. We defined patients who improved following the treatment as those with a ≥6-point reduction in their NIH-CPSI score or ≥50-point reduction in their IBS-SSS score. By the end of the intervention, 68.7% and 62.5% of patients from group A reported improved NIH-CPSI and IBS-SSS scores, respectively, compared to only 3.3% and 5% of the placebo group. Group A patients also had significantly lower mean seminal plasma levels of IL-6 (11.3 vs 32.4 pg/mL) and significantly higher mean levels of IL-10 (7.9 vs 4.4 pg/mL) relative to baseline, whereas levels of IL-6 and Il-10 did not change in the placebo group. The co-occurrence of two clinical phenotypes (IBS-D plus IIIa prostatitis) result in increased intestinal inflammation and altered immune activation, both of which can be balanced by treatment with rifaximin and VSL#3.

Here we review and describe a set of research priorities to meet present and future challenges posed to farmed animal production that build on progress, successes and resources from the Functional Annotation of ANimal Genomes (FAANG) project.

Study Objectives: The aim of this study is to explore the association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels, a marker of Vitamin D status, and excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), expressed as increased scores of Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), in a group of prospectively enrolled patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Methods: Newly diagnosed patients with OSA, divided into two groups, those with EDS (ESS>10) and those without EDS (ESS

Surfactant proteins A and D (SP-A and SP-D) belong to the collectin subfamily of C-type oligomeric lectins. They are pattern-recognition molecules (PRM), able to recognise pathogen- or dan-ger-associated molecular patterns (PAMP, DAMP) in the presence of Ca2+ cations. That property enables opsonisation or agglutination of non-self or altered/abnormal self-cells, and contributes to their clearance. Like other collectins, SP-A and SP-D are characterised by the presence of four distinct domains: a cysteine-rich domain (at N-terminus), a collagen-like region, an α-helical neck domain and a globular carbohydrate-recognition domain (CRD) (at C-terminus). Pulmonary sur-factant is a lipoprotein complex, preventing alveolar collapse by reducing surface tension at the air-liquid interface. SP-A and SP-D, produced by type II alveolar epithelial cells, and Clara cells, are not only pattern-recognition molecules but also contribute to the surfactant structure and homeo-stasis. Moreover, they are expressed in a variety of extrapulmonary sites where they are involved in local immunity. The term “cancer” includes a variety of diseases: tumours start from uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in any tissue which may further spread to other sites of the body. Many cancers are incurable, difficult to diagnose and often fatal. This short review summarises anti- and pro-tumourigenic associations of SP-A and SP-D as well as perspectives of their usefulness in cancer diagnosis and therapy.

Background/Objectives: Vitamin D’s effect on risk health outcomes is often evaluated using prospective cohort studies. Risk ratios (RRs; e.g., hazard ratios or odds ratios) are determined for incidence for participants with baseline serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations below or above specified values. Serum 25(OH)D concentrations vary over time, thereby diluting the effect of 25(OH)D for long follow-up periods. Inverse relationships between RR and follow-up period have been reported for all-cause mortality rate and cancer incidence rates. Here I evaluate the effect for neurological outcomes. Methods: I analyzed how follow-up period affected results from 10 cohort studies of all-cause dementia, 6 studies of Alzheimer’s disease, and 9 for cognitive impairment with respect to vitamin D deficiency. Results: For all-cause dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and cognitive impairment, respectively, the linear regression fits are RR = 2.9 – 0.14 × years, r = 0.73, p = 0.02; RR = 2.9 – 0.14 × years, r = 0.69, p = 0.13; and RR = 1.8 – 0.066 × years, r = 0.72, p = 0.03. The regression fit to RR for the shortest follow-up period for each outcome is considered the best estimate of vitamin D deficiency’s effect on risk. Those values are approximately twice that found by averaging all RRs without considering the effect of follow-up period. Conclusions: Vitamin D’s effect on risk of neurological conditions should be determined with relatively short follow-up periods after repeated 25(OH)D measurements as warranted during follow-up.

Biocontainment techniques for genetically modified yeasts (GMYs) are pivotal due to the importance of these organisms for biotechnological processes and also due to the design of new yeast strains by using synthetic biology tools and technologies. Due to the large genetic modifications that many yeast strains display, it is highly desirable to avoid the leakage of GMY cells into natural environments and, consequently, the spread of synthetic genes and circuits by horizontal or vertical gene transfer mechanisms within the microorganisms. Moreover, it is also desirable to avoid that patented yeast gene technologies spread outside the production facility. In this review, it was evaluated the different biocontainment technologies currently available for GMYs. Interestingly, uniplex-type biocontainment approaches (UTBAs), which relies on nutrient auxotrophies induced by gene mutation or deletion, or the expression of simple kill switches apparatus, are still the major biocontainment approaches still in use with GMY. While bacteria like Escherichia coli account for advanced biocontainment technologies based on synthetic biology and multiplex-type biocontainment approaches (MTBAs), GMYs are distant from this scenario due to many reasons. Thus, a comparison of different UTBAs and MTBAs applied for GMY and genetically engineered microorganisms (GEMs) was made, indicating the major advances of biocontainment techniques for GMYs.

Relationships of the three bryophyte lineages (liverworts, mosses, and hornworts) to vascular plants is a pivotal question in the study of origin and evolution of land plants. In recent decades, this question has been subject to intense phylogenetic analyses using morphological characters, multigene DNA sequences, and genome structural characters. A tentative consensus reached ten years ago suggested that bryophytes are a paraphyletic group, with liverworts being sister to all other land plants and hornworts being sister to vascular plants. However, several more recent nuclear phylogenomic studies have concluded that bryophytes represent a monophyletic group that is sister to vascular plants. A discussion is presented here on strengths and weaknesses of different types of characters (morphological traits, nucleotide sequences, and genome structural arrangements), and their suitability for resolving deep phylogenetic relationships. Moreover, several criteria for credible phylogenetic reconstruction are proposed. Strong statistical support for reconstructed relationships should be derived from high quality, independent characters selected for suitability to the particular question being addressed. The relationships inferred in a study should be congruent with those from as many other lines of phylogenetic evidence as possible. Any incongruities should be explicable by well-understood biological mechanisms. It is concluded that the relationships of the three bryophyte lineages to vascular plants should currently be viewed as unresolved. This is a difficult phylogenetic problem; the land plants underwent a rapid radiation a long time ago. Yet, further exploration of analytical methods and careful choice of characters should lead to eventual elucidation of diversification patterns among early land plants.

Background: This study was designed to adapt the Delis-Kaplan Executive System (D-KEFS) version of the Color-Word Interference (CWIT) and Trail making Tests (TMT) in Greek adult population from 20 to 49 years old, since it is of research as well as clinical importance to detect executive functions’ impairment in young adults with neurological or/and psychiatric conditions. Aims: Norms for the Greek adult population have been calculated to be available for neuropsychologists and health professionals who work in relevant settings. Methods: The study sample consisted of 101 healthy adults (41% male and 60% female), aged 20 to 49 years (M=32.16, SD=11.57) with education from 12 to 19 years of schooling (M=14.51, SD= .89). Pearson correlation test as well as chi square test were conducted to examine potential associations between gender, age, education, and participants’ performance. Afterwards, we calculated normative data using raw scores and transformed them to percentile scores. Finally, Greek norms were compared to the original raw scores, which were transformed in scaled scores by Delis et al. (2001). Results: The findings showed that age was the only variable which affected CWIT, whereas level of education as well as age were predictive factors for most TMT conditions, except for the visual scanning test (Condition 1). Gender did not affect both tests. Finally, D-KEFS norms for CWIT and TMT are available for Greek adult population to help clinicians detect executive functions’ deficits and therefore adjust tailored therapeutic strategies. Additionally, it is of great importance to use these tests for research purposes. Conclusion: Given that executive functions are assumed as high- level skills, which are highly related to everyday functionality, adapted tests contribute not only to assess the progression of any existing neurological as well as psychiatric disorders, but they can also be used to evaluate patients’ ability to live independently, as well as their access to work.

(1) Background: Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) is involved in neu-roinflammation and HIV-associated neurocognitive impairment (NCI). People with HIV (PWH) using cannabis exhibit lower inflammation and neurological disorders. We hypothesized TREM2 dysfunction mediates HIV neuropathogenesis and can be reversed by cannabinoids. (2) Methods: EcoHIV-infected wildtype (WT) and TREM2R47H mutant mice were used to study HIV's impact on TREM2 and behavior. TREM2 and related gene expressions were examined in mono-cyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) from PWH (n=42) and people without HIV (PWoH; n=19) with varying cannabis use via RNA sequencing and qPCR. Differences in membrane-bound and soluble TREM2 (sTREM2) were evaluated using immunocytochemistry (ICC) and ELISA. (3) Results: EcoHIV increased immature and C-terminal fragment forms of TREM2 in WT mice but not in TREM2R47H mice, with increased IBA1 protein in TREM2R47H hippocampi, correlating with worse memory test performance. TREM2 mRNA levels increased with age in PWoH but not PWH. Cannabidiol (CBD) treatment increased TREM2 mRNA alone and with IL1β. RNA-seq showed upregulation of TREM2-related transcripts in cannabis-using PWH compared to naïve controls. IL1β increased sTREM2 and reduced membrane-bound TREM2, effects partially re-versed by CBD. (4) Conclusions: These findings suggest HIV affects TREM2 expression modu-lated by cannabis and CBD, offering insights for therapeutic strategies.

Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology, also known as additive manufacturing (AM), has emerged as an attractive state-of-the-art tool for precisely fabricating functional materials with complex geometries, championing several advancements in tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and therapeutics. However, this technology has an untapped potential for biotechnological applications, such as sensor and biosensor development. By exploring these avenues, the scope of 3D printing technology can be expanded and pave the way for groundbreaking innovations in the biotechnology field. Indeed, new printing materials and printers would offer new possibilities for seamlessly incorporating biological functionalities within the growing 3D scaffolds. Herein, we review the extrusion-based 3D printing modalities emphasizing biosensor applications. We highlighted the application of natural, synthetic, and composite biomaterials as 3D-printed soft hydrogels. Emphasis was placed on the approach by which the sensing molecules were introduced during the fabrication process. Finally, the future perspective was provided.

This work addresses the problem of automatic head pose estimation and its application in 3D gaze estimation using low quality RGB--D sensors without any subject cooperation or manual intervention. The previous works on 3D head pose estimation using RGB--D sensors require either an offline step for supervised learning or 3D head model construction which may require manual intervention or subject cooperation for complete head model reconstruction. In this paper, we propose a 3D pose estimator based on low quality depth data, which is not limited by any of the aforementioned steps. Instead, the proposed technique relies on modeling the subject's face in 3--D rather than the complete head, which in turn, relaxes all of the constraints with the previous works. The proposed method is robust, highly accurate and fully automatic. Moreover, it does not need any offline step. Unlike some of the previous works, the method only uses depth data for pose estimation. The experimental results on the Biwi head pose database confirm the efficiency of our algorithm in handling large pose variations and partial occlusion. We also evaluate the performance of our algorithm on IDIAP database for 3D head pose and eye gaze estimation.

Vitamin D has important anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial properties and plays a central role in host immune response. Due to the crucial role of the kidneys in the metabolism of vitamin D, patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), are prone to vitamin D deficiency. The resultant reduction in the production of calcitriol, the activated form of vitamin D in patients with CKD is responsible for exacerbating the existing renal impairment and periodontal inflammation. Recent evidence suggests a bidirectional, causal relationship between periodontitis and renal functional status. Both conditions have shared pathophysiologic mechanisms including oxidative stress, increases in the systemic inflammatory burden and impaired host response. This review explores the association between vitamin D, CKD and periodontitis. The review summarises the current evidence base for the classical and non-classical vitamin D metabolic pathways, the biological mechanisms linking vitamin D deficiency, CKD and periodontitis, as well as the bidirectional relationship between the two chronic inflammatory conditions. Finally, the paper explores the impact of vitamin D deficiency on CKD, periodontitis, and related co-morbidities.

In India, the divorce rate is rising year after year. Divorces are thought to have increased by more than a factor of two during the past two decades. India has great cultural diversity, and each of its states has something unique to offer. The divorce rate in India, which differs from state to state, is among the most frequently discussed subjects. More than 30% of marriages end in divorce in big cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Bangalore. Divorce applications have nearly tripled in the past few years in cities like Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Lucknow. In India, the divorce rate has increased, especially in small cities. Hence, the reasons behind divorce in India were explored in this article. In order to analyze the causes of divorce, the current study aimed to combine the critical components of TOPSIS and COPRAS methodologies in a fuzzy environment. Additionally, it is shown that a comparison study may pinpoint the characteristics that influence divorces the most.

In winter 2008-2009, Lake Occhito, a strategic multiple-uses reservoir in South Italy, was affected by an extraordinary Planktothrix rubescens bloom. P. rubescens is a filamentous potentially toxic cyanobacterium which has recently colonized many environments in Europe. A number of studies is currently available on the use of remote sensing techniques to monitor different fresh water cyanobacteria species. By contrast no specific applications are available on the remote sensing monitoring of P. rubescens. In this paper we present a specific algorithm, based on Water Leaving Reflectances (WLR) from MERIS data, atmospherically corrected using the Aerosol Optical Thickness (AOT) retrieved by MODIS data, to detect P. rubescens blooms. The high accuracy in AOT data, provided by MOD09 surface reflectance product, at 1km spatial resolution, allowed obtaining a good correlation between the WLR and the P. rubescens chlorophyll-a concentrations measured in the field, through multiple stations fluorometric profiles. A modified Normalized Difference Chlorophyll index (NDCI) algorithm is presented. The performance of the proposed algorithm has been successfully compared with other specific algorithms for turbid productive waters. We demonstrated how important is to verify the spectral behaviour of bio-optical parameters in order to develop an ad hoc algorithm that better performs with respect to standard algorithms.

The Asian clam Corbicula fluminea is a native aquatic species in Eastern Asia and Africa but has become one of the most ecologically and economically harmful invasive species in aquatic ecosystems in Europe, North America, South America. Due to their natural characteristics as a hermaphroditic species with high fecundity and dispersal capacity, Asian clams are extremely difficult to eradicate once they have infiltrated a waterbody. This is an emerging issue for states in the Northeastern United States as Asian clams expand their range farther North due to climate change. There has been extensive research conducted to develop chemical treatments to reactively control invasive mollusc populations and proactively prevent their further spread. However, treatments are mostly targeted toward biofouling bivalves in industrial settings. A comprehensive review of Asian clam chemical treatments used in open water systems was performed to evaluate molluscicides and identify toxicity ranges of emerging treatments that maximize Asian clam mortality and minimize negative impact to water quality and non-target species. The potential chemical applications in Asian clam control and management are summarized in this report to assist resource managers and practitioners on invasive Asian clam management.

Background and Objectives. To examine trends in the links between induced abortion and subsequent mental health problems for U.S. women approaching completed fertility. Materials and Methods. Panel data on a nationally-representative cohort of 3,842 ever-pregnant women assessed at mean ages of 15, 22, 28 and 37 years from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) were examined for pregnancy outcome-related mental health disorders, with extensive adjustment for confounders including sociodemographic dif-ferences, mental health history, and unwanted pregnancies. Outcomes were defined using pub-lished diagnostic criteria or validated index for depression, anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and suicide ideation (affective problems); alcohol abuse, drug abuse, opioid abuse, and cannabis abuse (substance abuse problems); and summary counts of affective problems, substance abuse problems and total disorders. Results were adjusted for abortion under-reporting using cross-wave analysis. Results. The relative risk of mental health disorder with exposure to induced abortion followed an inverted “V” pattern as women aged to midlife, increasing from Wave III (age 22; IRR 1.41) to Wave IV (age 28; IRR 1.67), then dropping sharply by Wave V (age 37; IRR 1.20). The population at-tributable fraction of mental health disorder due to abortion dropped from 18.1% at Wave IV to 8.0% at Wave V. Unlike previous Waves, at Wave V mental health risk was more strongly reduced by exposure to childbirth (IRR 0.70, 95% CI .63, .78, p < .001). Reduced relative metrics at Wave V were not due to reduced prevalence of mental health disorders for ever-aborting women, which increased from Wave IV to Wave V by 1.7%, but increased much more, by 20.5%, for never-aborting women. Conclusion. At midlife approaching completed fertility, differential negative psychological out-comes for ever-aborting U.S. women remained elevated but reduced from younger ages.

Contrasting results have suggested that the prevalence and intensity of post abortion emotional distress (PAD) either diminishes rapidly or persists over time. Few studies have followed women for longer than five years. This study examines retrospective population data on 226 ever aborting U.S. women aged 41-45, at an average of 20 years following the abortion, with extensive measures of PAD. Most post abortive women (55.2%) experienced little or no distress from their abortion(s) and 74.6% were confident it had been the right decision, but 44.8% reported moderate (20.7%) to high (24.1%) distress related to their abortion(s), including 37.7% who reported negative emotions; 31.2% “frequent feelings of loss, grief or sadness;” 24.6% “frequent thoughts, dreams, or flashbacks;” 23.2% for whom thoughts and feelings about their abortion “negatively interfered with life, work, or relationships.” Time since the abortion (mean 20 years, range 0-31 years) was not correlated with PAD (r = -.02, p .71). For the minority of women who experienced it, PAD did not diminish but persisted for decades. An estimated 7.5 million U.S. women currently experience persistent high PAD. Further research to specify risk factors and possible interventions for postabortion distress would be of value for this group of women.

The occurrence of ovarian dysfunction is often due to the imbalance between the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the (in)effectiveness of the antioxidative defense mechanisms. Primary sources of ROS are the respiratory electron transfer and the activity of NADPH oxidases (NOX), while Superoxide dismutases (SOD) are the main key reg-ulators that control the levels of ROS and reactive nitrogen species intra- and extracel-lularly. Because of their central role, SODs are the subject of research on human ovarian dysfunction, but the sample acquisition is low. The high degree of cellular and molecular similarity between Drosophila melanogaster ovaries and human ovaries provides this model organism with the best conditions for analyzing the role of ROS during ovarian function. In this study, we clarify the localization of the ROS producing enzyme dNox within ovaries of Drosophila melanogaster and by a tissue specific knockdown, we show that dNox derived ROS are involved in the chorion hardening process. Furthermore, we analyze the dSod3 localization and show that reduced activity of dSod3 impacts egg laying behavior, but not the chorion hardening process.

In the end of April nearly 100 cases of children aged between 6 month and 9 years with Kawasaki like disease were reported (mostly in Europe) probably linked to COVID-19. With the increasing awareness of this condition the number of cases reported is increasing worldwide. We aim to sum up the known data about this new entity based on published data (in a case report, a series of 8 cases and in newspapers and society statement) and using our knowledge of classical Kawasaki disease. It seems to be a post infectious disease with an onset between 2-4 weeks after the infection, probably in genetically predisposed children aged between 6 month to 17 years. A very rough estimation of incidence based on current data from Bergamo, Italy, and New York State and a lot assumption is between 0.016% (95% CI:0.013-0.02%) - 0.31% (95% CI: 0.2-0.47%) of infected children. Clinical signs overlaps with Kawasaki disease in some children, but another feature is prominent gastrointestinal manifestations. For the 9 detailed patients most had incomplete presentation for Kawasaki disease (with a mean 1.7 (+/-1.2) criteria per patient for the 5 non fever criterion) and only one had a classical form. In some cases, presentation is closer to toxic shock syndrome or isolated myocarditis. Persistent fever seems to be constant and biological exploration are consistent with inflammation (elevated CRP, ferritin and D-Dimers). Management is described as supportive and children seem to improve rapidly, but can require cardiac or respiratory support. In date of 11 may 2020 there is 4 deaths confirmed linked to these new entities (1 in UK and 3 in New York). Paediatricians and general practitioners need to be aware of these possible evolution following COVID-19 infection. However it seems to be rare and children are probably still spared from most morbidities and mortality linked to COVID-19 infection .There are need of published detailed cohorts to better delineate these entities.

Mercury is classified as one of the world’s most toxic and dangerous pollutants. It tends to bio-accumulate and biomagnify within the trophic chain and is persistent. Various approaches are available to remediate Hg-affected sites, including phytoremediation, which includes the use of plants to clean up contaminated environments. Phytoremediation of mercury contamination is at-tracting increasing attention because of its advantages: it is environmentally friendly, inexpensive, simple, and can improve soil fertility. In this report, VOSviewer, and Bibliometrix software were used to analyze 457 and 697 documents published from 2000 to 2023, retrieved from the data-bases WoS and Scopus, respectively. China, India, the United States, and Spain are the top four most productive countries. The largest topic area was environmental sciences, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences was the organization that contributed the most to the overall number of pub-lications. The keywords with the highest frequency, excluding phytoremediation and mercury in WoS, were heavy metals, accumulation, cadmium, soils, and phytoextraction. In Scopus, the most frequent keywords were bioremediation, heavy metals, soil pollution, bioaccumulation, biodeg-radation, and environmental. From the above analysis, we concluded that future research should focus on 1) finding native plants, 2) increasing remediation ability through assisted phytoremedi-ation, 3) studies of molecular mechanisms in plants with phytoremediation potential, and 4) ge-netic engineering applications. This study provides insight into trending themes and serves as a reference for future research.

Vitamin D deficiencies are very common in pregnant women, raising concerns about adverse health outcomes in children. This issue has hardly been studied in multiple pregnancies, the prevalence of which has been steadily increasing. Therefore, our study investigated the relationship between newborns’ anthropometric parameters and the concentration of 25(OH)D in maternal blood of women with twin pregnancies and umbilical cord blood. The study included 50 women who gave birth after the 36th week of twin gestation. 25(OH)D was determined in maternal blood collected during the antenatal period and in the umbilical cord blood of 100 newborns. Anthropometric parameters of the newborns (birth weight, length, head and chest circumference) were obtained from hospital records. Data on nutrition and lifestyle during pregnancy were collected from the patients during an interview conducted by a dietitian. No relationship between maternal and neonatal cord blood vitamin D concentrations and any of the anthropometric parameters of the newborns was found. However, only 6% of the mothers and 13% of the newborns had vitamin D deficiency (≤20 ng/mL). The type of pregnancy and maternal height were the main factors associated with neonatal size. Newborns from dichorionic pregnancies were on average 202 g heavier (p

It is unclear whether military shoes (combat boots and sports shoes) attenuate loading rate or affect force transfer during walking. Therefore, this study compared ground reaction forces (GRF) related to impact and force transfer between combat boots, military sports shoes and running shoes. Ten army recruits walked over a walkway with two force plates embedded. GRF were measured when walking barefoot (for data normalization) and with combat boots, military sports shoes and running shoes. Loading rate, first and second peak forces and push-off rate of force were computed along with temporal analysis of waveforms. Reduced loading rate was observed for the running shoe compared to the combat boot (p = 0.02 and d = 0.98) and to the military sports shoe (p = 0.04 and d = 0.92). The running shoe elicited a smaller second peak force than the combat boot (p < 0.01 and d = 0.83). Walking with military shoes and combat boots led to larger force transfer then running shoes potentially due to harder material used in midsole composition (i.e. styrene-butadiene rubber). These results could lead to a potentially larger risk of injuries while long duration walking in military shoes and boots compared to traditional running shoes.

This work deals with a systematic review of literature data concerning the theme of the integrated approach to occupational health and safety management, with particular reference to the programming of assistance plans, which guide the company's organizational choices also by aiming at the principles of the Total Worker Health. In the current regulatory framework on this issue, the UNI ISO 45001: 2018 standard assumes particular relevance, which defines the dynamic approach to occupational health and safety management systems, paying particular attention to external contextual factors that may influence corporate organizational decisions. The adoption of these systems is not mandatory, but allows companies to fulfill their duties in terms of health and safety at work, through an organizational approach aimed at awareness, involvement and participation of all subjects of the company prevention system, overcoming the phase of the mere technological and prescriptive approach, towards a holistic vision of prevention, which places the person at the center of preventive actions. In this context, the role of institutional networks and socio-economic partnerships assumes particular importance, in the activation of territorial assistance interventions to support companies for the improvement of risk management levels. To this end, the importance of verifying the effectiveness of assistance interventions emerges from the scientific debate, through the use of indicators such as quantitative ones for measuring the performance of all phases of the intervention with particular attention to the effects in terms of improved solutions developed.

The leachate discharges generated in sanitary landfills contain many pollutants that are harmful to the environment; treatments are scarce and should be carried out better. The use of coagulation-flocculation processes has been one of the most widely used, but that; Due to the complexity of the characterization of the leachate, the dosing strategy of coagulants and biopolymers needs to be clarified. Therefore, the present study is carried out to determine the doses of coagulants and biopolymers suitable for coagulation-flocculation processes in the treatment of leachates by using computational models of machine learning techniques such as Artificial Neural Networks (ANN); these allow to decrease the operations of the tests of jars in the laboratory; optimizing resources. Through laboratory experimentation, there are real results of the effectiveness of applying biopolymers in leachate treatments at different concentration levels. The laboratory results were taken as input variables for the algorithms used; after the validation and calibration process, we proceeded to estimate predicted data with the computational model, obtaining predictions of optimal doses for treatment with high statistical adjustment indicators. It is verified that the applied coagulation-flocculation treatments reduce the turbidity values in the leachate and contaminants associated with suspended solids. In this way, the jar tests are optimized so that the operational costs decrease without affecting the results of adequate dosing.

In atomic GdFe$_2$ films capped by 4$d$ and 5$d$ transition metals, we show that skyrmions with diameters smaller than 12 nm can emerge. The Dzyaloshinskii--Moriya interaction (DMI), exchange energy, and the magnetocrystalline anisotropy (MCA) energy were investigated based on density functional theory. Since DMI and MCA are caused by spin--orbit coupling (SOC), they are increased with 5$d$ capping layers which exhibit strong SOC strength. We discover a skyrmion phase by using atomistic spin dynamic simulations at small magnetic fields of $\sim$1 T. In addition, a ground state that a spin spiral phase is remained even at zero magnetic field for both films with 4$d$ and 5$d$ capping layers.

Background/Objectives: Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Carotid intima-media thickness (C-IMT) is a non-invasive marker of atherosclerosis. Low omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) intake and vitamin D deficiency are potential cardiometabolic risk factors in patients with CKD. The aim of this study was to evaluate dietary intake and status of omega-3 PUFA and vitamin D in pre-dialysis and hemodialysis patients and to examine the link of dietary α-linolenic acid (ALA) and fish consumption with blood pressure and C-IMT in CKD patients. Methods: All 77 selected patients (36 pre-dialysis, 41 on hemodialysis) underwent standardized clinical, nutritional, and laboratory assessments. Repeated 24-hour recalls were performed to assess dietary intake. The fatty acid profile was determined by gas-liquid chromatography. Results: Inadequate vitamin D intake and vitamin D status were found in 95% of patients. PUFAs profiles did not differ between hemodialysis and pre-dialysis participants. Dietary intake of ALA was negatively correlated with systolic blood pressure (SBP) (p=0.007), C-IMT (p=0.002), serum CRP (p=0.044), iPTH (p=0.01) and 25(OH)D3 (p=0.006). ALA intake of more than 0.23 g/daily was associated with lower SBP (p=0.001), serum 25(OH)D3 (p=0.004), and C-IMT (p=0.002). Conclusions: This study contributes to a better understanding of the relationship between dietary ALA intake and C-IMT in CKD. The results of this study could emphasize the significant role of the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and inadequate omega-3 PUFA intake and status considering CVD health in CKD patients.

Background: given the various clinical manifestations that characterize coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the scientific community is constantly searching for biomarkers with prognostic value. Surfactant protein A (SP-A) and D (SP-D) play a crucial role in ensuring proper alveolar function and an alteration of their serum levels have been reported in several pulmonary diseases characterized by acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and pulmonary fibrosis. Consid-ering that such clinical manifestations can also occur during severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, we wondered if these collectins could act as prognostic markers. Methods: in this regard, serum levels of SP-A and SP-D were measured by enzyme immunoassay in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection (n=51) at admission (T0) and after 7 days (T1) and compared with healthy donors (n=11). Results: SP-D increased in COVID-19 patients com-pared to healthy controls during the early phases of infection, while a significant reduction was observed at T1. Stratifying SARS-CoV-2 patients according to disease severity, increased serum SP-D levels were observed in severe compared to mild patients. Conclusions: In the light of these results SP-D, but not SP-A, seems to be an eligible marker of COVID-19 pneumonia and the early detection of SP-D serum levels could be crucial for a preventive clinical management.

The purpose of this study is to show an automated laser vision correction (LVC) with the transep-ithelial refractive keratectomy (TransPRK) surgery technique. Since more surgical steps have been automated over the years, we have standardized the TransPRK technique. We have been using it since 2010. This paper aims to illustrate the processes that are readily applicable to automation. To meet the patient's expectations and ensure that the patient has uncorrected visual acuity at least equal to the preoperative corrected vision with glasses, patient selection is crucial in refractive surgical procedures. One major benefit of automating the surgery is that it can be performed in a similar way by each surgeon or laser correction centre, so once the standard and results are good, these can be per-formed by different surgeons.

Metabolic-dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a chronic liver disease that affects more than a quarter of the global population, and is increasing worldwide, due to the pandemic of obesity. Insulin resistance is closely associated with the development and progression of MASLD. Hepatic entry of increased fatty acids (FA) released from adipose tissue, increase in FA synthesis and reduced FA oxidation in the liver, and hepatic overproduction of triglyceride (TG)-rich lipoproteins may induce the development of MASLD. Since insulin resistance also induces atherosclerosis, the leading cause for death in MASLD patients is cardiovascular disease (CVD). Considering that the development of CVD determines the prognosis of MASLD patients, the ideal therapeutic interventions for MASLD should reduce body weight, improve coronary risk factors, in addition to an improvement in liver functiom. Lifestyle modification such as diet and exercise and surgical interventions such as bariatric surgery and intragastric balloons have shown to improve MASLD by reducing body weight. Sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) have been shown to improve coronary risk factors and to suppress the occurrence of CVD. Both SGLT2i and GLP-1 have been reported to improve liver enzymes, hepatic steatosis and fibrosis. We recently reported that the selective peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha (PPARα) modulator, pemafibrate, improved liver function. PPARα agonists have multiple anti-atherogenic properties. Here, we consider the pathophysiology of MASLD and the mechanisms of action of such drugs, and consider whether such drugs and the combination therapy of such drugs could be the ideal treatments for MASLD.

The purpose of this review is to elucidate the actual threat of the most prevalent mycotoxins in agricultural commodities and human/animal food/feed for appearance of foodborne ailments and diseases. The underestimated hazard of joint mycotoxin uptake of animals or humans is critically discussed with regards to synergistic or additive interaction between some target mycotoxins. The real toxicity of target mycotoxin combinations as it happens in practice is evaluated and possible lower limit values or control measures are suggested in such cases. Some critical points in adequate risk assessment, hygiene control and regulation of mycotoxns are discussed. The efficiency of current mycotoxin regulations and control measures is evaluated in regards to human/animal health hazard. The risk assessment in the case of multiple mycotoxin exposure of humans/animals via the food/feed or agricultural commodities is evaluated and some suggestions are proposed in such cases. Appropriate control measures and food safety issues throughout the food supply chain are proposed in order to prevent target foodborne diseases. Some preventive measures and possible veterinary hygiene control or risk assessment are proposed in some practical cases of foodborne diseases for preventing mycotoxin contamination of animal products designed for human consumption and to avoid possible public health issues.

Apoptosis, necroptosis, and autophagy are cellular mechanisms by which cells are programmed to die under a wide range of physiological and developmental stimuli. A multitude of protein mediators of programmed cell death have been identified and apoptosis, necroptosis, and autophagy signals have been found to utilize common pathways elucidating the proteins involved. This narrative review focuses on caspase-dependent and caspase-independent programmed cell death systems. Included studies of caspase-dependent programmed cell death include extrinsic pathway apoptotic mechanisms including phosphatidylserine (PS), FAS (APO-1/CD95), Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) Receptor type 1 (TNF-R1) and TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand (TRAIL) and intrinsic or mitochondrial pathway such as Cytochrome C, the Bcl-2 family of proteins and Smac/Diablo. The Bcl-2 family has apoptotic mediators Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) and Bcl-2 homologous antagonist/killer (Bak), Bcl-2-Interacting Protein BIM (Bim), Bcl-2 agonist of cell death (Bad), Bid, Bcl-2 adenovirus E1B 19kDa-interacting protein 1 NIP3 (Bnip3), BMF, HRK, Noxa and PUMA and anti-apoptotic proteins such as Bcl-2 itself, Mcl-1, Bcl-w, A1, and Bcl-XL. Moreover, caspase-independent programmed cell death pathways include the mitochondrial pathway with the protein mediators Apoptosis Inducing Factor (AIF), and Endonuclease G, the pathways Necroptosis, and Autophagy. Understanding programmed cell death from those reported in this review could shed substantial light on the processes of biological homeostasis. In addition, identifying specific proteins involved in these processes is mandatory to identify molecular biomarkers as well as therapeutic targets. This knowledge could provide the ability to modulate the programmed cell death response and could lead to new therapeutic interventions in a wide range of diseases.

Although sharks have a fundamental role in maintaining the balance of aquatic ecosystems, exerting a great influence at lower levels, their populations are declining worldwide due, to a large extent, to overfishing. Of the 64 species registered in Ecuador, from January to December 2019, 19 species were recorded in Manta from 15455 captured individuals, with the family Carcharhinidae being the family most present in the catches (69.4%), and the most abundant species was Prionace glauca (57.9%). In the case of threatened species, such as Carcharhinus longimanus, Sphyrna lewini and Sphyrna zygaena, a greater presence of immature specimens was observed in landings, suggesting a possible existence of nursery areas. However, information on the composition and biological aspects of shark species in the Ecuadorian Pacific is very scarce. Therefore, research on the characteristics of life history (age, growth and maturity) are of utmost importance for the analysis evolution of the populations that are being exploited, especially in developing countries, where this information is very scarce, causing inadequate management of fishery resources.

Phosphatidylserine (PS) has significant applications in various sectors, such as the medical and food industries. However, its production relies heavily on phospholipase D (PLD), a crucial tool that is hindered by issues like poor stability and irrecoverability. Immobilization presents itself as an effective solution to overcome these limitations. In this study, magnetic graphene oxide (MGO) modified with amino (-NH₂) were synthesized and utilized for PLD immobilization. The activity of the immobilized PLD (MGO-PLD) reached 3062 U/g_MGO, with a specific activity of 33.9 U/mg_PLD, virtually identical to that of the free PLD. MGO-PLD was utilized to synthesize PS efficiently in a biphasic system. Under optimal conditions, PS yield reached 18.66 g/L, with a conversion rate of 92.8% and a productivity of 3.11 g/L/h. Notably, MGO-PLD retained an impressive PS conversion rate of 77.4% even after seven repetitive usages. Moreover, MGO-PLD displayed enhanced thermal and pH resistance properties compared to free PLD, alongside an augmented storage stability. Post a 8-week preservation at 4°C, its residual activity was able to maintain at 76.3%. This study provides a sustainable and highly efficient pathway for biocatalytic synthesis of PS.

This paper seeks to model the crack propagation in of AAs (aluminum-alloys) 2524-T3 and 7050-T7452 subjected to fatigue loading at low temperature. Fatigue crack growth tests were performed on AAs 2524-T3 and 7050-T7452 subjected to constant-amplitude and actual random-spectra loading histories at room temperature of about 25 °C and at cryogenic temperature of -70 °C, respectively, to determine their crack growth properties and residual lives. The interaction mechanisms between cryogenic temperature and the fatigue load were deduced on the basis of the results of fractographic analysis. Temperature-dependent residual lives under actual random-spectrum load history were modeled based on a modified accumulation damage rule by accounting for the load interaction. Good correlation was achieved between the predictions and actual experiments, demonstrating the practical and effective use of the proposed method.

Vitamin D, unlike the micronutrients, vitamins A, E and K, is largely obtained, not from food, but by the action of solar UV light on its precursor, 7-dehydrocholesterol, in skin. With the decline in UV light intensity in winter, most skin production of vitamin D occurs in summer. Because no defined storage organ or tissue has been found for vitamin D, it has been assumed that adequate vitamin D status in winter can only be maintained by oral supplementation. Skeletal muscle cells have now been shown to incorporate the vitamin D-binding protein (DBP) from blood into the cell cytoplasm where it binds to cytoplasmic actin. This intracellular DBP provides an array of specific binding sites for 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) which diffuses into the cell from the extracellular fluid. When intracellular DBP undergoes proteolytic breakdown, the bound 25(OH)D is then released and diffuses back into blood. This uptake and release of 25(OH)D by muscle, accounts for the very long half-life of this metabolite in the circulation. As 25(OH)D concentration in blood declines in winter, its cycling in and out of muscle cells appears to be upregulated. Parathyroid hormone is the most likely factor enhancing the repeated cycling of 25(OH)D between skeletal muscle and blood. This mechanism appears to have evolved to maintain adequate vitamin D status in winter.

Vitamin D, unlike the micronutrients, vitamins A, E and K, is largely obtained, not from food, but by the action of solar UV light on its precursor, 7-dehydrocholesterol, in skin. With the decline in UV light intensity in winter, most skin production of vitamin D occurs in summer. Because no defined storage organ or tissue has been found for vitamin D, it has been assumed that adequate vitamin D status in winter can only be maintained by oral supplementation. Skeletal muscle cells have now been shown to incorporate the vitamin D-binding protein (DBP) from blood into the cell cytoplasm where it binds to cytoplasmic actin. This intracellular DBP provides an array of specific binding sites for 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) which diffuses into the cell from the extracellular fluid. When intracellular DBP undergoes proteolytic breakdown, the bound 25(OH)D is then released and diffuses back into blood. This uptake and release of 25(OH)D by muscle, accounts for the very long half-life of this metabolite in the circulation. As 25(OH)D concentration in blood declines in winter, its cycling in and out of muscle cells appears to be upregulated. Parathyroid hormone is the most likely factor enhancing the repeated cycling of 25(OH)D between skeletal muscle and blood. This mechanism appears to have evolved to maintain adequate vitamin D status in winter.

Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) have ushered in a technological revolution with their remarkable impact on diverse sectors of our daily lives. These versatile devices known for their outstanding display and lighting capabilities, have become indispensable components in various industries including smartphones, tablets, televisions, and automotive applications. This paper delves into the development of a group of twisted donor-acceptor-donor (D-A-D) derivatives incorporating bicarbazole and benzophenone structures for potential use as blue emitters in OLEDs. The synthesized compounds, namely DB14, DB23 and DB29, were designed with various alkyl side chains to enhance their film forming properties as for blue emitters. Characterization and evaluation of these derivatives included photophysical, electrochemical, thermal, and electroluminescent analysis. Some of the OLED devices incorporating these emitters demonstrated promising performance with maximum current efficiency (CEmax) of 2.6 cd/A and external quantum efficiency (EQEmax) of 5.3%. Notably, the DB23 emitter exhibited the highest EQE among all devices. The study also emphasizes the influence of host-guest energy transfer, optimal doping concentrations, and molecular structures on device performance. This research not only contributes to the understanding of advanced OLED materials but also provides insights into designing efficient blue emitters for future display and lighting applications, thereby advancing the field of organic electronics.