Identification and functional characterization of multiple haemadins and an oligomeric decorsin in the Asian land leech Haemadipsa interrupta.

Haematophagous leeches rely on a broad variety of bioactive compounds to secure a sufficient blood meal from their vertebrate prey. Both the primary (platelet aggregation) and secondary (blood coagulation) haemostasis are the main targets of action. The platelet aggregation inhibitor decorsin was first described in the North American leech, Macrobdella decora Say, 1824, whereas the bivalent thrombin inhibitor hirudin was originally identified in the European medicinal leech, Hirudo medicinalis Linnaeus, 1758.

Enhanced platelet sensitization is accompanied by increased expression of the transporter MRP4 and elevated plasma S1P levels in mild COVID-19 convalescents.

Viral infections can lead to platelet activation and hemostatic complications. However, the extent to which platelet reactivity remains altered after convalescence, contributing to long-term health impairments as observed after COVID-19 is not yet fully understood. Therefore, we conducted a cohort study (DRKS00025217) to determine platelet function in individuals convalesced from mild COVID-19.

Improving Asthma Control Test completion rates across a multi-site pediatric pulmonary clinic network: a quality improvement initiative.

Objective: Assessing asthma control is an essential part of the outpatient management of children with asthma and can be performed through validated questionnaires such as the Asthma Control Test (ACT). Systematic approaches to incorporating the ACT in outpatient visits are often lacking, contributing to inconsistent completion rates. We conducted a quality improvement initiative to increase the proportion of visits where the ACT is completed for children with asthma in our multi-site pediatric pulmonary clinic network.

Direct Measurement of the Spectral Structure of Cosmic-Ray Electrons+Positrons in the TeV Region with CALET on the International Space Station.

Detailed measurements of the spectral structure of cosmic-ray electrons and positrons from 10.6 GeV to 7.5 TeV are presented from over 7 years of observations with the CALorimetric Electron Telescope (CALET) on the International Space Station.

Measuring skill via player dynamics in football dribbling.

Although a myriad of studies have been conducted on player behavior in football, in-depth studies with structured theory are rare due to the difficulty in quantifying individual player skills and team strategies. We propose a physics-based mathematical model that describes football players' movements during dribbling situations, parameterized by the attacker aggressiveness, the defender hesitance and the top speed of both players. These player- and situation-specific parameters are extracted by fitting the model to real player trajectories from Major League Soccer games, and enable the quantification of player dribbling attributes and decisions beyond classical statistics.