Unearthing the secrets of Australia's most enigmatic and cryptic mammal, the marsupial mole.

The marsupial moles are arguably Australia's most enigmatic marsupials. Almost indistinguishable from placental (eutherian) moles, they provide a striking example of convergent evolution. Exploring the genome of the southern marsupial mole, we provide insights into its unusual biology.

The Ruminant Telomere-to-Telomere (RT2T) Consortium.

Telomere-to-telomere (T2T) assemblies reveal new insights into the structure and function of the previously 'invisible' parts of the genome and allow comparative analyses of complete genomes across entire clades. We present here an open collaborative effort, termed the 'Ruminant T2T Consortium' (RT2T), that aims to generate complete diploid assemblies for numerous species of the Artiodactyla suborder Ruminantia to examine chromosomal evolution in the context of natural selection and domestication of species used as livestock.

Arterial Hyperoxemia During Cardiopulmonary Bypass Was Not Associated With Worse Postoperative Pulmonary Function: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Arterial hyperoxemia may cause end-organ damage secondary to the increased formation of free oxygen radicals. The clinical evidence on postoperative lung toxicity from arterial hyperoxemia during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is scarce, and the effect of arterial partial pressure of oxygen (Pa o2 ) during cardiac surgery on lung injury has been underinvestigated. Thus, we aimed to examine the relationship between Pa o2 during CPB and postoperative lung injury.

Genetic mixing in conservation translocations increases diversity of a keystone threatened species, Bettongia lesueur.

Translocation programmes are increasingly being informed by genetic data to monitor and enhance conservation outcomes for both natural and established populations. These data provide a window into contemporary patterns of genetic diversity, structure and relatedness that can guide managers in how to best source animals for their translocation programmes. The inclusion of historical samples, where possible, strengthens monitoring by allowing assessment of changes in genetic diversity over time and by providing a benchmark for future improvements in diversity via management practices.

The complete sequence of a human Y chromosome.

The human Y chromosome has been notoriously difficult to sequence and assemble because of its complex repeat structure that includes long palindromes, tandem repeats and segmental duplications. As a result, more than half of the Y chromosome is missing from the GRCh38 reference sequence and it remains the last human chromosome to be finished. Here, the Telomere-to-Telomere (T2T) consortium presents the complete 62,460,029-base-pair sequence of a human Y chromosome from the HG002 genome (T2T-Y) that corrects multiple errors in GRCh38-Y and adds over 30 million base pairs of sequence to the reference, showing the complete ampliconic structures of gene families TSPY, DAZ and RBMY; 41 additional protein-coding genes, mostly from the TSPY family; and an alternating pattern of human satellite 1 and 3 blocks in the heterochromatic Yq12 region.

Efficacy of the Hepcon system in reducing hemorrhagic and thrombotic complications in antiphospholipid syndrome patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

Introduction: Patients with Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS) undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) surgery are at increased risk for thrombotic and hemorrhagic complications. Anticoagulation during CPB is typically monitored with activated clotting time (ACT) which may be falsely prolonged in patients with APS. The Hepcon Hemostasis Management System quantitatively determines the whole blood heparin concentration through heparin/protamine titration.

Deep statistical modelling of nanopore sequencing translocation times reveals latent non-B DNA structures.

Motivation: Non-canonical (or non-B) DNA are genomic regions whose three-dimensional conformation deviates from the canonical double helix. Non-B DNA play an important role in basic cellular processes and are associated with genomic instability, gene regulation, and oncogenesis. Experimental methods are low-throughput and can detect only a limited set of non-B DNA structures, while computational methods rely on non-B DNA base motifs, which are necessary but not sufficient indicators of non-B structures.

Association of Conventional Ultrafiltration on Postoperative Pulmonary Complications.

Background: Postoperative pulmonary complications increase mortality after cardiac surgery. Conventional ultrafiltration may reduce pulmonary complications by removing mediators of bypass-induced inflammation and countering hemodilution. We tested the primary hypothesis that conventional ultrafiltration reduces postoperative pulmonary complications, and secondarily, improves early pulmonary function assessed by the ratio of PaO to fractional inspired oxygen concentration.

Sequential hypothermic and normothermic perfusion preservation and transplantation of expanded criteria donor livers.

Background: The purpose of this study was to assess the safety and feasibility of sequential hypothermic oxygenated perfusion and normothermic machine perfusion and the potential benefits of graft viability preservation and assessment before liver transplantation.

Methods: With the Food and Drug Administration and institutional review board approval, 17 expanded criteria donor livers underwent sequential hypothermic oxygenated perfusion and normothermic machine perfusion using our institutionally developed perfusion device.

Results: Expanded criteria donor livers were from older donors, donors after cardiac death, with steatosis, hypertransaminasemia, or calcified arteries.

From telomere to telomere: The transcriptional and epigenetic state of human repeat elements.

Mobile elements and repetitive genomic regions are sources of lineage-specific genomic innovation and uniquely fingerprint individual genomes. Comprehensive analyses of such repeat elements, including those found in more complex regions of the genome, require a complete, linear genome assembly. We present a de novo repeat discovery and annotation of the T2T-CHM13 human reference genome.

The complete sequence of a human genome.

Since its initial release in 2000, the human reference genome has covered only the euchromatic fraction of the genome, leaving important heterochromatic regions unfinished. Addressing the remaining 8% of the genome, the Telomere-to-Telomere (T2T) Consortium presents a complete 3.055 billion-base pair sequence of a human genome, T2T-CHM13, that includes gapless assemblies for all chromosomes except Y, corrects errors in the prior references, and introduces nearly 200 million base pairs of sequence containing 1956 gene predictions, 99 of which are predicted to be protein coding.

BodyPressure - Inferring Body Pose and Contact Pressure From a Depth Image.

Contact pressure between the human body and its surroundings has important implications. For example, it plays a role in comfort, safety, posture, and health. We present a method that infers contact pressure between a human body and a mattress from a depth image.

Hemodynamic evaluation of a new pulsatile blood pump during low flow cardiopulmonary bypass support.

Background: The VentriFlo True Pulse Pump (VentriFlo, Inc, Pelham, NH, USA) is a new pulsatile blood pump intended for use during short-term circulatory support. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of the VentriFlo and compare it to a conventional centrifugal pump (ROTAFLOW, Getinge, Gothenberg, Sweden) in acute pig experiments.

Methods: Pigs (40-45 kg) were supported by cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) with the VentriFlo (n = 9) or ROTAFLOW (n = 5) for 6 h.

A rapid, cost-effective tailed amplicon method for sequencing SARS-CoV-2.

Background: The global COVID-19 pandemic has led to an urgent need for scalable methods for clinical diagnostics and viral tracking. Next generation sequencing technologies have enabled large-scale genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 as thousands of isolates are being sequenced around the world and deposited in public data repositories. A number of methods using both short- and long-read technologies are currently being applied for SARS-CoV-2 sequencing, including amplicon approaches, metagenomic methods, and sequence capture or enrichment methods.

Continuous-flow total artificial heart port-to-port connection technique using dedicated de-airing sleeve.

Preventing the introduction of air while a mechanical circulatory support device is being implanted is critical for successful outcomes. A substantial amount of air may be introduced into the circulation during the pump-to-outflow and/or pump-to-inflow port connection, which can be detrimental to optimal pump function and long-term survival. We have developed a novel connecting sleeve that enables an airless connection of the continuous-flow total artificial heart to the conduits.

Microplegia vs 4:1 Blood Cardioplegia: Effectiveness and Cost Savings in Complex Cardiac Operations.

Background: Microplegia has been studied during isolated coronary artery bypass grafting and valve surgery but not in more complex operations. Objectives of this study were to demonstrate safety and effectiveness of microplegia relative to Buckberg cardioplegia during these operations.

Methods: From January 2012 to January 2017, 242 patients underwent multicomponent operations with simplified microplegia delivered via syringe pump and 10,512 with modified Buckberg cardioplegia.

New Cardioscope-Based Platform for Minimally Invasive and Percutaneous Beating Heart Interventions.

With heart disease increasing worldwide, demand for new minimally invasive techniques and transcatheter technologies to treat structural heart disease is rising. Cardioscopy has long been considered desirable, as it allows direct tissue visualization and intervention to deliver therapy via a closed chest, with real-time fiber-optic imaging of intracardiac structures. Herein, the feasibility of the advanced cardioscopic platform, allowing both transapical and fully percutaneous access is reported.

Using Semantic Web Technologies to Enable Cancer Genomics Discovery at Petabyte Scale.

Increased efforts in cancer genomics research and bioinformatics are producing tremendous amounts of data. These data are diverse in origin, format, and content. As the amount of available sequencing data increase, technologies that make them discoverable and usable are critically needed.