Effect of perioperative magnesium sulfate on neurological outcome in neurosurgical patients: a randomized double-blind controlled trial.

Background: Supplemental magnesium sulfate has a potential neuroprotective role in acute brain injury. It is safe, widely available, and inexpensive. This study evaluated the effect of perioperative intravenous administration of magnesium sulfate on brain damage caused by neurosurgery.

Disease from leaves to landscapes: viral hotspots are determined by spatial arrangement and phytochemistry of host plants in specialist caterpillars.

Although infectious diseases play a critical role in population regulation, our knowledge of complex drivers of disease for insects is limited. We conducted a field study on Baltimore checkerspot caterpillars (), chemical specialists on plants containing iridoid glycosides (IGs), to investigate the roles of host plant, phytochemistry, ontogeny and spatial associations in determining viral prevalence. We analysed individuals for viral presence and loads, quantified leaf IG concentrations from their native and novel host plants, and sequestered IGs in caterpillars.

High Host Preferences in Epiphytic Lichens Across Diverse Phorophyte Species in the Mediterranean Region.

Contrary to the assumption that epiphytic lichens, which obtain water and nutrients from the atmosphere, do not exhibit host species preference, this notion is challenged by the limited number of studies that cover a wide geographical range and diverse phorophyte species (hereafter referred to as "host species"). To investigate this assumption, we evaluated the host preference of 709 epiphytic lichen species across the Mediterranean basin, examining 72 host species. The research is based on field studies conducted by the authors, supplemented with bibliographic records to expand the study area and the number of host species.

Perioperative transfusion management in craniotomies: A national survey, a starting point for the evaluation of improvements in health care.

Objective: To assess the perioperative management of haemostasis and transfusion practices in adult patients undergoing craniotomies.

Method: Online questionnaire addressed to Spanish anaesthesiologists and promoted by the Neurosciences and Haemostasis, Transfusion Medicine and Fluid Therapy Sections of SEDAR. The questionnaire was sent by email and social media, and was active between June and October 2022.

(Dis)connecting the Globe Through Water-Driven Ecological and Biogeochemical Corridors in the Polar-Alpine Biome.

Global change is causing the melting of ice masses, permafrost thawing, and the shrinking of glaciers, thereby reshaping nature's rhythms. Longer thaw phases and more frequent dry periods are transforming water-driven transitional ecosystems (e.g.

Unfolding the dynamics of ecosystems undergoing alternating wet-dry transitional states.

A significant fraction of Earth's ecosystems undergoes periodic wet-dry alternating transitional states. These globally distributed water-driven transitional ecosystems, such as intermittent rivers and coastal shorelines, have traditionally been studied as two distinct entities, whereas they constitute a single, interconnected meta-ecosystem. This has resulted in a poor conceptual and empirical understanding of water-driven transitional ecosystems.

Generalism in species interactions is more the consequence than the cause of ecological success.

Generalism in resource use is commonly considered a critical driver of population success, species distribution and extinction risk. This idea can be questioned as generalism may be a result rather than the cause of species abundance and range size. We tested these contrasting causal hypotheses focusing on host use in three databases encompassing approximately 44,000 mutualistic (hummingbird-plant), commensalistic (lichen-plant) and parasitic (flea-mammal) interactions in 617 ecological communities across the Americas and Eurasia.

In Vivo Formation of Adrenal Organoids in a Novel Porcine Model of Adrenocortical Cell Transplantation.

Recognizing the limitations of current therapies for Addison's disease, novel treatments that replicate dynamic physiologic corticosteroid secretion, under control of ACTH, are required. The aim of these experiments was to evaluate the feasibility of adrenocortical cell transplantation (ACT) in a large animal model, adapting methods successfully used for intracutaneous pancreatic islet cell transplantation, using a fully biodegradable temporizing matrix. Autologous porcine ACT was undertaken by bilateral adrenalectomy, cell isolation, culture, and intracutaneous injection into a skin site preprepared using a biodegradable temporizing matrix (BTM) foam.

Matrix Metalloproteinase- and pH-Sensitive Nanoparticle System Enhances Drug Retention and Penetration in Glioblastoma.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a primary malignant brain tumor with limited therapeutic options. One promising approach is local drug delivery, but the efficacy is hindered by limited diffusion and retention. To address this, we synthesized and developed a dual-sensitive nanoparticle (Dual-NP) system, formed between a dendrimer and dextran NPs, bound by a dual-sensitive [matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) and pH] linker designed to disassemble rapidly in the tumor microenvironment.

PEGylated liposomes for diagnosis of polyethylene glycol allergy.

Background: Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is a nonprotein polymer that is present in its native (unbound) form as an excipient in a range of products. It is increasingly being utilized clinically in the form of PEGylated liposomal medications and vaccines. PEG is the cause of anaphylaxis in a small percentage of drug reactions; however, diagnosis of PEG allergy is complicated by the variable and poor diagnostic performance of current skin testing protocols.

Atom-doped photon engine: Extracting mechanical work from a quantum system via radiation pressure.

The possibility of efficiently converting heat into work at the microscale has triggered an intense research effort to understand quantum heat engines, driven by the hope of quantum superiority over classical counterparts. In this work, we introduce a model featuring an atom-doped optical quantum cavity propelling a classical piston through radiation pressure. The model, based on the Jaynes-Cummings Hamiltonian of quantum electrodynamics, demonstrates the generation of mechanical work through thermal energy injection.

Host plant-mediation of viral transmission and its consequences for a native butterfly.

Pathogens play a key role in insect population dynamics, contributing to short-term fluctuations in abundance as well as long-term demographic trends. Two key factors that influence the effects of entomopathogens on herbivorous insect populations are modes of pathogen transmission and larval host plants. In this study, we examined tritrophic interactions between a sequestering specialist lepidopteran, Euphydryas phaeton, and a viral pathogen, Junonia coenia densovirus, on its native host plant, Chelone glabra, and a novel host plant, Plantago lanceolata, to explore whether host plant mediates viral transmission, survival, and viral loads.

Outcomes of Serum Food-Specific Immunoglobulin G 4 to Guide Elimination Diet in Patients With Eosinophilic Esophagitis.

Introduction: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is associated with atopy; however, recent studies have identified an association with food-specific immunoglobulin G 4 (FS-IgG 4 ) rather than immunoglobulin E antibodies. This study aimed to evaluate the role of serum FS-IgG 4 in guiding an elimination diet and its outcomes.

Methods: Patients with and without EoE were enrolled in a prospective, controlled, single tertiary center trial.

Single-Cell Recovery from Tumor Cell Xenotransplanted Zebrafish Embryos for the Study of Metastasis-Initiating Cells.

The study of metastasis-competent cells at the single-cell level represents an opportunity to decipher the molecular mechanisms associated with the metastatic cascade as well as to understand the functional and molecular heterogeneity of these cells. In this context, preclinical in vivo models of cancer metastasis are valuable tools to understand the behavior of cancer cells throughout the process. Here we describe a detailed protocol for the isolation and recovery of individual viable human metastatic cells from zebrafish embryos xenotransplanted with cancer cells for downstream molecular analysis.

Consensus document of the management of type 2 diabetes and heart failure: Consejo Interamericano de Falla Cardíaca e Hipertensión Pulmonar (CIFACAH) and Inter-American Society of Cardiology (IASC).

Heart failure (HF) syndrome is a global public health issue. On the other hand, type 2 diabetes is a risk factor associated with overweight/obesity and a sedentary lifestyle. This consensus aims to compile information available on the relationship between HF and type 2 diabetes and present, in a summarized and practical way, the management recommendations based on scientific evidence.

Comparison of linear and non-linear decision boundaries to detect feedlot bloat using intensive data collection systems on Angus × Hereford steers.

Ruminal tympany (bloat) has long been an issue for large and small livestock operations. Though improvements in feedlot management practices have reduced its occurrence, it is still highly prevalent and is known to detrimentally affect animal performance, welfare, and in many instances, lead to animal death. Current decision support systems and diet formulation software omit the inclusion of bloat prediction based on animal performance.

Spectral signatures of symmetry-breaking dynamical phase transitions.

Large deviation theory provides the framework to study the probability of rare fluctuations of time-averaged observables, opening new avenues of research in nonequilibrium physics. Some of the most appealing results within this context are dynamical phase transitions (DPTs), which might occur at the level of trajectories in order to maximize the probability of sustaining a rare event. While macroscopic fluctuation theory has underpinned much recent progress on the understanding of symmetry-breaking DPTs in driven diffusive systems, their microscopic characterization is still challenging.

Reduction in Rubicon by cigarette smoke is associated with impaired phagocytosis and occurs through lysosomal degradation pathway.

Background: A common feature of COPD is a defective lung macrophage phagocytic capacity that can contribute to chronic lung inflammation and infection. The precise mechanisms remain incompletely understood, although cigarette smoke is a known contributor. We previously showed deficiency of the LC3-associated phagocytosis (LAP) regulator, Rubicon, in macrophages from COPD subjects and in response to cigarette smoke.

Correction: Effectiveness of a novel gene nanotherapy based on putrescine for cancer treatment.

Correction for 'Effectiveness of a novel gene nanotherapy based on putrescine for cancer treatment' by Saínza Lores , , 2023, https://doi.org/10.1039/d2bm01456d.

Enhancing Visible Light Photocatalytic Degradation of Bisphenol A Using BiOI/BiMoO Heterostructures.

With the growing population, access to clean water is one of the 21st-century world's challenges. For this reason, different strategies to reduce pollutants in water using renewable energy sources should be exploited. Photocatalysts with extended visible light harvesting are an interesting route to degrade harmful molecules utilized in plastics, as is the case of Bisphenol A (BPA).

Modelling metastasis in zebrafish unveils regulatory interactions of cancer-associated fibroblasts with circulating tumour cells.

The dynamic intercommunication between tumour cells and cells from the microenvironment, such as cancer-associated fibroblast (CAFs), is a key factor driving breast cancer (BC) metastasis. Clusters of circulating tumour cells (CTCs), known to bare a higher efficiency at establishing metastases, are found in the blood of BC patients, often accompanied by CAFs in heterotypic CTC-clusters. Previously we have shown the utility of CTC-clusters models and the zebrafish embryo as a model of metastasis to understand the biology of breast cancer CTC-clusters.

Effectiveness of a novel gene nanotherapy based on putrescine for cancer treatment.

Gene therapy has long been proposed for cancer treatment. However, the use of therapeutic nucleic acids presents several limitations such as enzymatic degradation, rapid clearance, and poor cellular uptake and efficiency. In this work we propose the use of putrescine, a precursor for higher polyamine biosynthesis for the preparation of cationic nanosystems for cancer gene therapy.

Zebrafish as a platform to evaluate the potential of lipidic nanoemulsions for gene therapy in cancer.

Gene therapy is a promising therapeutic approach that has experienced significant groth in recent decades, with gene nanomedicines reaching the clinics. However, it is still necessary to continue developing novel vectors able to carry, protect, and release the nucleic acids into the target cells, to respond to the widespread demand for new gene therapies to address current unmet clinical needs. We propose here the use of zebrafish embryos as an platform to evaluate the potential of newly developed nanosystems for gene therapy applications in cancer treatment.