Role of Incretins in Muscle Functionality, Metabolism, and Body Composition in Breast Cancer: A Metabolic Approach to Understanding This Pathology.

A poorly studied issue in women with breast cancer is the role of incretins (GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) and GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1)) in the quantity and quality of muscle mass in lean and obese individuals. The current report aims to analyze the patterns of association and the role of incretin in muscle functionality and body composition in women with cancer compared with healthy women (mammography BI-RADS I or II) to elucidate whether GIP and GLP-1 can be used to estimate the risk, in conjunction with overweight or obesity, for breast cancer. We designed a case-control study in women with a breast cancer diagnosis confirmed by biopsy in different clinical stages (CS; n = 87) and healthy women with a mastography BI-RADS I or II within the last year (n = 69).

Open Hardware Implementation of Real-Time Phase and Amplitude Estimation for Neurophysiologic Signals.

Adaptive deep brain stimulation (aDBS) is a promising concept in the field of DBS that consists of delivering electrical stimulation in response to specific events. Dynamic adaptivity arises when stimulation targets dynamically changing states, which often calls for a reliable and fast causal estimation of the phase and amplitude of the signals. Here, we present an open-hardware implementation that exploits the concepts of resonators and Hilbert filters embedded in an open-hardware platform.

Phase Angle in Head and Neck Cancer: A Sex-Differential Analysis from Biological and Clinical Behavior to Health-Related Quality of Life.

Head and neck cancer (H&NC) is a diverse category of tumors related to malignancies in the common aerodigestive pathway, with high metabolic rate, poor nutritional and treatment outcomes, and elevated mortality despite the best standard treatment. Herein, we focus on determining how the phase angle (PA) differs across sex as a predictor of poor prognosis, low quality-of-life (QoL) scores, and mortality in patients with head and neck cancer. This follow-up study presents a sex-differential analysis in a prospective cohort of 139 head and neck cancer patients categorized by sex as male (n = 107) and female (n = 32).

Musculoskeletal pain and muscular weakness as the main symptoms of adult hypophosphatasia in a Spanish cohort: clinical characterization and identification of a new ALPL gene variant.

Introduction: Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is a rare inherited disorder, caused by mutations in the alkaline phosphatase (ALPL) gene, which encodes for the tissue non-specific alkaline phosphatase (TNSALP) isoform of alkaline phosphatase (ALP). Adult HPP is one of the mild forms that presents with unspecific signs such as osteopenia, osteomalacia and muscle involvement. Our purpose was to identify and characterize possibly misdiagnosed adult HPP patients at a clinical and biochemical level.

Glutamatergic and GABAergic Receptor Modulation Present Unique Electrophysiological Fingerprints in a Concentration-Dependent and Region-Specific Manner.

Brain function depends on complex circuit interactions between excitatory and inhibitory neurons embedded in local and long-range networks. Systemic GABAA-receptor (GABAAR) or NMDA-receptor (NMDAR) modulation alters the excitatory-inhibitory balance (EIB), measurable with electroencephalography (EEG). However, EEG signatures are complex in localization and spectral composition.

Ventilation of the deep Gulf of Mexico and potential insights to the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation.

Ventilation in the deep Gulf of Mexico (GoM), its connection to the North Atlantic, and its susceptibility to changes of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation are investigated by combining observations of radiocarbon and volume transport with a Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 6 (CMIP6) General Circulation Model (GCM) ensemble output. Radiocarbon data and multiannual volume transport through the Yucatan Channel suggest deep water residence times ~100 years for the GoM. Comparisons to previous radiocarbon observations suggest that the deep GoM has aged in the recent past, consistent with observed raising temperatures and the CMIP6 GCM simulations.

Clitoromegaly due to an epidermal inclusion cyst: A case report.

Background: Clitoromegaly is often a sign of androgen excess; however, non-hormonal causes must be ruled out. We report the case of an adolescent with isolated clitoromegaly without clinical or biochemical evidence of hyperandrogenism.

Case: A 16-year-old female was referred due to a clitoromegaly of 12 months of evolution.

Integration of qualitative and quantitative methods for land-use-change modeling in a deforestation frontier.

Development and implementation of effective protected area management to reduce deforestation depend in part on identifying factors contributing to forest loss and areas at risk of conversion, but standard land-use-change modeling may not fully capture contextual factors that are not easily quantified. To better understand deforestation and agricultural expansion in Amazonian protected areas, we combined quantitative land-use-change modeling with qualitative discourse analysis in a case study of Brazil's Jamanxim National Forest. We modeled land-use change from 2008 to 2018 and projected deforestation through 2028.

Parental Satisfaction from Telemedicine in the Follow-up of Children Operated for Craniosynostosis during COVID-19 Pandemic.

Objective: The current study aimed to evaluate the satisfaction level of parents from telemedicine use in the long-term follow-up of children operated for craniosynostosis during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design: A cross-sectional 9-question survey analysis using Qualtrics survey software.

Setting: An institutional study carried out at a national, tertiary level academic center in the Slovak Republic.

Prenatal diagnosis of Aicardi syndrome based on a suggestive imaging pattern: A multicenter case-series.

Objectives: To characterize a suggestive prenatal imaging pattern of Aicardi syndrome using ultrasound and MR imaging.

Methods: Based on a retrospective international series of Aicardi syndrome cases from tertiary centers encountered over a 20-year period (2000-2020), we investigated the frequencies of the imaging features in order to characterize an imaging pattern highly suggestive of the diagnosis.

Results: Among 20 cases included, arachnoid cysts associated with a distortion of the interhemispheric fissure were constantly encountered associated with complete or partial agenesis of the corpus callosum (19/20, 95%).

Tackling equitable coverage and quality of care for neonates in hospitals: a pre-post assessment on asphyxia interventions in Mesoamerica.

Background: Intrapartum-related hypoxic events, or birth asphyxia, causes one-fourth of neonatal deaths globally and in Mesoamerica. Multidimensional care for asphyxia must be implemented to ensure timely and effective care of newborns. Salud Mesoamérica Initiative (SMI) is a performance-based program seeking to improve maternal and child health for low-income areas of Central America.

Giant Right Ventricular Fibroma: Prenatal Diagnosis and Partial Resection in Early Infancy.

Congenital cardiac fibromas are very rare and prenatal diagnosis has been reported in just a few cases. We describe a four-month-old infant presenting a symptomatic giant right ventricular fibroma discovered during prenatal scanning at 33 weeks of gestation, which was confirmed after delivery on echocardiogram and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. Due to progressive hemodynamic deterioration, partial surgical resection was performed and the patient recovered uneventfully.

Quinoa in Ecuador: Recent Advances under Global Expansion.

Quinoa is a highly diverse crop domesticated in the Andean region of South America with broad adaptation to a wide range of marginal environments. Quinoa has garnered interest worldwide due to its nutritional and health benefits. Over the last decade, quinoa production has expanded outside of the Andean region, prompting multiple studies investigating the potential for quinoa cultivation in novel environments.

Potato Virus Y (PVY) Isolates from Represent Three Novel Recombinants Within the PVY Strain Group and Are Unable to Systemically Spread in Potato.

Tamarillo, or tree tomato (), is a perennial small tree or shrub species cultivated in subtropical areas for fresh fruit and juice production. In Ecuador, tamarillo orchards are affected by several viruses, with one previously identified as potato virus Y (PVY); however, the specific strain composition of PVY in tamarillo was not determined. In 2015 and 2016, eight tamarillo plants exhibiting symptoms of leaf drop, mosaic, and mottled fruit were sampled near Tumbaco and Quito, Ecuador.

SEROLOGIC SURVEY OF SPP. IN CAPTIVE ANIMALS FROM VERACRUZ, MEXICO.

Leptospirosis is the most common zoonotic disease worldwide and is considered endemic in countries with tropical climates. It is caused by 10 species of the genus and by more than 275 serovars which can affect a wide range of vertebrates. In the Americas, 122 species of four classes of vertebrates have been reported to be infected or exposed to many species.

A new species of Bothrops (Serpentes: Viperidae: Crotalinae) from Pampas del Heath, southeastern Peru, with comments on the systematics of the Bothrops neuwiedi species group.

We describe a new species of pitviper of the genus Bothrops from the Peruvian Pampas del Heath, in the Bahuaja-Sonene National Park. Pampas del Heath is an area of seasonally flooded savannas and a northwestern extension of the Gran Chaco Boliviano-Paraguayo. The new species is easily distinguished from its congeners by the exclusive combination of dorsal color pattern of body consisting of small C-shaped blotches, postocular stripe originating posteriorly to the eye, covering posterior supralabials, dorsum of the head with paired markings arranged symmetrically, venter cream heavily speckled with brown, prelacunal scale discrete in contact with second supralabial, three to five prefoveals, subfoveal single usually present, postfoveals absent to two, canthals two, seven intersupraoculars, one or two suboculars, two or three postoculars, seven or eight supralabials, nine to eleven infralabials, 26-27 interrictals, 23-25 middorsal scales, 172 ventrals in the female and 169-173 in males, 45 subcaudals in the female and 50 in males.

Sonographic Detection of Seizure-Like Activity in Fetuses with Congenital Infection: Report of Three Cases and Review of the Literature.

Fetal seizure is a very rare prenatal finding and associated with an almost invariably poor outcome, the most common causes being hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, congenital anomalies of either the central nervous system (CNS) or musculoskeletal system, and metabolic disorders. The prenatal detection of seizure-like activity in fetuses with congenital infection has not been previously reported. In this report, we describe 3 cases of seizures in fetuses with congenital infection including Zika virus (n = 2) and toxoplasmosis (n = 1).

A New Tymovirus Isolated From : Characterization and Prevalence in Two Solanaceous Crops in Ecuador.

Naranjilla ( Lam.) and tamarillo ( Cav.) are two important perennial solanaceous crops grown in Ecuador for the fresh market and juice production.

Characterization of a New Tymovirus Causing Stunting and Chlorotic Mosaic in Naranjilla (Solanum quitoense).

Naranjilla ("little orange"), also known as lulo (Solanum quitoense Lam.), is a perennial shrub species cultivated in the Andes for fresh fruit and juice production. In 2015, a naranjilla plant exhibiting stunting, mosaic, and chlorotic spots was sampled in the Pastaza province of Ecuador and maintained under greenhouse conditions.

Five new scorpion species of genus Brachistosternus (Scorpiones: Bothriuridae) from the deserts of Chile and Peru, with comments about some poorly studied diagnostic characters of the genus.

Five new scorpion species of genus Brachistosternus of Chile and Peru are described. Brachistosternus gayi n. sp.

Splenic cyst as a rare cause of fetal abdominal cystic mass: A multicenter series of nine cases and review of the literature.

Introduction: Congenital splenic cysts are a rare cause of abdominal cystic masses in the fetus. We describe nine cases of this condition, the largest reported experience to date. A review of the literature for similar cases was also performed.

New Insights into the Natural History of Congenital Zika Virus Syndrome.

We describe the prenatal evolution of the brain findings in a patient with proved Zika virus infection at 8 weeks of gestation showing the very early appearance at 17 weeks of ventriculomegaly and signs of brain parenchymal involvement without microcephaly. The involvement of the brain becomes more evident at 22 and 27 weeks with the apparition of calcifications and microcephaly. Interestingly, the postnatal findings failed to show significant worsening when compared to these prenatal findings.

Sensor Fusion to Infer Locations of Standing and Reaching Within the Home in Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury.

Objective: The objective of rehabilitation after spinal cord injury is to enable successful function in everyday life and independence at home. Clinical tests can assess whether patients are able to execute functional movements but are limited in assessing such information at home. A prototype system is developed that detects stand-to-reach activities, a movement with important functional implications, at multiple locations within a mock kitchen.