Distal Access Catheter Improves Balloon Guide and Stent Retriever Thrombectomy Outcomes in Nonagenarians.

Background And Purpose: The safety and effectiveness of endovascular techniques in elderly patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO) remain controversial. We investigated the angiographic and clinical outcomes of nonagenarians treated with different endovascular techniques using a balloon guide catheter (BGC), distal aspiration catheter (DAC), and/or stent retriever (SR).

Methods: We analyzed the data from the Registry of Combined versus Single Thrombectomy Techniques (ROSSETTI) of consecutive nonagenarian patients with anterior circulation LVO and compared the outcomes of those treated with BGC+noDAC+SR (101-group), BGC+DAC+SR (111-group), and noBGC+DAC+SR (011-group).

Synthetically Reversible, Proton-Mediated Nitrite N-O Bond Cleavage at a Dicopper Site.

A monocationic dicopper(I,I) nitrite complex [Cu(μ-κ:κ-ON)DPFN][NTf] () (DPFN = 2,7-bis(fluoro-di(2-pyridyl)methyl)-1,8-naphthyridine, NTf = N(SOCF)), was synthesized by treatment of a dicopper acetonitrile complex, [Cu(μ-MeCN)DPFN][NTf] (), with tetrabutylammonium nitrite ([BuN][NO]). DFT calculations indicate that is one of three linkage isomers that are close in energy and presumably accessible in solution. Reaction of the μ-κ:κ-ON complex with -TolSH produces nitrous acid (HONO) and the corresponding dicopper thiolate species via an acid-base exchange reaction.

Edoxaban treatment in a post-infarction experimental model.

Background: The sequelae of myocardial infarction (MI) require specific pharmacological therapy to minimise the post-MI remodelling, which in many cases evolves into cardiovascular complications. The aim of this study was to analyse the effect of edoxaban, an oral anticoagulant, on cardiac recovery in a rat model of permanent coronary artery ligation.

Methods: An experimental method to assess the post-MI remodelling in rats for 4 weeks, based on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and final histological analysis of the hearts was performed.

A Systematic Review on Spinal Asymmetries in Case Studies of Unilateral Nephroptosis from a Viscerosomatic Point of View.

The assessment of posture and asymmetries is common in musculoskeletal clinical practice, and correction is a frequent goal. In this setting, posture and asymmetries are usually interpreted in terms of musculoskeletal issues. This study aimed to evaluate spinal asymmetries in case studies of unilateral nephroptosis.

Predation impact on threatened spur-thighed tortoises by golden eagles when main prey is scarce.

A reduction in adult survival in long-living species may compromise population growth rates. The spur-thighed tortoise (Testudo graeca) is a long-lived reptile that is threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation. Golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos), whose breeding habitats overlap that of tortoises, may predate them by dropping them onto rocks and breaking their carapaces.

Influence of atmospheric patterns on soil moisture dynamics in Europe.

Soil moisture (SM) plays a key role in the water cycle, and its variability is intimately linked to coupled land-atmosphere processes. Having a good knowledge of soil-atmospheric interactions is thus essential to assess the impact of climate change on SM; however, many aspects of how water and energy exchanges occur in the soil-atmosphere continuum are still uncertain. In particular, it is known that atmospheric circulation patterns influence climate conditions over Europe but their impact on SM has only rarely been studied.

Measuring Perceived Research Competence of Junior Researchers.

Graduates of doctoral (Ph.D.) programs are expected to be competent at designing and conducting research independently.

Impact of Askling L-PROTOCOL on Biceps Femoris Architecture, Hamstring Flexibility and Sprint Performance.

Eccentric training has been shown to be important for hamstring strain injuries rehabilitation and prevention. The Askling L-PROTOCOL (L-P), comprising three exercises aimed at eccentric training and hamstring lengthening, was shown to improve this injuries recovery and relapse times in comparison with other traditional exercise-based protocols. However, the causes of these results remain unclear.

An integral approach to address socio-ecological systems sustainability and their uncertainties.

The analysis of the sustainability should be addressed with a holistic approach that facilitates an integral analysis of the social, economic, institutional and environmental factors and their interactions characterizing complex socio-ecological systems (SES). Nevertheless, despite the increasing acknowledgment about the need for such systemic approaches, their application in real SES are less frequent than desirable. Among the difficulties behind this, the need for a new conceptual perspective concerning the relationships between science and the management of real SES, as well as the lack of tools to manage the inherent complexity of such systems should be emphasized.

COVID-19 in transplant recipients: The Spanish experience.

We report the nationwide experience with solid organ transplant (SOT) and hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Spain until 13 July 2020. We compiled information for 778 (423 kidney, 113 HSCT, 110 liver, 69 heart, 54 lung, 8 pancreas, 1 multivisceral) recipients. Median age at diagnosis was 61 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 52-70), and 66% were male.

Eya2 promotes cell cycle progression by regulating DNA damage response during vertebrate limb regeneration.

How salamanders accomplish progenitor cell proliferation while faithfully maintaining genomic integrity and regenerative potential remains elusive. Here we found an innate DNA damage response mechanism that is evident during blastema proliferation (early- to late-bud) and studied its role during tissue regeneration by ablating the function of one of its components, Eyes absent 2. In mutant axolotls, we found that DNA damage signaling through the H2AX histone variant was deregulated, especially within the proliferating progenitors during limb regeneration.

Porous Graphene-like Carbon from Fast Catalytic Decomposition of Biomass for Energy Storage Applications.

A novel carbon material made of porous graphene-like nanosheets was synthesized from biomass resources by a simple catalytic graphitization process using nickel as a catalyst for applications in electrodes for energy storage devices. A recycled fiberboard precursor was impregnated with saturated nickel nitrate followed by high-temperature pyrolysis. The highly exothermic combustion of in situ formed nitrocellulose produces the expansion of the cellulose fibers and the reorganization of the carbon structure into a three-dimensional (3D) porous assembly of thin carbon nanosheets.

Exploiting xylan as sugar donor for the synthesis of an antiproliferative xyloside using an enzyme cascade.

Background: Currently, industrial societies are seeking for green alternatives to conventional chemical synthesis. This demand has merged with the efforts to convert lignocellulosic biomass into value-added products. In this context, xylan, as one of main components of lignocellulose, has emerged as a raw material with high potential for advancing towards a sustainable economy.

Vegetable hierarchical structures as template for bone regeneration: New bio-ceramization process for the development of a bone scaffold applied to an experimental sheep model.

Long bone defects still represent a major clinical challenge in orthopedics, with the inherent loss of function considerably impairing the quality of life of the affected patients. Thus, the purpose of this study was to assess the safety and potential of bone regeneration offered by a load-bearing scaffold characterized by unique hierarchical architecture and high strength, with active surface facilitating new bone penetration and osseointegration in critical size bone defects. The results of this study showed the potential of bio-ceramization processes applied to vegetable hierarchical structures for the production of new wood-derived bone scaffolds, further improved by surface functionalization, with good biological and mechanical properties leading to successful treatment of critical size bone defects in the sheep model.

Bile-induced promoters for gene expression in Lactobacillus strains.

Bioengineering of probiotics allows the improvement of their beneficial characteristics. In this work, we develop a molecular tool that would allow the activation of desirable traits in probiotics once they reach the intestine. The activity of upstream regions of bile-inducible genes of Lactobacillus casei BL23 and Lactobacillus plantarum WCFS1 was analyzed using plasmids encoding an anaerobic fluorescent protein as reporter.

Nest sites as a key resource for population persistence: A case study modelling nest occupancy under forestry practices.

Natural nest sites are important breeding resource in terms of population dynamics, especially in forest systems where nest trees limit populations or timber harvesting destroys nests. Nest structures usually have a long life and can be reused by breeding pairs across multiple breeding seasons, so studying their dynamics is of relevance for biodiversity conservation. In this study, we develop a dynamic model to evaluate nest site availability and its influence on the breeding settlement of a forest raptor community composed of booted eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus), common buzzard (Buteo buteo) and northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) in a Mediterranean forest ecosystem in southeast Spain.

Iron-Catalyzed Graphitic Carbon Materials from Biomass Resources as Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Graphitized carbon materials from biomass resources were successfully synthesized with an iron catalyst, and their electrochemical performance as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) was investigated. Peak pyrolysis temperatures between 850 and 2000 °C were covered to study the effect of crystallinity and microstructural parameters on the anodic behavior, with a focus on the first-cycle Coulombic efficiency, reversible specific capacity, and rate performance. In terms of capacity, results at the highest temperatures are comparable to those of commercially used synthetic graphite derived from a petroleum coke precursor at higher temperatures, and up to twice as much as that of uncatalyzed biomass-derived carbons.

Identification of regenerative roadblocks via repeat deployment of limb regeneration in axolotls.

Axolotl salamanders are powerful models for understanding how regeneration of complex body parts can be achieved, whereas mammals are severely limited in this ability. Factors that promote normal axolotl regeneration can be examined in mammals to determine if they exhibit altered activity in this context. Furthermore, factors prohibiting axolotl regeneration can offer key insight into the mechanisms present in regeneration-incompetent species.

Estimating surface soil moisture from SMAP observations using a Neural Network technique.

A Neural Network (NN) algorithm was developed to estimate global surface soil moisture for April 2015 to March 2017 with a 2-3 day repeat frequency using passive microwave observations from the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite, surface soil temperatures from the NASA Goddard Earth Observing System Model version 5 (GEOS-5) land modeling system, and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer-based vegetation water content. The NN was trained on GEOS-5 soil moisture target data, making the NN estimates consistent with the GEOS-5 climatology, such that they may ultimately be assimilated into this model without further bias correction. Evaluated against in situ soil moisture measurements, the average unbiased root mean square error (ubRMSE), correlation and anomaly correlation of the NN retrievals were 0.

Development and Assessment of the SMAP Enhanced Passive Soil Moisture Product.

Launched in January 2015, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) observatory was designed to provide frequent global mapping of high-resolution soil moisture and freeze-thaw state every two to three days using a radar and a radiometer operating at L-band frequencies. Despite a hardware mishap that rendered the radar inoperable shortly after launch, the radiometer continues to operate nominally, returning more than two years of science data that have helped to improve existing hydrological applications and foster new ones. Beginning in late 2016 the SMAP project launched a suite of new data products with the objective of recovering some high-resolution observation capability loss resulting from the radar malfunction.

Segmental intestinal necrosis in a young patient.

Segmental ischemic colitis is an uncommon disease in young patients, being usually associated to drug abuse, infectious or autoimmune diseases. We present a case that, in spite of a complete diagnostic study, had repeatedly two attacks of intestinal necrosis during his admission.

Relationship between hyperspectral indices, agronomic parameters and phenolic composition of Vitis vinifera cv Tempranillo grapes.

Background: The phenolic composition of grapes is key when making decisions about harvest date and ensuring the quality of grapes. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between the detailed phenolic composition of grapes and the agronomic parameters and hyperspectral indices, with the latter being measured via field radiometry techniques.

Results: Good correlations were found between phenolic composition (both anthocyanin and flavanol composition) and some hyperspectral indices related to vigor, such as the NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index) and the SAVI (soil adjusted vegetation index).

Changes in muscle architecture of biceps femoris induced by eccentric strength training with nordic hamstring exercise.

Eccentric strength training alters muscle architecture, but it is also an important factor for the prevention of hamstring injuries. The purpose was to determine the architectural adaptations of the biceps femoris long head (BFlh) after eccentric strength training with nordic hamstring exercise (NHE), followed by a subsequent detraining period. The participants in this intervention (n=23) completed a period of 13 weeks consisting of a first week of control and prior training, followed by 8 weeks of eccentric strength training with NHE, and concluding with a 4-week period of detraining.

Manganese Dioxide Supported on Porous Biomorphic Carbons as Hybrid Materials for Energy Storage Devices.

A facile and low-cost method has been employed to fabricate MnO/C hybrid materials for use as binder-free electrodes for supercapacitor applications. Biocarbon monoliths were obtained through pyrolysis of beech wood, replicating the microstructure of the cellulosic precursor, and serve as 3D porous and conductive scaffolds for the direct growth of MnO nanosheets by a solution method. Evaluation of the experimental results indicates that a homogeneous and uniform composite material made of a carbon matrix exhibiting ordered hierarchical porosity and MnO nanosheets with a layered nanocrystalline structure is obtained.