Evaluation of a Digital Home Weight Monitoring Program for Infants With Cleft Palate.

Objective: Evaluate the effectiveness of a digital home monitoring program for infants with cleft palate with or without cleft lip (CP ± L), compared to monitoring through in-person clinic visits.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: One metropolitan pediatric hospital.

Increased prevalence of kidney cysts in individuals carrying heterozygous COL4A3 or COL4A4 pathogenic variants.

Background: Clinical variability among individuals with heterozygous pathogenic/likely pathogenic (P/LP) variants in the COL4A3/COL4A4 genes (also called autosomal dominant Alport syndrome or COL4A3/COL4A4-related disorder) is huge; many individuals are asymptomatic or show microhematuria, while others may develop proteinuria and chronic kidney disease (CKD). The prevalence of simple kidney cysts (KC) in the general population varies according to age, and patients with advanced CKD are prone to have them. A possible association between heterozygous COL4A3, COL4A4 and COL4A5 P/LP variants and KC has been described in small cohorts.

Using Large Language Models to Enhance the Reusability of Sensor Data.

The Internet of Things generates vast data volumes via diverse sensors, yet its potential remains unexploited for innovative data-driven products and services. Limitations arise from sensor-dependent data handling by manufacturers and user companies, hindering third-party access and comprehension. Initiatives like the European Data Act aim to enable high-quality access to sensor-generated data by regulating accuracy, completeness, and relevance while respecting intellectual property rights.

Blockchain based transparent and reliable framework for wheat crop supply chain.

The wheat crop that fulfills 35% of human food demand is facing several problems due to a lack of transparency, security, reliability, and traceability in the existing agriculture supply chain. Many systems have been developed for the agriculture supply chain to overcome such issues, however, monopolistic centralized control is the biggest hurdle to realizing the use of such systems. It has eventually gained consumers' trust in branded products and rejected other products due to the lack of traceable supply chain information.

Impact of Harvest Time on the Dry Matter Content, and Nutritional Parameters Related to Forage Quality of Maralfalfa ( (Schumach.) Morrone, Poaceae) under Mediterranean Climate.

Maralfalfa ( (Schumach.) Morrone) is a productive fodder crop in tropical regions that has been evaluated for forage nutritional value in a Mediterranean climate. To assess the nutritional value, parameters including dry matter content (DM), ash, ether extract (EE), protein (CP), fiber contents (NDF and ADF), and the amino acids profile were determined at eight harvest times (HTs) in a non-fertilized and non-irrigated crop based in Silla (Valencia, Spain).

Microwave-Assisted Hydrothermal Processing of .

One possible scheme of biomass valorization based on a green, rapid and efficient fractionation technique was proposed. Microwave-assisted pressurized hot water extraction was the technology selected as the initial stage for the solubilization of different seaweed components. Operation at 180 °C for 10 min with a 30 liquid-to-solid ratio solubilized more than 40% of the initial material.

Controlled Donation After Circulatory Death Using Normothermic Regional Perfusion Does Not Increase Graft Fibrosis in the First Year Posttransplant Surveillance Biopsy.

Objectives: The number of kidney transplants obtained from controlled donations after circulatory death is increasing, with long-term outcomes similar to those obtained with donations after brain death. Extraction using normothermic regional perfusion can improve results with controlled donors after circulatory death; however, information on the histological impact and extraction procedure is scarce.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively investigated all kidney transplants performed from October 2014 to December 2019, in which a follow-up kidney biopsy had been performed at 1-year follow-up, comparing controlled procedures with donors after circulatory death and normothermic regional perfusion versus donors after brain death.

Consortium Framework Using Blockchain for Asthma Healthcare in Pandemics.

Asthma is a deadly disease that affects the lungs and air supply of the human body. Coronavirus and its variants also affect the airways of the lungs. Asthma patients approach hospitals mostly in a critical condition and require emergency treatment, which creates a burden on health institutions during pandemics.

White Blood Cell Classification Using Texture and RGB Features of Oversampled Microscopic Images.

White blood cell (WBC) type classification is a task of significant importance for diagnosis using microscopic images of WBC, which develop immunity to fight against infections and foreign substances. WBCs consist of different types, and abnormalities in a type of WBC may potentially represent a disease such as leukemia. Existing studies are limited by low accuracy and overrated performance, often caused by model overfit due to an imbalanced dataset.

Usefulness of open data to determine the incidence of COVID-19 and its relationship with atmospheric variables in Spain during the 2020 lockdown.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the spread of the COVID-19 disease led to a lockdown being imposed in Spain to minimise contagion from 16 March 2020 to 1 May 2020. Over this period, measures were taken to reduce population mobility (a key factor in disease transmission). The scenario thus created enabled us to examine the impact of factors other than mobility (in this case, meteorological conditions) on the incidence of the disease, and thus to identify which environmental variables played the biggest role in the pandemic's evolution.

Building Heating and Cooling Load Prediction Using Ensemble Machine Learning Model.

Building energy consumption prediction has become an important research problem within the context of sustainable homes and smart cities. Data-driven approaches have been regarded as the most suitable for integration into smart houses. With the wide deployment of IoT sensors, the data generated from these sensors can be used for modeling and forecasting energy consumption patterns.

Thyroid Disease Prediction Using Selective Features and Machine Learning Techniques.

Thyroid disease prediction has emerged as an important task recently. Despite existing approaches for its diagnosis, often the target is binary classification, the used datasets are small-sized and results are not validated either. Predominantly, existing approaches focus on model optimization and the feature engineering part is less investigated.

A CAD System for Alzheimer's Disease Classification Using Neuroimaging MRI 2D Slices.

Developments in medical care have inspired wide interest in the current decade, especially to their services to individuals living prolonged and healthier lives. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most chronic neurodegeneration and dementia-causing disorder. Economic expense of treating AD patients is expected to grow.

Combination treatment for superior mesenteric artery dissection: therapeutic challenge.

Dissection of the superior mesenteric artery is a rare cause of abdominal pain, with a variable clinical picture. It is difficult to diagnose and there is no consensus on treatment options, which range from conservative treatment to open, endovascular, or combination repair. We describe the case of a 45-year-old man with isolated dissection of the superior mesenteric artery and persistent abdominal pain after conservative treatment had been attempted.

Potential contribution of distant sources to airborne Betula pollen levels in Northeastern Iberian Peninsula.

Betula (birch) pollen is one of the most important causes of respiratory allergy in Northern and Central Europe. While birch trees are abundant in Central, Northern, and Eastern Europe, they are scarce in the Mediterranean territories, especially in the Iberian Peninsula (IP), where they grow only in the northern regions and as ornamental trees in urban areas. However, the airborne birch pollen patterns in Catalonia (Northeastern IP) show abrupt high concentrations in areas with usually low local influence.

Measurement of galactosyl-deficient IgA1 by the monoclonal antibody KM55 contributes to predicting patients with IgA nephropathy with high risk of long-term progression.

Background And Objective: About 25% of patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN) progress to stage 5 chronic kidney disease (CKD) after years of evolution. Various tools have been developed in recent years designed to predict which of the patients will had poorer outcomes. The value of circulating galactosyl-deficient IgA1 (Gd-IgA1) has been related to a worse evolution of IgAN in several studies.

Effect of different resistance-training protocols on the extracellular matrix of the calcaneal tendon of rats.

The calcaneal tendon extracellular matrix (ECM) is composed of collagen, non-collagenous glycoproteins and proteoglycans, and able to adapt to various biomechanical stimuli. The objective of this study was to analyze the response of different resistance-training protocols, such as hypertrophy, strength and resistance, on the organization of the calcaneal tendon after training. Wistar rats were divided into four groups: untrained (UT), resistance training (RT), hypertrophy training (HT), and strength training (ST).

Effect of a positive Sea Surface Temperature anomaly on a Mediterranean tornadic supercell.

Extreme events represent a topic of paramount importance and a challenge for modelling investigations. Due to the need of high-resolution models, the study of severe localized convective phenomena is even more critical, especially in relation to changes in forcing factors, such as sea surface temperatures (SSTs), in future climate scenarios. Here, we analyze the effect of changes in SSTs on the intensity of a tornadic supercell in the Mediterranean through modelling investigations.

The impact of obesity on neurodegenerative diseases.

Neurodegenerative diseases are a growing health concern. The increasing incidences of these disorders have a great impact on the patients' quality of life. Although the mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases are still far from being clarified, several studies look for new discoveries about their pathophysiology and prevention.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Presents Higher Sympathetic Cardiac Autonomic Modulation that is not altered by Strength Training.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) may present important comorbidities, such as cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, which are often preceded by changes in cardiac autonomic modulation. Different types of physical exercises are frequently indicated for the prevention and treatment of PCOS. However, little is known about the effects of strength training on the metabolic, hormonal, and cardiac autonomic parameters.

Are the Pyrenees a barrier for the transport of birch (Betula) pollen from Central Europe to the Iberian Peninsula?

This work provides a first assessment of the possible barrier effect of the Pyrenees on the atmospheric transport of airborne pollen from Europe to the North of the Iberian Peninsula. Aerobiological data recorded in three Spanish stations located at the eastern, central and western base of the Pyrenees in the period 2004-2014 have been used to identify the possible long range transport episodes of Betula pollen. The atmospheric transport routes and the origin regions have been established by means of trajectory analysis and a source receptor model.

Cardiac autonomic modulation is determined by gender and is independent of aerobic physical capacity in healthy subjects.

Background: Aerobic physical capacity plays an important role in reducing morbidity and mortality rates in subjects with cardiovascular diseases. This action is often related to an improvement in the autonomic modulation of heart rate variability (HRV). However, controversies remain regarding the effects of physical training on cardiac autonomic control in healthy subjects.

The influence of thermal discomfort on the attention index of teenagers: an experimental evaluation.

In order to measure the effect on the attention of teenagers of thermal discomfort due to high temperature and humidity, two experiments were conducted in two different indoor conditions of temperature and humidity in non-air-conditioned classrooms. The participants were a heterogeneous group of 117 teenagers, aged 12 to 18 years, and the experiments reproduced the actual conditions of teaching in a classroom in the Mediterranean climate. In order to measure the attention index, a standard Toulouse-Pieron psychological test was performed on the 117 teenagers in these two conditions, and the Predicted Mean Vote (PMV), the physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET), the Standard effective Temperature (SET*) and the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) indices were calculated to estimate the grade of discomfort using the RayMan Pro model.