Role of major cardiovascular surgery-induced metabolic reprogramming in acute kidney injury in critical care.

Purpose: Major cardiovascular surgery imposes high physiologic stress, often causing severe organ dysfunction and poor outcomes. The underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study investigated metabolic changes induced by major cardiovascular surgery and the potential role of identified metabolic signatures in postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI).

Species-Specific Traits Shape Genetic Diversity During an Expansion-Contraction Cycle and Bias Demographic History Reconstruction.

Species ranges are dynamic, experiencing expansions, contractions or shifts in response to habitat changes driven by extrinsic factors such as climate change or human activities. While existing research examines the genetic consequences of spatial processes, few studies integrate species-specific traits to analyse how habitat changes affect co-existing species. In this study, we address this gap by investigating how genetic diversity patterns vary among species with different traits (such as generation length, population density and dispersal) experiencing similar habitat changes.

The rare DRB1*04:08-DQ8 haplotype is the main HLA class II genetic driver and discriminative factor of Early-onset Type 1 diabetes in the Portuguese population.

Introduction: Early-onset Type 1 diabetes (EOT1D) is considered a disease subtype with distinctive immunological and clinical features. While both Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) and non-HLA variants contribute to age at T1D diagnosis, detailed analyses of EOT1D-specific genetic determinants are still lacking. This study scrutinized the involvement of the HLA class II locus in EOT1D genetic control.

Targeting circulating labile heme as a defense strategy against malaria.

Severe presentations of malaria emerge as parasites invade and lyse red blood cells (RBC), producing extracellular hemoglobin (HB), from which labile heme is released. Here, we tested whether scavenging of extracellular HB and/or labile heme, by haptoglobin (HP) and/or hemopexin (HPX), respectively, counter the pathogenesis of severe presentations of malaria. We found that circulating labile heme is an independent risk factor for cerebral and non-cerebral presentations of severe malaria in children.

Renal control of life-threatening malarial anemia.

Iron recycling prevents the development of anemia under homeostatic conditions. Whether iron recycling was co-opted as a defense strategy to prevent the development of anemia in response to infection is unclear. We find that in severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria, the onset of life-threatening anemia is associated with acute kidney injury (AKI), irrespective of parasite load.

Artificial intelligence-based computer-aided system for knee osteoarthritis assessment increases experienced orthopaedic surgeons' agreement rate and accuracy.

Purpose: The aims of this study were to (1) analyze the impact of an artificial intelligence (AI)-based computer system on the accuracy and agreement rate of board-certified orthopaedic surgeons (= senior readers) to detect X-ray features indicative of knee OA in comparison to unaided assessment and (2) compare the results to those of senior residents (= junior readers).

Methods: One hundred and twenty-four unilateral knee X-rays from the OAI study were analyzed regarding Kellgren-Lawrence grade, joint space narrowing (JSN), sclerosis and osteophyte OARSI grade by computerized methods. Images were rated for these parameters by three senior readers using two modalities: plain X-ray (unaided) and X-ray presented alongside reports from a computer-assisted detection system (aided).

Role of Omega-6 Fatty Acid Metabolism in Cardiac Surgery Postoperative Bleeding Risk.

Unlabelled: Cardiac surgery is frequently associated with significant postoperative bleeding. Platelet-dysfunction is the main cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB)-induced hemostatic defect. Not only the number of platelets decreases, but also the remaining are functionally impaired.

A hypometabolic defense strategy against malaria.

Hypoglycemia is a clinical hallmark of severe malaria, the often-lethal outcome of Plasmodium falciparum infection. Here, we report that malaria-associated hypoglycemia emerges from a non-canonical resistance mechanism, whereby the infected host reduces glycemia to starve Plasmodium. This hypometabolic response is elicited by labile heme, a byproduct of hemolysis that induces illness-induced anorexia and represses hepatic glucose production.

Phenotypic architecture of sociality and its associated genetic polymorphisms in zebrafish.

Sociality relies on motivational and cognitive components that may have evolved independently, or may have been linked by phenotypic correlations driven by a shared selective pressure for increased social competence. Furthermore, these components may be domain-specific or of general-domain across social and non-social contexts. Here, we used zebrafish to test if the motivational and cognitive components of social behavior are phenotypically linked and if they are domain specific or of general domain.

Sequential Organ Failure Assessment Score in the ICU As a Predictor of Long-Term Survival After Cardiac Surgery.

Objectives: The Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score is a predictor of mortality in ICU patients. Although it is widely used and has been validated as a reliable and independent predictor of mortality and morbidity in cardiac ICU, few studies correlate early postoperative SOFA with long-term survival.

Design: Retrospective observational cohort study.

Fiber Optic Load Cells with Enhanced Sensitivity by Optical Vernier Effect.

Developing technologies capable of constantly assessing and optimizing day-to-day activities has been a research priority for several years. A key factor in such technologies is the use of highly sensitive sensors to monitor in real-time numerous parameters, such as temperature and load. Due to their unique features, optical fiber sensors became one of the most interesting and viable solutions for applications dependent on those parameters.

The 3D architecture and molecular foundations of de novo centriole assembly via bicentrioles.

Centrioles are structurally conserved organelles, composing both centrosomes and cilia. In animal cycling cells, centrioles often form through a highly characterized process termed canonical duplication. However, a large diversity of eukaryotes assemble centrioles de novo through uncharacterized pathways.

Local genetic context shapes the function of a gene regulatory network.

Gene expression levels are influenced by multiple coexisting molecular mechanisms. Some of these interactions such as those of transcription factors and promoters have been studied extensively. However, predicting phenotypes of gene regulatory networks (GRNs) remains a major challenge.

Performance Analysis of Scattering-Level Multiplexing (SLMux) in Distributed Fiber-Optic Backscatter Reflectometry Physical Sensors.

Optical backscatter reflectometry (OBR) is a method for the interrogation of Rayleigh scattering occurring in each section of an optical fiber, resulting in a single-fiber-distributed sensor with sub-millimeter spatial resolution. The use of high-scattering fibers, doped with MgO-based nanoparticles in the core section, provides a scattering increase which can overcome 40 dB. Using a configuration-labeled Scattering-Level Multiplexing (SLMux), we can arrange a network of high-scattering fibers to perform a simultaneous scan of multiple fiber sections, therefore extending the OBR method from a single fiber to multiple fibers.

Embedded Fiber Sensors to Monitor Temperature and Strain of Polymeric Parts Fabricated by Additive Manufacturing and Reinforced with NiTi Wires.

This paper focuses on three main issues regarding Material Extrusion (MEX) Additive Manufacturing (AM) of thermoplastic composites reinforced by pre-functionalized continuous Nickel-Titanium (NiTi) wires: (i) Evaluation of the effect of the MEX process on the properties of the pre-functionalized NiTi, (ii) evaluation of the mechanical and thermal behavior of the composite material during usage, (iii) the inspection of the parts by Non-Destructive Testing (NDT). For this purpose, an optical fiber sensing network, based on fiber Bragg grating and a cascaded optical fiber sensor, was successfully embedded during the 3D printing of a polylactic acid (PLA) matrix reinforced by NiTi wires. Thermal and mechanical perturbations were successfully registered as a consequence of thermal and mechanical stimuli.

Wheelchair Pressure Ulcer Prevention Using FBG Based Sensing Devices.

In this work, a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) based sensing system for wheelchair pressure ulcer prevention was developed. Six FBGs were strategically positioned in a wheelchair to monitor the more prominent bone areas, namely scapulas (right (SR) and left (SL)), ischiatic zone (right (IR) and left (IL)), and heels (right (HR) and left (HL)). The sensing architecture was tested by a female user during pressure relief exercises, to verify its effectiveness on pressure monitoring.

Inscription of Bragg gratings in undoped PMMA mPOF with Nd:YAG laser at 266 nm wavelength.

We present the first Bragg gratings fabricated in two, three and five rings undoped PMMA microstructured polymer optical fibres (mPOFs) with relative low cost 266 nm Nd:YAG laser in the 850 nm region. The fibers were connectorised with commercial ferrules for easy coupling with silica patch cables. Temperature, humidity and strain sensitivities are measured and also the impact of ring structure and the diameter of POF on the characterization measurements are studied for potential applications.

Automated Knee Osteoarthritis Assessment Increases Physicians' Agreement Rate and Accuracy: Data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative.

. To assess the impact of a computerized system on physicians' accuracy and agreement rate, as compared with unaided diagnosis. .

Highly sensitive fiber optic temperature and strain sensor based on an intrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometer fabricated by a femtosecond laser.

In this Letter, we report on a simple, but highly sensitive sensor based on two intrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometers (FPIs) inscribed in a standard single-mode optical fiber. A brief theoretical study on the Vernier effect is presented, in which a simulation of the sensitivity magnification factor dependence on the FPI's length is performed. Based on the simulation results, the FPIs were fabricated using a custom micromachining setup that integrates a near-infrared femtosecond laser and a motorized XYZ platform.

Strain, temperature, moisture, and transverse force sensing using fused polymer optical fibers.

This paper presents the characterization of polymer optical fibers (POFs) submitted to the catastrophic fuse effect towards intensity-variation-based sensing of strain, transverse force, temperature, and moisture. In the experiments, POFs with and without the fuse effect are tested and the results are compared with respect to the sensitivity, linearity, and root mean squared error (RMSE). The fused POFs have higher linearity and lower RMSE than non-fused POFs in strain and transverse force sensing.

How to Escape Local Optima in Black Box Optimisation: When Non-elitism Outperforms Elitism.

Escaping local optima is one of the major obstacles to function optimisation. Using the metaphor of a fitness landscape, local optima correspond to hills separated by fitness valleys that have to be overcome. We define a class of fitness valleys of tunable difficulty by considering their , representing the Hamming path between the two optima and their , the drop in fitness.

Stress-induced mutagenesis: Stress diversity facilitates the persistence of mutator genes.

Mutator strains are expected to evolve when the availability and effect of beneficial mutations are high enough to counteract the disadvantage from deleterious mutations that will inevitably accumulate. As the population becomes more adapted to its environment, both availability and effect of beneficial mutations necessarily decrease and mutation rates are predicted to decrease. It has been shown that certain molecular mechanisms can lead to increased mutation rates when the organism finds itself in a stressful environment.

On the mechanistic nature of epistasis in a canonical -regulatory element.

Understanding the relation between genotype and phenotype remains a major challenge. The difficulty of predicting individual mutation effects, and particularly the interactions between them, has prevented the development of a comprehensive theory that links genotypic changes to their phenotypic effects. We show that a general thermodynamic framework for gene regulation, based on a biophysical understanding of protein-DNA binding, accurately predicts the sign of epistasis in a canonical -regulatory element consisting of overlapping RNA polymerase and repressor binding sites.