Validation of a hand-held ultrasound device in the evaluation of aortic stenosis.

Hand-held ultrasound devices (HHUD) are increasingly used in routine clinical practice, though they lacked continuous (CW) Doppler capability until recent times. There is limited evidence on the utility of HHUD in assessing aortic stenosis (AS) in real-world settings. Our goal was to validate a new HHUD with CW Doppler assessing AS hemodynamic severity.

Efficacy of modified natural cycle vs. hormone replacement therapy in oocyte donation for recipients of advanced maternal age: a retrospective study.

Purpose: To compare the efficacy of modified natural cycle (mNC) preparation versus hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for endometrial preparation in recipients of donated oocytes, specifically focusing on pregnancy rates in women of advanced maternal age.

Methods: Retrospective multicenter analysis conducted between 2021 and 2024. It includes 220 cycles of fresh single blastocyst transfers resulting from oocyte donation.

Safety of Fezolinetant for Treatment of Moderate to Severe Vasomotor Symptoms Due to Menopause: Pooled Analysis of Three Randomized Phase 3 Studies.

Introduction: This study evaluated the safety and tolerability of fezolinetant in women with vasomotor symptoms (VMS) due to menopause in a pooled analysis of data from three 52-week phase 3 studies (SKYLIGHT 1, 2, and 4).

Methods: SKYLIGHT 1 and 2 were double-blind, placebo-controlled studies where women (≥ 40 to ≤ 65 years), with moderate to severe VMS (minimum average ≥ 7 hot flashes/day) were randomized to once-daily placebo, fezolinetant 30 mg or 45 mg. After 12 weeks, those on placebo were re-randomized to fezolinetant 30 mg or 45 mg, while those on fezolinetant continued on their assigned dose for 40 weeks.

Microbial Electrochemical Technologies: Sustainable Solutions for Addressing Environmental Challenges.

Addressing global challenges of waste management demands innovative approaches to turn biowaste into valuable resources. This chapter explores the potential of microbial electrochemical technologies (METs) as an alternative opportunity for biowaste valorisation and resource recovery due to their potential to address limitations associated with traditional methods. METs leverage microbial-driven oxidation and reduction reactions, enabling the conversion of different feedstocks into energy or value-added products.

What Should We Teach to Promote Bee Conservation Awareness? Insights from the Perception of Brazilian Middle School Students.

Pollination service is a global issue with significant impacts on ecosystem maintenance and food production. The decline of bees has highlighted the importance of public awareness and conservation policies to ensure food security and the sustainable use of such services. In this study, we investigated the awareness about bee diversity and pollination services among young students in a medium-sized city in the Cerrado region, the main agricultural frontier in Central Brazil.

Prostate cancer MRI methodological radiomics score: a EuSoMII radiomics auditing group initiative.

Objectives: To evaluate the quality of radiomics research in prostate MRI for the evaluation of prostate cancer (PCa) through the assessment of METhodological RadiomICs (METRICS) score, a new scoring tool recently introduced with the goal of fostering further improvement in radiomics and machine learning methodology.

Materials And Methods: A literature search was conducted from July 1st, 2019, to November 30th, 2023, to identify original investigations assessing MRI-based radiomics in the setting of PCa. Seven readers with varying expertise underwent a quality assessment using METRICS.

Adaptive dynamics of dairy goats in a temperate region.

Physiological and hematological traits and productive performance of Spanish Majorera and Palmera goats reared on the Island of Tenerife-Spain were assessed. 50 adult, clinically healthy, multiparous female goats were studied for 18 months. The data were analyzed in a two (breeds) x four (season) factorial scheme.

Engineering and Bio/Nanotechnological Applications of Virus Particles.

Virus particles (VPs) are naturally evolved nanomachines. Their outstanding molecular structures, physical and chemical properties, and biological activities make them potentially useful for many biomedical or technological applications. Natural VPs such as virions or capsids must, however, be modified by genetic and/or chemical engineering in order to become adequate for many specific uses.

Design of Novel Vaccines Based on Virus-Like Particles.

Virus-like particles (VLPs) are formed by viral proteins that, when overexpressed, spontaneously self-assemble into particles that structurally are similar to infectious virus or subviral particles (e.g. the viral capsid).

Antiviral Agents: Structural Basis of Action and Rational Design.

During the last forty years, significant progress has been made in the development of novel antiviral drugs, mainly crystallizing in the establishment of potent antiretroviral therapies and the approval of drugs eradicating hepatitis C virus infection. Although major targets of antiviral intervention involve intracellular processes required for the synthesis of viral proteins and nucleic acids, a number of inhibitors blocking virus assembly, budding, maturation, entry, or uncoating act on virions or viral capsids. In this review, we focus on the drug discovery process while presenting the currently used methodologies to identify novel antiviral drugs by means of computer-based approaches.

Theoretical Studies on Assembly, Physical Stability, and Dynamics of Viruses.

All matter must obey the general laws of physics and living matter is not an exception. Viruses have not only learnt how to cope with them but have managed to use them for their own survival. In this chapter, we will review some of the exciting physics that are behind viruses and discuss simple physical models that can shed some light on different aspects of the viral life cycle and viral properties.

Mechanical Properties of Viruses.

Structural biology techniques have greatly contributed to unveiling the interplay between molecular structure, physico-chemical properties, and biological function of viruses. In recent years, classic structural approaches are being complemented by single-molecule techniques such as atomic force microscopy and optical tweezers to study physical features of viral particles that are not accessible to classic structural techniques. Among these features are mechanical properties such as stiffness, intrinsic elasticity, tensile strength, and material fatigue.

Bacteriophage Receptor Recognition and Nucleic Acid Transfer.

Correct host cell recognition is important in the replication cycle for any virus, including bacterial viruses. This essential step should occur before the bacteriophage commits to transferring its genomic material into the target bacterium. In this chapter, we will discuss the mechanisms and proteins bacteriophages use for receptor recognition (just before full commitment to infection) and nucleic acid injection, which occurs just after commitment.

Entry of Enveloped Viruses into Host Cells: Membrane Fusion.

Viruses are intracellular parasites that hijack the cellular machinery for their own replication. Therefore, an obligatory step in the virus life cycle is the delivery of the viral genome inside the cell. Enveloped viruses (i.

Virus-Receptor Interactions and Receptor-Mediated Virus Entry into Host Cells.

The virus particles described in the previous chapters of this book are vehicles that transmit the viral genome and the infection from cell to cell. To initiate the infective cycle, the viral genome must therefore translocate from the viral particle to the cell cytoplasm. Via distinct proteins or motifs in their outermost shell, the particles of animal viruses or bacteriophages attach initially to specific receptors on the host cell surface.

Maturation of Viruses.

Viral genomes are transported between cells using various structural solutions such as spherical or filamentous protein cages, alone or in combination with lipid envelopes, in assemblies of varying complexity. Morphogenesis of the new infectious particles (virions) encompasses capsid assembly from individual components (proteins, and membranes when required), genome packaging, and maturation. This final step is crucial for full infectivity.

Nucleic Acid Packaging in Viruses.

Viruses shield their genetic information by enclosing the viral nucleic acid inside a protein shell (capsid), in a process known as genome packaging. Viruses follow essentially two main strategies to package their genome: Either they co-assemble their genetic material together with the capsid protein or an empty shell (procapsid) is first assembled and then the genome is pumped inside the capsid by a molecular motor that uses the energy released by ATP hydrolysis. During packaging the viral nucleic acid is highly condensed through a meticulous arrangement in concentric layers inside the capsid.

Architecture and Assembly of Structurally Complex Viruses.

Viral particles consist essentially of a proteinaceous capsid that protects the genome and is also involved in many functions during the virus life cycle. In structurally simple viruses, the capsid consists of a number of copies of the same, or a few different proteins organized into a symmetric oligomer. Structurally complex viruses present a larger variety of components in their capsids than simple viruses.

Assembly of Structurally Simple Icosahedral Viruses.

Icosahedral viruses exhibit elegant pathways of capsid assembly and maturation regulated by symmetry principles. Assembly is a dynamic process driven by consecutive and genetically programmed morphogenetic interactions between protein subunits. The non-symmetric capsid subunits are gathered by non-covalent contacts and interactions in assembly intermediates, which serve as blocks to build a symmetric capsid.

Optical Tweezers to Study Viruses.

A virus is a complex molecular machine that propagates by channeling its genetic information from cell to cell. Unlike macroscopic engines, it operates in a nanoscopic world under continuous thermal agitation. Viruses have developed efficient passive and active strategies to pack and release nucleic acids.

Atomic Force Microscopy of Viruses.

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) makes it possible to obtain images at nanometric resolution, and to accomplish the manipulation and physical characterization of specimens, including the determination of their mechanical and electrostatic properties. AFM has an ample range of applications, from materials science to biology. The specimen, supported on a solid surface, can be imaged and manipulated while working in air, ultra-high vacuum or, most importantly for virus studies, in liquid.

3D Cryo-Correlative Methods to Study Virus Structure and Dynamics Within Cells.

Understanding the dynamic processes involving virus structural components within host cells is crucial for comprehending viral infection, as viruses rely entirely on host cells for replication. Viral infection involves various intracellular stages, including cell entry, genome uncoating, replication, transcription and translation, assembly of new virus particles in a complex morphogenetic process, and the release of new virions from the host cell. These events are dynamic and scarce and can be obscured by other cellular processes, necessitating novel approaches for their in situ characterization.

Integrative Approaches to Study Virus Structures.

A virus particle must work as a strongroom to protect its genome, but at the same time it must undergo dramatic conformational changes to infect the cell in order to replicate and assemble progeny. Thus, viruses are miniaturized wonders whose structural complexity requires investigation by a combination of different techniques that can tackle both static and dynamic processes. In this chapter, we will illustrate how major structural techniques such as X-ray crystallography and electron microscopy can be combined with other techniques to determine the structure of complex viruses.