Novo gênero para Loncheres grandis Wagner, 1845, com comentários taxonômicos sobre outros equimídeos arborícolas (Rodentia, Echimyidae)

A study of arboreal echimyids in Brazilian and European collections revealed a number of morphological traits supporting the recognition of Loncheres grandis Wagner, 1845, currently included in Makalata Husson, 1978, as a full genus. Our proposition of a new genus for L. grandis changed the species content of Makalata, what led us to reformulate the generic diagnosis for this genus and other arboreal echimyids as well. The new genus can be distinguished by several external characters including its color pattern, striking differences in tail pilosity, and palmar and plantar pad morphology. Osteological distinguishing traits includes the shape of nasals, the structure of the postorbital process of the zygomatic arch, petrosal morphology, the presence of a posterior maxillary foramen, the crown pattern of molariform teeth, and baculum morphology.O estudo de equimídeos arbóreos em coleções brasileiras e européias revelou diversas características morfológicas sustentando o reconhecimento de Loncheres grandis Wagner, 1845, atualmente incluído em Makalata Husson, 1978, como um gênero válido. Nossa proposta de um novo gênero para L. grandis alterou o conteúdo específico de Makalata, o que nos levou a reformular a diagnose genérica para este gênero, assim como para outros equimídeos arbóreos. O novo gênero pode ser distinguido através de várias características externas tais como seu padrão de coloração, uma notável distinção da pilosidade caudal e a morfologia das almofadas das patas anteriores e posteriores. Características osteológicas distintivas incluem a forma dos nasais, a estrutura do processo pós-orbital do arco zigomático, a morfologia do petroso, a presença de um foramen maxilar posterior, a morfologia da coroa dos dentes molariformes e a forma do báculo

Mathematical model for preoperative identification of obstructed nasal subsites

The planning of experimental studies for evaluation of nasal airflow is particularly challenging given the difficulty in obtaining objective measurements in vivo. Although standard rhinomanometry and acoustic rhinometry are the most widely used diagnostic tools for evaluation of nasal airflow, they provide only a global measurement of nasal dynamics, without temporal or spatial details. Furthermore, the numerical simulation of nasal airflow as computational fluid dynamics technology is not validated. Unfortunately, to date, there are no available diagnostic tools to objectively evaluate the geometry of the nasal cavities and to measure nasal resistance and the degree of nasal obstruction, which is of utmost importance for surgical planning. To overcame these limitations, we developed a mathematical model based on Bernoulli's equation, which allows clinicians to obtain, with the use of a particular direct digital manometry, pressure measurements over time to identify which nasal subsite is obstructed. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to identify two limiting curves, one below and one above an average representative curve, describing the time dependence of the gauge pressure inside a single nostril. These upper and lower curves enclosed an area into which the airflow pattern of healthy individuals falls. In our opinion, this model may be useful to study each nasal subsite and to objectively evaluate the geometry and resistances of the nasal cavities, particularly in preoperative planning and follow-up

Compact smallest eigenvalue expressions in Wishart-Laguerre ensembles with or without fixed-trace

The degree of entanglement of random pure states in bipartite quantum systems can be estimated from the distribution of the extreme Schmidt eigenvalues. For a bipartition of size M\geq N, these are distributed according to a Wishart-Laguerre ensemble (WL) of random matrices of size N x M, with a fixed-trace constraint. We first compute the distribution and moments of the smallest eigenvalue in the fixed trace orthogonal WL ensemble for arbitrary M\geq N. Our method is based on a Laplace inversion of the recursive results for the corresponding orthogonal WL ensemble by Edelman. Explicit examples are given for fixed N and M, generalizing and simplifying earlier results. In the microscopic large-N limit with M-N fixed, the orthogonal and unitary WL distributions exhibit universality after a suitable rescaling and are therefore independent of the constraint. We prove that very recent results given in terms of hypergeometric functions of matrix argument are equivalent to more explicit expressions in terms of a Pfaffian or determinant of Bessel functions. While the latter were mostly known from the random matrix literature on the QCD Dirac operator spectrum, we also derive some new results in the orthogonal symmetry class.Comment: 25 pag., 4 fig - minor changes, typos fixed. To appear in JSTA

Relationship between distance run per week, omega-3 index, and arachidonic acid (AA)/eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) ratio: An Observational Retrospective Study in Non-elite Runners

Background: Tissue availability of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) depends on several factors, including dietary intake, physical exercise, genetic variation, and metabolic turnover. However, there is limited evidence whether running training activity per se may influence indices associated with PUFA metabolism such as Omega-3 (ω-3) index and arachidonic acid (AA; 20:4ω-6)/eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5ω-3) ratio. Objective: To examine the association between kilometers (Km) run per week and changes in ω-3 index and AA/EPA ratio. Methods: We conducted a retrospective, observational, cohort study of 257 non-elite runners (mean age: 40.85 ± 12.17 years) who consumed no fatty acid supplements and provided a blood sample for analysis. The whole blood samples were collected by finger sticks, stored on absorbent filter paper, and then PUFA were quantified by gas chromatography (GC) and ω-3 index and AA/EPA ratio measured. Results: In a multivariate linear regression model, a gradual decrease of the ω-3 index was observed with higher weekly running distance (β = −0.033; 95% CI −0.039 to −0.026; R2 = 0.447; p < 0.0001). We also found a progressive increase of the AA/EPA ratio in subjects who ran greater weekly distances (β = 0.092; 95% CI 0.038 to 0.146; R2 = 0.320; p = 0.001). No other significant associations were observed with other variables, including years of running training and weekly training frequency (hours/week). Finally, as expected, a significant inverse correlation between ω-3 index and AA/EPA ratio (β = −2.614; 95% CI −3.407 to −1.821; R2 = 0.336; p < 0.0001) was detected. Conclusions: These findings suggest that distance running training and its weekly volume may negatively contribute to changes of the ω-3 index and AA/EPA ratio. Further studies with greater sample size will be required to replicate and extend these data

Uterine carcinosarcoma vs endometrial serous and clear cell carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis of survival

Background: It is unclear whether uterine carcinosarcoma (UCS) is more aggressive than endometrial serous carcinoma (SC) and clear cell carcinoma (CCC). Objectives: To compare the prognosis of UCS to that of endometrial SC and CCC, through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: Four electronic databases were searched from January 2000 to October 2020. All studies assessing hazard ratio (HR) for death in UCS vs SC and/or CCC. HRs for death with 95% confidence interval were extracted and pooled by using a random-effect model. A significant P-value <0.05 was adopted. Results: Six studies with 11 029 patients (4995 with UCS, 4634 with SC, 1346 with CCC and 54 with either SC or CCC) were included. UCS showed a significantly worse prognosis than SC/CCC both overall (HR = 1.51; P = 0.008) and at early stage (HR = 1.58; P < 0.001). Similar results were found for UCS vs SC (HR = 1.53; P < 0.001) and UCS vs CCC (HR = 1.60; P < 0.001). Conclusions: Compared to SC and CCC, UCS has a significantly worse prognosis, with a 1.5–1.6-fold increased risk of death. This might justify a more aggressive treatment for UCS compared to SC and CCC. Further studies are necessary to define the prognostic impact of different molecular subgroups

Hepatitis E virus sequences in swine related to sequences in humans, The Netherlands.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV), a major cause of viral hepatitis in much of the developing world, has recently been detected in swine in North America and Asia, raising concern about potential for zoonotic transmission. To investigate if HEV is commonly present in swine in the Netherlands, pooled stool samples from 115 swine farms and nine individual pigs with diarrhea were assayed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) amplification. HEV RNA was detected by RT-PCR and hybridization in 25 (22%) of the pooled specimens, but in none of the individual samples. RT-PCR amplification products of open reading frames 1 and 2 were sequenced, and the results were compared with published sequences of HEV genotypes from humans and swine. HEV strains from swine in the Netherlands were clustered in at least two groups, together with European and American isolates from swine and humans. Our data show that HEV in swine in the Netherlands are genetically closely related to HEV isolates from humans. Although zoonotic transmission has not been proven, these findings suggest that swine may be reservoir hosts of HEV

Survey of the needs of patients with spinal cord injury: impact and priority for improvement in hand function in tetraplegics\ud

Objective: To investigate the impact of upper extremity deficit in subjects with tetraplegia.\ud \ud Setting: The United Kingdom and The Netherlands.\ud \ud Study design: Survey among the members of the Dutch and UK Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Associations.\ud \ud Main outcome parameter: Indication of expected improvement in quality of life (QOL) on a 5-point scale in relation to improvement in hand function and seven other SCI-related impairments.\ud \ud Results: In all, 565 subjects with tetraplegia returned the questionnaire (overall response of 42%). Results in the Dutch and the UK group were comparable. A total of 77% of the tetraplegics expected an important or very important improvement in QOL if their hand function improved. This is comparable to their expectations with regard to improvement in bladder and bowel function. All other items were scored lower.\ud \ud Conclusion: This is the first study in which the impact of upper extremity impairment has been assessed in a large sample of tetraplegic subjects and compared to other SCI-related impairments that have a major impact on the life of subjects with SCI. The present study indicates a high impact as well as a high priority for improvement in hand function in tetraplegics.\ud \u

Mathematical model for preoperative identification of obstructed nasal subsites

La realizzazione di studi sperimentali per la valutazione dei flussi aerei nasali è particolarmente indaginosa, data la difficoltà di ottenere in vivo unaccurata misurazione degli stessi. Inoltre, sebbene la rinomanometria standard e la rinometria acustica rappresentino i metodi più utilizzati nella pratica clinica, esse forniscono solo una misura globale ed approssimativa dei flussi aerei nasali, senza definirne i particolari temporali o spaziali. Allo stesso modo gli studi sulla fluidodinamica computazionale rappresentano solo una simulazione numerica, ben lontana da quelle che sono le variabili anatomiche e fisiologiche delle cavità nasali. Pertanto, ad oggi, non esistono ancora strumenti diagnostici in grado di misurare oggettivamente la geometria delle cavità nasali, le resistenze ed il grado di ostruzione nei diversi sotto-siti nasali, elemento questultimo fondamentale per una corretta programmazione chirurgica. Allo scopo di superare i limiti della diagnostica standard abbiamo elaborato un modello matematico basato sullequazione di Bernoulli applicata alle cavità nasali di soggetti sani per lo studio dei gradienti pressori di vari sotto-siti nasali, che sono stati misurati grazie ad un particolare manometro digitale. Il nostro studio, unico in letteratura, ha identificato due curve limite che racchiudono unarea rappresentativa entro cui cadono i livelli normali di flusso in corrispondenza del vestibolo nasale. Il modello descritto potrebbe essere utile per studiare tutti i sotto-siti nasali sede di ostruzione ai fini di una corretta programmazione chirurgica e di un valido follow-up postoperatorio