Acetabular margin changes in feline hip joints-Implications for radiologic diagnosis and development of osteoarthritis

The development and early morphological features of feline hip osteoarthritis (OA) are largely unknown. Tears in the acetabular labrum and at the chondrolabral transition zone are suggested to be important in the pathogenesis of human hip OA, but in cats such lesions have not been described. We investigated associations between computed tomography (CT)-detected joint changes and microscopic articular cartilage lesions, the distribution of detected changes, and histologically evaluated the acetabular margin (AM) in hip joints from 20 cats. Histologic evaluation was undertaken on at least one joint from each cat. CT-detected joint changes and articular cartilage lesions were graded and the histological appearance of CT-detected osteophytes evaluated. The majority of CTdetected lesions and cartilage lesions were mild. Whole-joint CT scores and AM osteophyte CT scores showed moderate to strong correlation with cartilage scores. The odds were higher for presence of CT-detected osteophytes in craniodorsal, cranial, cranioventral, ventral and dorsal AM regions. Peripheral acetabular regions showed higher cartilage lesion grades than central regions. Tears, seen as fissures/clefts, in labral and perilabral tissues were common. CT-detected AM osteophytes morphologically presented as pointed sclerotic bone, spurshaped bone or rounded chondro-osteophytes. The results suggest that CT is a valuable tool for diagnosing early feline hip OA. CT-detected osteophytes showed variable histologic morphologies, which may implicate different disease mechanisms and/or disease stages. Tears in the AM could represent an early event in feline hip OA and this warrants further investigation

Falciform fat:femur length ratio provides a novel method for objective postmortem estimation of total body fat in overweight and obese cats

Determination of the nutritional condition, including estimation of amounts of total body fat (tBF), at routine postmortem examination of cats is typically based on subjective visual assessment. Subjective assessment may result in uncertainties regarding degree of overweight, and objective methods that provide a numerical value reflecting the tBF could be valuable to accurately judge excess body fat. We investigated if the falciform fat pad weight (FFPW) was correlated to tBF and could be used to detect overweight and obesity in cats. The FFPW and the femur length (FL) were recorded at postmortem examination in 54 cats and the FFPW:FL ratio (FFR) calculated. Each cat was additionally assigned to a fat category (FC) according to subjective assessment. Computed tomography was used to determine tBF as the body fat percentage (%BF), the body fat volume (BFV), and BFV normalized to animal size (nBFV) in 39 cats. There was strong correlation between the FFPW and the BFV (r = 0.888) and between the FFR and the nBFV (r = 0.897). The correlation between the nBFV and %BF was very strong (r = 0.974). Using a lower FFR cutoff value of 3.5 for obesity and 1.6 for overweight, there was a discrepancy in FC between using the FFR and subjective assessment in 6 of 54 cats (11%). We conclude that the FFPW increases proportionally with tBF and that the FFR provides a method for objective tBF estimation. We suggest introducing the FFR to feline postmortem examination protocols as an objective estimate of tBF

Quantitative interpretation of UWB radar images for non-invasive tissue temperature estimation during hyperthermia

The knowledge of temperature distribution inside the tissue to be treated is essential for patient safety, workflow and clinical outcomes of thermal therapies. Microwave imaging represents a promising approach for non-invasive tissue temperature monitoring during hyperthermia treatment. In the present paper, a methodology for quantitative non-invasive tissue temperature estimation based on ultra-wideband (UWB) radar imaging in the microwave frequency range is described. The capabilities of the proposed method are demonstrated by experiments with liquid phantoms and three-dimensional (3D) Delay-and-Sum beamforming algorithms. The results of our investigation show that the methodology can be applied for detection and estimation of the temperature induced dielectric properties change

Apego a guía de reanimación cardiopulmonar en paro cardíaco, en quirófano de un hospital de enseñanza

Introducción: Los programas de entrenamiento para reanimación cardiopulmonar han sido implementados en todo el mundo después del establecimiento de las guías internacionales. A pesar de ello, la supervivencia al paro cardiorrespiratorio en países desarrollados se estima en 18% en el ámbito intrahospitalario. Material y métodos: Se realizó un estudio observacional, transversal y analítico donde se evaluó el apego por parte de médicos residentes de Anestesiología y Cirugía General, a las guías de la AHA/ACC de reanimación cardiopulmonar avanzada en paro cardíaco ocurrido en el área de quirófano de 5º piso del Hospital Universitario “Dr. José Eleuterio González” con base a la lista de habilidades que sustenta dicha asociación. Resultados: 19 residentes; 16 de la especialidad de Anestesiología (84.2%) y 3 de la especialidad de Cirugía General (15.8%). La mayor parte de las reanimaciones se llevaron a cabo en el turno nocturno (52.6%). El cien por ciento de los pacientes fueron programados como procedimientos de urgencia. No se encontró que el turno durante el cual se presentaba el paro cardiorrespiratorio se asociara con mayor mortalidad. Conclusión: La supervivencia posterior a maniobras de reanimación cardiopulmonar en nuestra población fue del 52.6%. A pesar de no encontrar diferencia estadísticamente significativa, el 83.3% de los pacientes manejados por los médicos residentes con adiestramiento en ACLS tuvieron un desenlace exitoso contra 38.4% en el grupo de residentes con adiestramiento en BLS (P = 0.141)

Flower morphological differentiation and plant-pollinator interactions among sympatric Aframomum species (Zingiberaceae) with floral trumpet type in the tropical African rainforest

Background and aims – Diversification in plant-pollinator interactions based on floral diversity is potentially a mechanism of coexistence in angiosperms. However, besides high floral diversity, some genera seemingly exhibit the same floral type in many of their species. This contradicts some expectations of competitive exclusion. We thus tested on a finer flower morphological scale whether five sympatric Aframomum species (61 spp., Zingiberaceae) in southeastern Gabon exhibiting the same general floral type (trumpet) were differentiated, and whether this resulted in different “pollinator niches”.Material and methods – We carried out a detailed survey measuring 18 flower morphological parameters as well as nectar volume (μl) and sugar concentration (% Brix) on five flowers per species and locality. Furthermore, we observed inflorescence phenology and pollinator activity from 8 am to 4 pm for 12 to 50 hours per species and conducted pollinator exclusion experiments.Key results – This study proves fine-scale flower morphological and resource differentiation within the trumpet floral type. Pollination-relevant parts of the flowers, however, remain constant across species. Our pollinator observations reveal the same broad bee pollinator spectrum for all observed simultaneously flowering sympatric species.Conclusion – As we could not detect a pollinator-based differentiation in the studied sympatric Aframomum species we assume that species boundaries developed randomly by genetic drift during geographic isolation in the past. The trumpet floral type and its pollinator guild, however, were maintained due to similar selection pressures in comparable habitats during isolation and are potentially an advantage for increased pollinator attraction through co-flowering

Effective Connectivity of Thalamocortical Interactions Following d-Amphetamine, LSD, and MDMA Administration

BACKGROUND: While the exploration of serotonergic psychedelics as psychiatric medicines deepens, so does the pressure to better understand how these compounds act on the brain. METHODS: We used a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design and administered lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), and d-amphetamine in 25 healthy participants. By using spectral dynamic causal modeling, we mapped substance-induced changes in effective connectivity between the thalamus and different cortex types (unimodal vs. transmodal) derived from a previous study with resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data. Due to the distinct pharmacological modes of action of the 3 substances, we were able to investigate specific effects mainly driven by different neurotransmitter systems on thalamocortical and corticothalamic interactions. RESULTS: Compared with placebo, all 3 substances increased the effective connectivity from the thalamus to specific unimodal cortices, whereas the influence of these cortices on the thalamus was reduced. These results indicate increased bottom-up and decreased top-down information flow between the thalamus and some unimodal cortices. However, for the amphetamines, we found the opposite effects when examining the effective connectivity with transmodal cortices, including parts of the salience network. Intriguingly, LSD increased the effective connectivity from the thalamus to both unimodal and transmodal cortices, indicating a breach in the hierarchical organization of ongoing brain activity. CONCLUSIONS: The results advance our knowledge about the action of psychedelics on the brain and refine current models aiming to explain the underlying neurobiological processes

Total Psoas Muscle Area as a Marker for Sarcopenia Is Related to Outcome in Children With Neuroblastoma

Background: Sarcopenia describes a generalized loss of skeletal muscle mass, strength, or function. Determined by measuring the total psoas muscle area (tPMA) on cross-sectional imaging, sarcopenia is an independent marker for poor post-surgical outcomes in adults and children. Children with cancer are at high risk for sarcopenia due to immobility, chemotherapy, and cachexia. We hypothesize that sarcopenic children with neuroblastoma are at higher risk for poor post-operative outcomes. Patients and Methods: Retrospective analysis of children with neuroblastoma ages 1–15 years who were treated at our hospital from 2008 to 2016 with follow-up through March 2021. Psoas muscle area (PMA) was measured from cross-sectional images, using computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans at lumbar disc levels L3-4 and L4-5. tPMA is the sum of the left and right PMA. Z-scores were calculated using age- and gender-specific reference values. Sarcopenia was defined as a tPMA z-score below −2. A correlation of tPMA z-scores and sarcopenia with clinical variables and outcome was performed. Results: One hundred and sixty-four children with workup for neuroblastoma were identified, and 101 children fulfilled inclusion criteria for further analysis, with a mean age of 3.92 years (SD 2.71 years). Mean tPMA z-score at L4-5 was −2.37 (SD 1.02). Correlation of tPMA z-score at L4-5 with weight-for-age z-score was moderate (r = 0.54; 95% CI, 0.38, 0.66). No association between sarcopenia and short-term outcome was observed. Sarcopenia had a sensitivity of 0.82 (95% CI, 0.62–0.93) and a specificity of 0.48 (95% CI 0.36–0.61) in predicting 5-year survival. In a multiple regression analysis, pre-operative sarcopenia, pre-operative chemotherapy in the NB2004 high-risk group, unfavorable tumor histology, and age at diagnosis were associated with 5-year survival after surgery, with hazard ratios of 4.18 (95% CI 1.01–17.26), 2.46 (95% CI 1.02–5.92), 2.39 (95% CI 1.03–5.54), and 1.01 (95% CI 1.00–1.03), respectively. Conclusion: In this study, the majority of children had low tPMA z-scores and sarcopenia was a risk factor for decreased 5-year survival in children with neuroblastoma. Therefore, we suggest measuring the tPMA from pre-surgical cross-sectional imaging as a biomarker for additional risk stratification in children with neuroblastoma

Parallel-plate Flow Chamber and Continuous Flow Circuit to Evaluate Endothelial Progenitor Cells under Laminar Flow Shear Stress

The overall goal of this method is to describe a technique to subject adherent cells to laminar flow conditions and evaluate their response to well quantifiable fluid shear stresses1. Our flow chamber design and flow circuit (Fig. 1) contains a transparent viewing region that enables testing of cell adhesion and imaging of cell morphology immediately before flow (Fig. 11A, B), at various time points during flow (Fig. 11C), and after flow (Fig. 11D). These experiments are illustrated with human umbilical cord blood-derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and porcine EPCs2,3. This method is also applicable to other adherent cell types, e.g. smooth muscle cells (SMCs) or fibroblasts. The chamber and all parts of the circuit are easily sterilized with steam autoclaving In contrast to other chambers, e.g. microfluidic chambers, large numbers of cells (> 1 million depending on cell size) can be recovered after the flow experiment under sterile conditions for cell culture or other experiments, e.g. DNA or RNA extraction, or immunohistochemistry (Fig. 11E), or scanning electron microscopy5. The shear stress can be adjusted by varying the flow rate of the perfusate, the fluid viscosity, or the channel height and width. The latter can reduce fluid volume or cell needs while ensuring that one-dimensional flow is maintained. It is not necessary to measure chamber height between experiments, since the chamber height does not depend on the use of gaskets, which greatly increases the ease of multiple experiments. Furthermore, the circuit design easily enables the collection of perfusate samples for analysis and/or quantification of metabolites secreted by cells under fluid shear stress exposure, e.g. nitric oxide (Fig. 12)6

Randomized Control Trial of Postnatal rhIGF-1/rhIGFBP-3 Replacement in Preterm Infants: Post-hoc Analysis of Its Effect on Brain Injury.

Background: Postnatal insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) replacement with recombinant human (rh)IGF-1 and IGF binding protein-3 (rhIGF-1/rhIGFBP-3) is being studied as a potential treatment to reduce comorbidities of prematurity. We have recently reported on a phase II, multicenter, randomized, controlled trial comparing postnatal rhIGF-1/rhIGFBP-3 replacement with standard of care (SOC) in extremely preterm infants (NCT01096784). Maximum severity of retinopathy of prematurity was the primary endpoint of the trial and presence of GMH-IVH/PHI one of the pre-specified secondary endpoints. Infants therefore received serial cranial ultrasound scans (CUS) between birth and term age. In this post-hoc analysis we present a detailed analysis of the CUS data of this trial and evaluate the effect of postnatal rhIGF-1/rhIGFBP-3 replacement on the incidence of different kinds of brain injury in extremely preterm infants. Methods: This report is an exploratory post-hoc analysis of a phase II trial in which infants <28 weeks gestational age were randomly allocated to rhIGF-1/rhIGFBP-3 or SOC. Serial cranial ultrasounds were performed between birth and term-equivalent age. Presence of germinal matrix hemorrhage and intraventricular hemorrhage (GMH-IVH), periventricular hemorrhagic infarction (PHI), post-hemorrhagic ventricular dilatation, and white matter injury (WMI) were scored by two independent masked readers. Results: The analysis included 117 infants; 58 received rhIGF-1/rhIGFBP-3 and 59 received SOC. A trend toward less grade II-III GMH-IVH and PHI was observed in treated infants vs. SOC. A subanalysis of infants without evidence of GMH-IVH at study entry (n = 104) showed reduced progression to GMH-IVH in treated infants (25.0% [13/52] vs. 40.4% [21/52]; not significant). No effects of rhIGF-1/rhIGFBP-3 on WMI were observed. Conclusion: The potential protective effect of rhIGF-1/rhIGFBP-3 on the occurrence of GMH-IVH/PHI appeared most pronounced in infants with no evidence of GMH-IVH at treatment start

Midgut microbiota of the malaria mosquito vector Anopheles gambiae and Interactions with plasmodium falciparum Infection

The susceptibility of Anopheles mosquitoes to Plasmodium infections relies on complex interactions between the insect vector and the malaria parasite. A number of studies have shown that the mosquito innate immune responses play an important role in controlling the malaria infection and that the strength of parasite clearance is under genetic control, but little is known about the influence of environmental factors on the transmission success. We present here evidence that the composition of the vector gut microbiota is one of the major components that determine the outcome of mosquito infections. A. gambiae mosquitoes collected in natural breeding sites from Cameroon were experimentally challenged with a wild P. falciparum isolate, and their gut bacterial content was submitted for pyrosequencing analysis. The meta-taxogenomic approach revealed a broader richness of the midgut bacterial flora than previously described. Unexpectedly, the majority of bacterial species were found in only a small proportion of mosquitoes, and only 20 genera were shared by 80% of individuals. We show that observed differences in gut bacterial flora of adult mosquitoes is a result of breeding in distinct sites, suggesting that the native aquatic source where larvae were grown determines the composition of the midgut microbiota. Importantly, the abundance of Enterobacteriaceae in the mosquito midgut correlates significantly with the Plasmodium infection status. This striking relationship highlights the role of natural gut environment in parasite transmission. Deciphering microbe-pathogen interactions offers new perspectives to control disease transmission.Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement (IRD); French Agence Nationale pour la Recherche [ANR-11-BSV7-009-01]; European Community [242095, 223601]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio