Posture Measurement and Data Logging System

microSense metrics is developing an affordable and functional posture measurement and data logging system that will aid researchers in preventing injuries in construction workers and the elderly. Our system will track the angle of inclination of the subject’s body as it moves through a range of motions. The system’s data logging capabilities will enable us to capture this dynamic data and retrace the subject’s movement for further analysis.&nbsp

The Galleria mellonella Hologenome Supports Microbiota-Independent Metabolism of Long-Chain Hydrocarbon Beeswax

The greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella, degrades wax and plastic molecules. Despite much interest, the genetic basis of these hallmark traits remains poorly understood. Herein, we assembled high-quality genome and transcriptome data from G. mellonella to investigate long-chain hydrocarbon wax metabolism strategies. Specific carboxylesterase and lipase and fatty-acid-metabolism-related enzymes in the G. mellonella genome are transcriptionally regulated during feeding on beeswax. Strikingly, G. mellonella lacking intestinal microbiota successfully decomposes long-chain fatty acids following wax metabolism, although the intestinal microbiome performs a supplementary role in short-chain fatty acid degradation. Notably, final wax derivatives were detected by gas chromatography even in the absence of gut microbiota. Our findings provide insight into wax moth adaptation and may assist in the development of unique wax-degradation strategies with a similar metabolic approach for a plastic molecule polyethylene biodegradation using organisms without intestinal microbiota. The evolutionarily expanded long-chain fatty acid degradation gene products of Galleria mellonella decompose long-chain hydrocarbons independently of intestinal microorganisms. Kong et al. show that beeswax and degradation products are detected equally in larvae in the presence or absence of intestinal microbes

Size Doesn't Matter: Towards a More Inclusive Philosophy of Biology

notes: As the primary author, O’Malley drafted the paper, and gathered and analysed data (scientific papers and talks). Conceptual analysis was conducted by both authors.publication-status: Publishedtypes: ArticlePhilosophers of biology, along with everyone else, generally perceive life to fall into two broad categories, the microbes and macrobes, and then pay most of their attention to the latter. ‘Macrobe’ is the word we propose for larger life forms, and we use it as part of an argument for microbial equality. We suggest that taking more notice of microbes – the dominant life form on the planet, both now and throughout evolutionary history – will transform some of the philosophy of biology’s standard ideas on ontology, evolution, taxonomy and biodiversity. We set out a number of recent developments in microbiology – including biofilm formation, chemotaxis, quorum sensing and gene transfer – that highlight microbial capacities for cooperation and communication and break down conventional thinking that microbes are solely or primarily single-celled organisms. These insights also bring new perspectives to the levels of selection debate, as well as to discussions of the evolution and nature of multicellularity, and to neo-Darwinian understandings of evolutionary mechanisms. We show how these revisions lead to further complications for microbial classification and the philosophies of systematics and biodiversity. Incorporating microbial insights into the philosophy of biology will challenge many of its assumptions, but also give greater scope and depth to its investigations

Canagliflozin and renal outcomes in type 2 diabetes and nephropathy

BACKGROUND Type 2 diabetes mellitus is the leading cause of kidney failure worldwide, but few effective long-term treatments are available. In cardiovascular trials of inhibitors of sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2), exploratory results have suggested that such drugs may improve renal outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS In this double-blind, randomized trial, we assigned patients with type 2 diabetes and albuminuric chronic kidney disease to receive canagliflozin, an oral SGLT2 inhibitor, at a dose of 100 mg daily or placebo. All the patients had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 30 to <90 ml per minute per 1.73 m2 of body-surface area and albuminuria (ratio of albumin [mg] to creatinine [g], >300 to 5000) and were treated with renin–angiotensin system blockade. The primary outcome was a composite of end-stage kidney disease (dialysis, transplantation, or a sustained estimated GFR of <15 ml per minute per 1.73 m2), a doubling of the serum creatinine level, or death from renal or cardiovascular causes. Prespecified secondary outcomes were tested hierarchically. RESULTS The trial was stopped early after a planned interim analysis on the recommendation of the data and safety monitoring committee. At that time, 4401 patients had undergone randomization, with a median follow-up of 2.62 years. The relative risk of the primary outcome was 30% lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group, with event rates of 43.2 and 61.2 per 1000 patient-years, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59 to 0.82; P=0.00001). The relative risk of the renal-specific composite of end-stage kidney disease, a doubling of the creatinine level, or death from renal causes was lower by 34% (hazard ratio, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.81; P<0.001), and the relative risk of end-stage kidney disease was lower by 32% (hazard ratio, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.54 to 0.86; P=0.002). The canagliflozin group also had a lower risk of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.67 to 0.95; P=0.01) and hospitalization for heart failure (hazard ratio, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.47 to 0.80; P<0.001). There were no significant differences in rates of amputation or fracture. CONCLUSIONS In patients with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease, the risk of kidney failure and cardiovascular events was lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group at a median follow-up of 2.62 years

A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Subconjunctival Injection to Direct Scleral Application of Mitomycin C in Trabeculectomy

PurposeTo compare the efficacy of intraoperative scleral application with subconjunctival injection of mitomycin C (MMC) in trabeculectomy.DesignProspective, randomized, interventional study.MethodsThis study took place in a single clinical practice in an academic setting. Patients had medically uncontrolled glaucoma as indicated by high intraocular pressure (IOP), worsening visual field, or optic nerve head changes in whom primary trabeculectomy was indicated. Patients were older than 18 years with medically uncontrolled glaucoma and no history of incisional glaucoma surgery. Patients were randomized to MMC delivered by preoperative subconjunctival injection or by intraoperative direct scleral application using surgical sponges during trabeculectomy. Comprehensive eye examinations were conducted at 1 day, 1 week, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months postoperatively. Subconjunctival 5-fluorouracil injections were given postoperatively, as needed. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients who demonstrated IOP of <21 mm Hg and ≥30% reduction in IOP from baseline. Secondary outcome measures included the number of IOP-lowering medications, bleb morphology using the Indiana Bleb Appearance Grading Scale, and complication rates.ResultsParticipants (n = 100) were randomized into groups matched for baseline demographics, glaucoma status, and baseline IOP. At 6 months, there were no significant differences between the injection (n = 38) and sponge (n = 40) groups in surgical success (P = .357), mean IOP (P = .707), number of glaucoma medications (P = 1.000), bleb height (P = .625), bleb extension (P = .216), bleb vascularity (P = .672), or complications rates.ConclusionBoth techniques of MMC delivery (subconjunctival injection and direct scleral application) resulted in comparable surgical outcomes and bleb morphologies