Channel Model of Molecular Communication via Diffusion in a Vessel-like Environment Considering a Partially Covering Receiver

By considering potential health problems that a fully covering receiver may cause in vessel-like environments, the implementation of a partially covering receiver is needed. To this end, distribution of hitting location of messenger molecules (MM) is analyzed within the context of molecular communication via diffusion with the aim of channel modeling. The distribution of these MMs for a fully covering receiver is analyzed in two parts: angular and radial dimensions. For the angular distribution analysis, the receiver is divided into 180 slices to analyze the mean, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation of these slices. For the axial distance distribution analysis, Kolmogorov- Smirnov test is applied for different significance levels. Also, two different implementations of the reflection from the vessel surface (i.e., rollback and elastic reflection) are compared and mathematical representation of elastic reflection is given. The results show that MMs have tendency to spread uniformly beyond a certain ratio of the distance to the vessel radius. By utilizing the uniformity, we propose a channel model for the partially covering receiver in vessel-like environments and validate the proposed model by simulations

Persistent left cranial vena cava in a cat

A 9-year-old-male British fold cat was presented for a general health check before anesthesia. Clinical and laboratory examinations were unremarkable. Echocardiography showed that the cardiac anatomy and function were normal, and the presence of a dilated coronary sinus (CS), highly suggestive of a persistent left cranial vena cava (PLCVC). Clinicians should keep in mind that PLCVC may be present when a dilated CS is noted by echocardiography, and it could be confirmed simultaneously by agitated-salinestudy as a non-invasive and cost-effective diagnostic tool in practice. Further research is required to elucidate whether PLCVC is an accomplice or an innocent finding in cats

Transmitter localization in vessel-like diffusive channels using ring-shaped molecular receivers

© 2018 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.Molecular communication via diffusion in vessellike environment targets critical applications such as detection of abnormal and unhealthy cells. In this work, we derive the analytical formulation of the channel model for diffusion dominated movement, considering ring-shaped (i.e., patch) observing receivers and Poiseuille flow with the aim of localization of the transmitter cell. Then, we derive formulations using this channel model for two different application scenarios. We assume that the emission start time is known in the first scenario, and unknown in the second one. We successfully localize the transmitter cell using a single receiver for the first scenario, whereas two receivers are used to localize the transmitter cell in the second scenario. Lastly, the devised analytical framework is validated with simulations.Postprint (author's final draft

Pre- and post-operative cardiac evaluation of dogs undergoing lobectomy and pneumonectomy

This study aimed to assess the influence of lobectomy and pneumonectomy on cardiac rhythm and on the dimensions and function of the right-side of the heart. Twelve dogs undergoing lobectomy and eight dogs undergoing pneumonectomy were evaluated preoperatively and one month postoperatively with electrocardiography and Doppler echocardiography at rest. Pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) was estimated by the tricuspid regurgitation jet (TRJ) via the pulse wave Doppler velocity method. Systemic inflammatory response syndrome criteria (SIRS) were also evaluated based on the clinical and hematological findings in response to lobectomy and pneumonectomy. Following lobectomy and pneumonectomy, we predominantly detected atrial fibrillation and varying degrees of atrioventricular block (AVB). Dogs that died within seven days of the lobectomy (n = 2) or pneumonectomy (n = 1) had complete AVB. Preoperative right atrial, right ventricular, and pulmonary artery dimensions increased gradually during the 30 days (p<0.05) following pneumonectomy, but did not undergo significant changes during that same period after lobectomy. Mean PASP was 56.0 ± 4.5 mmHg in dogs having significant TRJ after pneumonectomy. Pneumonectomy, but not lobectomy, could lead to increases (p<0.01) in the SIRS score within the first day post-surgery. In brief, it is important to conduct pre- and postoperative cardiac evaluation of dogs undergoing lung resections because cardiac problems are a common postoperative complication after such surgeries. In particular, complete AVB should be considered a life-threatening complication after pneumonectomy and lobectomy. In addition, pneumonectomy appears to increase the likelihood of pulmonary hypertension development in dogs

Changes in salivary analytes in canine parvovirus : A high-resolution quantitative proteomic study

The present study evaluated the changes in salivary proteome in parvoviral enteritis (PVE) in dogs through a high-throughput quantitative proteomic analysis. Saliva samples from healthy dogs and dogs with severe parvovirosis that survived or perished due to the disease were analysed and compared by Tandem Mass Tags (TMT) analysis. Proteomic analysis quantified 1516 peptides, and 287 (corresponding to 190 proteins) showed significantly different abundances between studied groups. Ten proteins were observed to change significantly between dogs that survived or perished due to PVE. Bioinformatics' analysis revealed that saliva reflects the involvement of different pathways in PVE such as catalytic activity and binding, and indicates antimicrobial humoral response as a pathway with a major role in the development of the disease. These results indicate that saliva proteins reflect physiopathological changes that occur in PVE and could be a potential source of biomarkers for this disease

Temperature Effects Explain Continental Scale Distribution of Cyanobacterial Toxins

Insight into how environmental change determines the production and distribution of cyanobacterial toxins is necessary for risk assessment. Management guidelines currently focus on hepatotoxins (microcystins). Increasing attention is given to other classes, such as neurotoxins (e.g., anatoxin-a) and cytotoxins (e.g., cylindrospermopsin) due to their potency. Most studies examine the relationship between individual toxin variants and environmental factors, such as nutrients, temperature and light. In summer 2015, we collected samples across Europe to investigate the effect of nutrient and temperature gradients on the variability of toxin production at a continental scale. Direct and indirect effects of temperature were the main drivers of the spatial distribution in the toxins produced by the cyanobacterial community, the toxin concentrations and toxin quota. Generalized linear models showed that a Toxin Diversity Index (TDI) increased with latitude, while it decreased with water stability. Increases in TDI were explained through a significant increase in toxin variants such as MC-YR, anatoxin and cylindrospermopsin, accompanied by a decreasing presence of MC-LR. While global warming continues, the direct and indirect effects of increased lake temperatures will drive changes in the distribution of cyanobacterial toxins in Europe, potentially promoting selection of a few highly toxic species or strains.Peer reviewe