Epidermal stem cells are retained in vivo throughout skin aging

In healthy individuals, skin integrity is maintained by epidermal stem cells which self-renew and generate daughter cells that undergo terminal differentiation. It is currently unknown whether epidermal stem cells influence or are affected by skin aging. We therefore compared young and aged skin stem cell abundance, organization, and proliferation. We discovered that despite age-associated differences in epidermal proliferation, dermal thickness, follicle patterning, and immune cell abundance, epidermal stem cells were maintained at normal levels throughout life. These findings, coupled with observed dermal gene expression changes, suggest that epidermal stem cells themselves are intrinsically aging resistant and that local environmental or systemic factors modulate skin aging

Characterization of Defects and Designed Flaws in Metal Additive Manufacturing (AM) Parts with X-ray Computed Tomography (XCT)

Metal Additive Manufacturing (AM) has great potential to revolutionize manufacturing industries, but a reliable method to detect defects in AM-produced parts with complex internal structures must be developed prior to its widespread adoption. In this research, defects occurring in additively manufactured metal parts are characterized with X-ray Computed Tomography (XCT). In addition, the concept of metrological XCT is introduced, with the goal of providing more accurate dimensional measurements of the internal features. Preliminary experiments have been conducted toward the larger goal of evaluating XCT as a viable option for nondestructive evaluation of AM-produced components. Critical to this evaluation is the principle of the Probability of Detection (PoD), which has not been previously determined for typical AM defects using XCT. The first step in determining the PoD for XCT is to develop a suitable artifact with embedded features that are representative of the defects occurring in AM-produced parts. Two sets of samples were built by AM and their embedded defects measured by XCT. In the first set of samples, the chosen AM processing parameters were suboptimal, ensuring that defects would be present in the parts. These parameters were also varied to understand their effect on the resulting microstructure and defect formation. Measurements of porosity and the pore size distribution were determined from the XCT images. In the second set of samples, synthetic internal features were added, some approximating typical AM defects. Dimensional XCT was used to evaluate the quality of these features. Based on the results, a future experiment with the goal of estimating the PoD of critical AM defects with an XCT system is suggested

Letter to the Editor Concerning Simultaneous, Single-Particle Measurements of Size and Loading Give Insights into the Structure of Drug-Delivery Nanoparticles

The vexing error of excess variance in the sizing of single particles degrades accuracy in applications ranging from quality control of nanoparticle products to hazard assessment of nanoplastic byproducts. The particular importance of lipid nanoparticles for vaccine and medicine delivery motivates this comment on a publication$^{\textrm{1}}$ in ACS Nano. In ref 1, the benchmark measurements of a nanoparticle standard manifest large errors of the size distribution that contradict the claim of validation. Such errors can bias the correlation of fluorescence intensity as an optical proxy for the molecular loading of lipid nanoparticles and give misleading insights from power-law models of intensity$-$size data. Looking forward, measurement error models have the potential to address this widespread issue.Comment: Peer reviewed and pending acceptance by ACS Nan

Subnanometer traceability of localization microscopy

In localization microscopy, subnanometer precision is possible but supporting accuracy is challenging, and no study has demonstrated reliable traceability to the International System of Units (SI). To do so, we measure the positions of nanoscale apertures in a reference array by traceable atomic-force microscopy, creating a master standard. We perform correlative measurements of this standard by optical microscopy, correcting position errors from optical aberrations by a Zernike calibration. We establish an uncertainty field due to localization errors and scale uncertainty, with regions of position traceability to within a 68 % coverage interval of +/- 1.0 nm. These results enable localization metrology with high throughput, which we apply to measure working standards, validating the subnanometer accuracy of lithographic pitch

A lateral nanoflow assay reveals nanoplastic fluorescence heterogeneity

Colloidal nanoplastics present technological opportunities, environmental concerns, and measurement challenges. To meet these challenges, we develop a lateral nanoflow assay from sample-in to answer-out. Our measurement system integrates complex nanofluidic replicas, super-resolution optical microscopy, and comprehensive statistical analyses to measure polystyrene nanoparticles that sorb and carry hydrophobic fluorophores. An elegant scaling of surface forces within our silicone devices hydrodynamically automates the advection and dominates the diffusion of the nanoparticles. Through steric interaction with the replica structure, the particle size distribution reciprocally probes the unknown limits of replica function. Multiple innovations in the integration and calibration of device and microscope improve the accuracy of identifying single nanoparticles and quantifying their diameters and fluorescence intensities. A statistical model of the measurement approaches the information limit of the system, discriminates size exclusion from surface adsorption, and reduces nonideal data to return the particle size distribution with nanometer resolution. A Bayesian statistical analysis of the dimensional and optical properties of single nanoparticles reveals their fundamental structure-property relationship. Fluorescence intensity shows a super-volumetric dependence, scaling with nanoparticle diameter to nearly the fourth power and confounding basic concepts of chemical sorption. Distributions of fluorescivity - the product of the number density, absorption cross section, and quantum yield of an ensemble of fluorophores - are ultrabroad and asymmetric, limiting ensemble analysis and dimensional or chemical inference from fluorescence intensity. These results reset expectations for optimizing nanoplastic products, understanding nanoplastic byproducts, and applying nanoplastic standards

Minimum wages in 2019 : annual review

Aquesta publicació s'elabora a partir de les contribucions de cadascú dels membres nacionals que integren la Network of Eufound Correspondent. Pel cas d'Espanya la contribució ha estat realitzada per l'Oscar MolinaIn most EU Member States, reviews of the statutory minimum wage rates spark a great deal of public interest. Such reviews affect the wider workforce, beyond those workers on the statutory minimum wage. Pay rates in collective agreements may be adapted in response to an increase in the minimum wage, affecting lower-paid workers more generally; social benefits may also be affected, making the impact of such revisions even more widespread. This report covers developments in statutory minimum wages in 2018-2019 in the EU and Norway. It looks at the level of minimum wages, how they were set and how they have developed over time in nominal and real terms. It also covers major debates in relation to setting minimum wage levels. While the report focuses on the net remuneration of those receiving the minimum wage, it also documents minimum rates from selected collective agreements in countries without statutory minimum wages as well as minimum wage coverage rates of workers by gender

Endovascular strategy or open repair for ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm: one-year outcomes from the IMPROVE randomized trial.

AIMS: To report the longer term outcomes following either a strategy of endovascular repair first or open repair of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm, which are necessary for both patient and clinical decision-making. METHODS AND RESULTS: This pragmatic multicentre (29 UK and 1 Canada) trial randomized 613 patients with a clinical diagnosis of ruptured aneurysm; 316 to an endovascular first strategy (if aortic morphology is suitable, open repair if not) and 297 to open repair. The principal 1-year outcome was mortality; secondary outcomes were re-interventions, hospital discharge, health-related quality-of-life (QoL) (EQ-5D), costs, Quality-Adjusted-Life-Years (QALYs), and cost-effectiveness [incremental net benefit (INB)]. At 1 year, all-cause mortality was 41.1% for the endovascular strategy group and 45.1% for the open repair group, odds ratio 0.85 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.62, 1.17], P = 0.325, with similar re-intervention rates in each group. The endovascular strategy group and open repair groups had average total hospital stays of 17 and 26 days, respectively, P < 0.001. Patients surviving rupture had higher average EQ-5D utility scores in the endovascular strategy vs. open repair groups, mean differences 0.087 (95% CI 0.017, 0.158), 0.068 (95% CI -0.004, 0.140) at 3 and 12 months, respectively. There were indications that QALYs were higher and costs lower for the endovascular first strategy, combining to give an INB of £3877 (95% CI £253, £7408) or €4356 (95% CI €284, €8323). CONCLUSION: An endovascular first strategy for management of ruptured aneurysms does not offer a survival benefit over 1 year but offers patients faster discharge with better QoL and is cost-effective. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN 48334791

Team dynamics in emergency surgery teams: results from a first international survey

Background: Emergency surgery represents a unique context. Trauma teams are often multidisciplinary and need to operate under extreme stress and time constraints, sometimes with no awareness of the trauma\u2019s causes or the patient\u2019s personal and clinical information. In this perspective, the dynamics of how trauma teams function is fundamental to ensuring the best performance and outcomes. Methods: An online survey was conducted among the World Society of Emergency Surgery members in early 2021. 402 fully filled questionnaires on the topics of knowledge translation dynamics and tools, non-technical skills, and difficulties in teamwork were collected. Data were analyzed using the software R, and reported following the Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E-Surveys (CHERRIES). Results: Findings highlight how several surgeons are still unsure about the meaning and potential of knowledge translation and its mechanisms. Tools like training, clinical guidelines, and non-technical skills are recognized and used in clinical practice. Others, like patients\u2019 and stakeholders\u2019 engagement, are hardly implemented, despite their increasing importance in the modern healthcare scenario. Several difficulties in working as a team are described, including the lack of time, communication, training, trust, and ego. Discussion: Scientific societies should take the lead in offering training and support about the abovementioned topics. Dedicated educational initiatives, practical cases and experiences, workshops and symposia may allow mitigating the difficulties highlighted by the survey\u2019s participants, boosting the performance of emergency teams. Additional investigation of the survey results and its characteristics may lead to more further specific suggestions and potential solutions

Diversity and ethics in trauma and acute care surgery teams: results from an international survey

Background Investigating the context of trauma and acute care surgery, the article aims at understanding the factors that can enhance some ethical aspects, namely the importance of patient consent, the perceptiveness of the ethical role of the trauma leader, and the perceived importance of ethics as an educational subject. Methods The article employs an international questionnaire promoted by the World Society of Emergency Surgery. Results Through the analysis of 402 fully filled questionnaires by surgeons from 72 different countries, the three main ethical topics are investigated through the lens of gender, membership of an academic or non-academic institution, an official trauma team, and a diverse group. In general terms, results highlight greater attention paid by surgeons belonging to academic institutions, official trauma teams, and diverse groups. Conclusions Our results underline that some organizational factors (e.g., the fact that the team belongs to a university context or is more diverse) might lead to the development of a higher sensibility on ethical matters. Embracing cultural diversity forces trauma teams to deal with different mindsets. Organizations should, therefore, consider those elements in defining their organizational procedures. Level of evidence Trauma and acute care teams work under tremendous pressure and complex circumstances, with their members needing to make ethical decisions quickly. The international survey allowed to shed light on how team assembly decisions might represent an opportunity to coordinate team member actions and increase performance