Asymmetry and heterogeneity: part and parcel in cardiac autonomic innervation and function

The cardiac autonomic nervous system (cANS) regulates cardiac adaptation to different demands. The heart is an asymmetrical organ, and in the selection of adequate treatment of cardiac diseases it may be relevant to take into account that the cANS also has sidedness as well as regional differences in anatomical, functional, and molecular characteristics. The left and right ventricles respond differently to adrenergic stimulation. Isoforms of nitric oxide synthase, which plays an important role in parasympathetic function, are also distributed asymmetrically across the heart. Treatment of cardiac disease heavily relies on affecting left-sided heart targets which are thought to apply to the right ventricle as well. Functional studies of the right ventricle have often been neglected. In addition, many principles have only been investigated in animals and not in humans. Anatomical and functional heterogeneity of the cANS in human tissue or subjects is highly valuable for understanding left- and right-sided cardiac pathology and for identifying novel treatment targets and modalities. Within this perspective, we aim to provide an overview and synthesis of anatomical and functional heterogeneity of the cANS in tissue or subjects, focusing on the human heart.Perioperative Medicine: Efficacy, Safety and Outcome (Anesthesiology/Intensive Care

The natural history and genotype–phenotype correlations of TMPRSS3 hearing loss:an international, multi-center, cohort analysis

TMPRSS3-related hearing loss presents challenges in correlating genotypic variants with clinical phenotypes due to the small sample sizes of previous studies. We conducted a cross-sectional genomics study coupled with retrospective clinical phenotype analysis on 127 individuals. These individuals were from 16 academic medical centers across 6 countries. Key findings revealed 47 unique TMPRSS3 variants with significant differences in hearing thresholds between those with missense variants versus those with loss-of-function genotypes. The hearing loss progression rate for the DFNB8 subtype was 0.3 dB/year. Post-cochlear implantation, an average word recognition score of 76% was observed. Of the 51 individuals with two missense variants, 10 had DFNB10 with profound hearing loss. These 10 all had at least one of 4 TMPRSS3 variants predicted by computational modeling to be damaging to TMPRSS3 structure and function. To our knowledge, this is the largest study of TMPRSS3 genotype–phenotype correlations. We find significant differences in hearing thresholds, hearing loss progression, and age of presentation, by TMPRSS3 genotype and protein domain affected. Most individuals with TMPRSS3 variants perform well on speech recognition tests after cochlear implant, however increased age at implant is associated with worse outcomes. These findings provide insight for genetic counseling and the on-going design of novel therapeutic approaches.</p

Accessory molecules utilized by endothelial cells for allogeneic stimulation of T-lymphocytes

Contains fulltext : 26068___.PDF (publisher's version ) (Open Access

Normering van meetnauwkeurigheden van klimaatmetingen in praktijkkassen : [eindrapport]

In het project 'Normering van meetnauwkeurigheden van klimaatmetingen in praktijkkassen' zijn eisen opgesteld waaraan meetsystemen voor de kasklimaatregeling in praktijkkassen, zowel uit technisch als uit teelttechnisch oogpunt, zouden moeten voldoen. Op basis van de geformuleerde eisen, is vervolgens een protocol met normen opgesteld voor de nauwkeurigheid van het totale meetsysteem (sensor, bekabeling, computer) en de positie van de meetsensor. Er zijn normen opgesteld voor de volgende metingen in de kas: - luchttemperatuur; - luchtvochtigheid; - koolzuurgehalte (C02) en - buistemperatuur. Ook is een procedure opgesteld waarin beschreven staat, hoe controlemetingen dienen te worden uitgevoerd. Fabrikanten van klimaatcomputers, installateurs, gebruikers en controlerende instanties zijn hierdoor in staat te controleren of aan de in het protocol gestelde normen wordt voldaan. De normen en de controleprocedures, getest op een achttal praktijkbedrijven met in totaal vier verschillende klimaatcomputers, bleken goed realiseerbaar. Het protocol met normen is gepubliceerd als PBG-rapport 101, "Normering van meetnauwkeurigheden van klimaatmetingen in kassen", met als ondertitel: 'Protocol met normen voor meetsystemen en procedure voor controlemeting'

Influence of productivity on the stability of real and model ecosystems

The lengths of food chains within ecosystems have been thought to be limited either by the productivity of the ecosystem or by the resilience of that ecosystem after pertur- bation. Models based on ecological energetics that follow the form of Lotka-Volterra equations and equations that include material (detritus) recycling show that productivity and resilience are inextricably interrelated. The models were initialized with data from 5- to 1 0-year studies of actual soil food webs. Estimates indicate that most ecological production worldwide is from ecosystems that are themselves sufficiently productive to recover from minor perturbations