Asparagopsis taxiformis is a red marine macroalga (= seaweed) (Bonnemaisoniales, Rhodophyta) with high invasive potential and thrives worldwide. In the Mediterranean Sea, A. taxiformis was recorded before the opening of Suez Canal and since then two different cryptic lineages, named as L2 and L3, have been documented. As for the Israeli Mediterranean Sea (IMS), in the last 20 years, A. taxiformis benthic populations have seemingly expanded, with several large seasonal blooms recorded in recent years. However, neither ecology nor molecular substantial studies have been conducted. In this study, molecular identification using three genetic markers (LSU, cox2-3 spacer, and rbcL) was carried out on the overlooked IMS A. taxiformis revealing a cryptic lineage first recorded for the Mediterranean Sea, the so-called L4. Molecular comparative work of cox2-3 spacer indicates 100% similarity to previously sequenced samples from Egypt Red Sea cryptic linage L4. Further, IMS cox2-3 spacer differed from previously sequenced samples from the Mediterranean Sea by 2.3% and 3.9%, compared to L3 and L2 Mediterranean populations, respectively. Our results indicate that unlike former introductions of A. taxiformis into the Mediterranean Sea, the newly introduced lineage clearly appears to fit Lessepsian migration.

Composite malignancy of both Li Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) associated adrenocortical tumor (ACT) and neuroblastoma (NB) is extremely rare. We report a 10-month-old boy with a right sided abdominal mass that, after multiple resections, noted two separate tumors. The adrenal resection revealed characteristics notable for an ACT; the para-aortic and pelvic lymph nodes showed poorly differentiated NB. Additional analysis revealed a wild-type TP53 expression pattern and negative MYCN amplification, and germline testing revealed a heterozygous TP53 germline c.818G>A, pArg273His mutation, one only associated with separate tumors. This composite NB and ACT is thus the first reported in the literature.

Mucormycosis is an angioinvasive lethal fungal infection in pediatric cancer patients. We present 10-year-old female with relapsed B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia undergoing chemotherapy was diagnosed with isolated cerebral mucormycosis (ICM). Despite surgical debridement and liposomal amphotericin B, repeat imaging showed concern for disease progression. Chemotherapy was discontinued and the patient was discharged on salvage therapy oral isavuconazole (ISAV). Over two months later, the patient was unexpectedly clinically stable, and imaging showed near resolution. After confirming continuous disease remission, the patient was restarted on modified chemotherapy. Serial MRI’s during continued chemotherapy showed stable MRI findings. This case illustrates a rare presentation of successful salvage monotherapy ISAV for this deadly infection with complete remission for relapsed leukemia.

Porcine teschovirus (PTV) is a causative agent of polio, encephalomyelitis, reproductive disorders, and gastrointestinal and respiratory diseasesin swine. In this study, the PTV-2 GX/2020 strain was isolated from pig intestinal tissue using ST cells. Phylogenetic analysis of VP1 nucleotide sequences indicated that the GX/2020 strain was closely related to PTV-2 (86%). Furthermore, a full-length cDNA infectious clone of GX/2020 was constructed using seamless ligation technology. The rescued virus was had a genome sequence largely consistent with the parental virus sequence and had similar growth characteristics. Overall, the PTV-2 virus successfully isolated in this study and the employed reverse genetic platform have laid a foundation for studying the pathogenic mechanism of porcine Teschovirus.

Ovarian cancer is commonly diagnosed in its late stages, and new treatment modalities are needed to improve patient outcomes and survival. We have recently established the synergistic effects of combination tumour necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) and procaspase activating compound (PAC-1) therapies in granulosa cell tumours (GCT) of the ovary, a rare form of ovarian cancer, using a mathematical model of the effects of both drugs in a GCT cell line. Here, to understand the mechanisms of combined TRAIL and PAC-1 therapy, study the viability of this treatment strategy, and accelerate preclinical translation, we leveraged our mathematical model in combination with population pharmacokinetics (PopPK) models of both TRAIL and PAC-1 to expand a realistic heterogeneous cohort of virtual patients and optimize treatment schedules. Using this approach, we investigated treatment responses in this virtual cohort and determined optimal therapeutic schedules based on patient-specific pharmacokinetic characteristics. Our results showed that schedules with high initial doses of PAC-1 were required for therapeutic efficacy. Further analysis of individualized regimens revealed two distinct groups of virtual patients within our cohort: one with high PAC-1 elimination, and one with normal PAC-1 elimination. In the high elimination group, high weekly doses of both PAC-1 and TRAIL were necessary for therapeutic efficacy, however virtual patients in this group were predicted to have a worse prognosis when compared to those in the normal elimination group. Thus, PAC-1 pharmacokinetic characteristics, particularly clearance, can be used to identify patients most likely to respond to combined PAC-1 and TRAIL therapy. This work underlines the importance of quantitative approaches in preclinical oncology.

Soil trophic networks are key to biogeochemical cycles, in particular decomposition. However, few studies have yet quantified how microbial decomposition activity along environmental gradients is jointly driven by bacteria, fungi, and their respective consumers. Here, we quantified these direct and indirect effects on decomposition and contrasted them between forests and open habitats using multiple elevational gradients in the French Alps. While environmental control on microbial decomposition activity was comparable in the two habitats, the pathways and strengths of biotic predictors strongly differed. The fungal channel composition played a moderate role in forests, while the bacterial channel composition was critical in open habitats. Importantly, we found trophic regulation by consumers to be a key modulator of the direct environmental effects on decomposition in open habitats. These results highlight the need to integrate trophic regulation when predicting future ecosystem functioning.

Background and purpose: A high plasma concentration of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is characteristic of a prothrombotic state in cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Elevated inflammatory markers, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), are associated with worse outcomes after ischemic stroke. We aimed to study the role of plasma PCSK9 and IL-6 in acute ischemic stroke with dyslipidemia. Methods: We divided 123 enrolled patients with first-ever acute ischemic stroke into normotensive and high blood pressure (BP) groups and further into high and low pulse pressure (PP) subgroups. Clinical characteristics and inflammatory and metabolic parameters, including plasma PCSK9 and IL-6, were recorded. Results: After the analysis of the normotensive and BP groups, there were positive correlations between PP and carotid stenosis (P = 0.031) and plaque numbers (P = 0.013) and between National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores (P = 0.019) and carotid stenosis severity (P = 0.021) and resistance index (RI) (P = 0.04). There was a significant association between plasma cholesterol and PCSK9 (P = 0.044) in the low PP subgroup and IL-6 (P = 0.042) in the high PP subgroup. Conclusions: Our findings indicated that plasma PCSK9 levels were associated with the low PP subgroup, while IL-6 was associated with the high PP subgroup. Dyslipidemia control is also necessary for those who had a stroke and who have high PP. Further investigation to assess the role of PCSK9 and IL-6 in patients with stroke is required for early treatment and secondary prevention.

In this paper, the efficiency of an outdoor pilot-scale raceway pond treating the wastewaters generated by a large-scale piggery farm in Northern Italy was evaluated. The biomass productivity over the 208 days of experimentation was 10.7 ± 6.5 g TSS·m -2·d -1, and ammoniacal nitrogen, orthophosphate, and COD average removal efficiencies were 90%, 90%, and 59%, respectively. These results were used to carry out a comprehensive techno-economic analysis for the integration of algae-based processes in farms of different sizes (100 – 10000 pigs). Based on this evaluation, the amount of N disposed of on agricultural land can be reduced from 91% to 21%, increasing the fraction returned to the atmosphere from 2.4% to 63%, and the fraction in the biomass from 6.2% to 16%. In the case of intensive farming, the release of 110 t N·ha -1·y -1 contained in the liquid fraction of the digestate could be avoided by including algae-bacteria processes in the farm layout. The biomass production cost was as low as 3.4 \euro·kg -1, while the cost for nitrogen removal was 7.6 \euro·kg N -1.

The separation of circulating tumor cells from the bloodstream with high purity plays a crucial role in the treatment of cancer illness. Design and fabrication of cell sorters based on numerical models can lead to optimized cell sorters from throughput, purity, and size aspects. In this research, a symmetric sharp corner microchannel was designed and optimized to achieve a more compact cell sorter with high purity output based on a numerical model. Sharp corners in the microchannel generate centrifugal and inertial lift forces which cause particles (7.32 μm and 15.5 μm )   separation. The proposed numerical model was validated using experimental data. Using the proposed approach decreased the size of the device up to 19% while maintaining the purity level of 95.45%. These results will have impacts in designing compact cell sorters with high purity output for implantable applications.

Aiming at the classical knapsack problem in combinatorial optimization, in order to improve the local search ability and global search ability of the basic fireworks algorithm, an improved fireworks algorithm is proposed by combining the basic fireworks algorithm, greedy optimization strategy and simulated annealing algorithm. In order to ensure the diversity of the initial population, the Tent mapping is proposed to initialize the population ; greedy repair operator and greedy optimization operator are introduced to correct the intermediate solution ; at the same time, the simulated annealing mechanism is introduced to make the poor solution have a certain probability to be accepted to improve the ability of the algorithm to jump out of the local optimum. By solving the typical test function, it is found that the improved fireworks algorithm can accurately solve the theoretical optimal solution of the Griewank function. Compared with the basic fireworks algorithm, simulated annealing algorithm and particle swarm optimization algorithm, the improved fireworks algorithm can find the optimal value of Sphere function with higher accuracy. By solving six groups of knapsack problems with different dimensions, it is found that the improved fireworks algorithm can hit the optimal solution with 100 % probability for most test data, and hit the optimal solution with more than 70 % probability for its test data, and the standard deviation of hit times is less than 13. The experimental results show that the improved fireworks algorithm has higher solving accuracy and faster solving speed, and can effectively solve the 0-1 knapsack problem.

Background Evidence linking prenatal maternal vitamin D supplementation and offspring risk of atopic eczema is inconsistent, with most data coming from observational studies. Methods Within the UK Maternal Vitamin D Osteoporosis Study (MAVIDOS) double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial, we examined the relation of maternal vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy with offspring atopic eczema at ages 12, 24 and 48 months. In MAVIDOS, pregnant women were allocated to either cholecalciferol 1000 IU/day or matched placebo, taken from around 14 weeks’ gestation until delivery, with the primary outcome of neonatal whole-body bone mineral content. The prevalence of atopic eczema in the offspring was ascertained at ages 12 (n=636), 24 (n=611) and 48 (n=450) months, based on the UK Working Party Criteria for the Definition of Atopic Dermatitis. Results Mothers and offspring characteristics were similar between the intervention and placebo groups, apart from longer breastfeeding duration in the intervention group. Adjusting for breastfeeding duration, offspring of mothers who received 1000 IU cholecalciferol daily had a lower odds ratio (OR) of atopic eczema at age 12 months: OR (95%CI) 0.55 (0.32-0.97), p=0.04. The ORs of atopic eczema in the intervention group at ages 24 and 48 months were 0.77 (0.47-1.24) and 0.71 (0.35-1.43), respectively. Conclusion Our data demonstrated a clinically important reduction in offspring risk of atopic eczema in infancy following maternal cholecalciferol supplementation during pregnancy. The findings support a developmental influence on infantile atopic eczema and point to gestational cholecalciferol supplementation as a preventive strategy to reduce the burden of atopic eczema during infancy.

Objective: We report on a fetus with left atrial isomerism and structural anomalies compatible with heterotaxy syndrome but with a normal karyotype. Case report: A 30-year-old healthy female primigravida with no history of miscarriage or family genetic abnormalities showed low risk for major chromosomal aneuploidies (trisomy 21, 18, and 13) at the combined first-trimester screening. Fetal ultrasound at the 20 th gestational week demonstrated left atrial isomerism, VSD (0.46 mm), morphological right ventricle (left side) connecting to the aorta, morphological left ventricle (right side) connecting to the pulmonary trunk, and infracardiac and supracardiac total anomalous pulmonary venous return. Cytogenetic analysis of amniotic fluid cells by routine karyotyping and array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) revealed a normal female fetus. The pregnancy was terminated before the 24th gestational week, and autopsy was performed. Conclusion: Heterotaxy syndrome, a rare congenital anomaly, can present with various clinical manifestations but with a normal karyotype.

A document by João Freitas. Click on the document to view its contents.

Since its first detection in 2019, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been the cause of millions of deaths worldwide. Despite the development and administration of different vaccines, the situation is still worrisome as the virus is constantly mutating to produce newer variants some of which are highly infectious. This raises an urgent requirement to understand the infection mechanism and thereby design therapeutic-based treatment for COVID-19. The gateway of the virus to the host cell is mediated by the binding of the Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) of the virus spike protein to the Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2) of the human cell. Therefore, the RBD of SARS-CoV-2 can be used as a target to design therapeutics. The α1 helix of ACE2 which forms direct contact with the RBD surface has been used as a template in the current study to design stapled peptide therapeutics. Using computer simulation, the mechanism and thermodynamics of the binding of six stapled peptides with RBD have been estimated. Among these, the one with two lactam stapling agents has shown binding affinity, sufficient to overcome RBD-ACE2 binding. Analyses of the mechanistic detail reveal that a reorganization of amino acids at the RBD-ACE2 interface produces favorable enthalpy of binding whereas conformational restriction of the free peptide reduces the loss in entropy to result in higher binding affinity. The understanding of the relation of the nature of the stapling agent with their binding affinity opens up the avenue to explore stapled peptides as therapeutic against SARS-CoV-2.

In this work, we study an initial boundary value problem for a quasi-linear parabolic system with a weak viscoelastic term of the form \begin{equation*} \begin{aligned} A(t) |u_{t}|^{m - 2} u_{t} +\Delta^{2}u - {\alpha}(t) &\int_{0}^{t}g( t - s) \Delta^{2}( s )ds = 0, \qquad x\in \Omega, t \geq 0, \\ u(x,t) = \frac {\partial u} {\partial \nu}(x,t)&= 0,\qquad x\in \partial \Omega,\ t \geq 0,\\ u( x , 0) = u_{0}&(x),\qquad x \in \Omega,\\ \end{aligned} \end{equation*} where $m\geq 2$, $A(t)$ a bounded and positive definite matrix is considered in a bounded domain $\Omega$ in $R^{n}$. We establish a general decay result, which depends on the behavior of both $\alpha$ and $g$, by using the perturbed energy functional technique.

Objective To assessment of the composition and ecology of the vaginal microbial ecosystem in asymptomatic women. Design Microbial monitoring of reproductive tract and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Population Healthy women of childbearing age. Setting China Methods The relationships between HPV infection and vaginal, cervical and gut microbiota composition and the levels of genital immune mediators were assessed. We selected a multiethnic area in Yunnan Province, China to collect samples from healthy women of childbearing age. Vaginal, cervical and rectal swabs were collected to analyze the microbial community, and cytokines were analyzed in some samples. Main outcome measures Different proportions and types of HPV infection were detected in vaginal (18%), cervical (44%) and rectal (18%) swabs. Results There were some differences in this proportion as well as in the microbial community composition among different ethnic groups. Rectal samples exhibited the highest diversity index, while vaginal samples displayed the lowest diversity index. Lactobacillus dominated most of the vaginal samples, was decreased in HPV-positive samples, and differed among different ethnic groups. However, the sequence proportion of Lactobacillus in the cervix exhibited the opposite trend in those affected by HPV infection. The dynamic balance between the potential pathogens Gardnerella and Lactobacillus determines the health of the female genital system. Conclusions This study constitutes the first step toward personalized medicine for women’s reproductive health, wherein differences between the genital microbiomes of individuals would be considered in risk assessment and for subsequent disease diagnosis and treatment.

Background and Purpose: Anoctamin 1 (ANO1) is a calcium-activated chloride channel found in various cell types and is overexpressed in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), a major cause of cancer-related mortality. This study aimed to investigate whether verteporfin exerts anticancer effects on non-small cell lung cancer by gradually reducing ANO1 protein levels. Experimental Approach: We screened ANO1 inhibitors for biological activity using high-throughput screening and selected verteporfin. Subsequently, we investigated the effects of verteporfin on NSCLC cells as well as the molecular mechanisms involved. Key Results: Verteporfin reduced ANO1 protein levels but had no effects on its channel function. Verteporfin did not inhibit ANO1-induced chloride secretion but reduced ANO1 protein levels in a dose-dependent manner, with an IC50 value of ~300 nM. Verteporfin inhibited neither P2Y receptor-induced intracellular Ca2+ mobilization nor cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) channel activity. Molecular docking studies revealed that verteporfin bound to specific sites on ANO1 protein. Interestingly, verteporfin decreased p-EGF receptor levels via reduction of ANO1 protein levels; however, it increased p-ERK1/2 levels. Verteporfin reduced the viability and migration of only ANO1-expressing cells, PC9, and gefitinib-resistant PC9 cells, and induced apoptosis by increasing caspase-3 activity and PARP-1 cleavage; however, it did not affect hERG channel activity. Conclusion and Implications: These results indicate that the main mechanism underlying verteporfin action associated with anticancer activity involves the reduction of ANO1 protein levels.

Abstract: Background- Globally, 33 million cases of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) infections occur annually among under-fives. Ninety-nine percent of deaths from RSV occur in low- and middle-income countries. Under-five pneumonia mortality in Nigeria was estimated at 140,520 in 2017, but RSV epidemiological data is scant due to poor awareness and limited testing. Vaccines for RSV are currently under development and RSV mortality data from this high-mortality low resource setting are essential to maximizing the potential benefit of vaccination as well as promoting vaccine uptake. This study aimed to describe the epidemiology and seasonality of RSV-ALRTI in children younger than 5 years in Zaria, Northwestern Nigeria. Methods-A prospective cohort study was conducted among children aged 1 month to 5 years who were hospitalized with acute lower respiratory tract infection (ALRTI) in the Emergency Pediatric Unit of Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital from November 2018 to November 2019. Naso-pharyngeal swabs were obtained for RSV testing using a point-of-care immunoassay technique. Results- Thirty-three percent (35/106) of the children had RSV-related ALRTI. The median age of RSV-positive cases was 8 months (IQR 3-14). Two-thirds of children (68.6%, 24/35) were below 12 months. The RSV mortality rate was 5.7% (2/35). RSV occurred in 10 months of the year with peaks in March and July. conclusions- A third of admitted children with ALRTI were positive for RSV. RSV significantly contributes to childhood pneumonia and testing will raise awareness of this important pathogen. The dual seasonal peak observed in our study may have implications for vaccine implementation.

Background: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is the leading cause of death worldwide. Seasonal Influenza can lead to cardiovascular complications. Thus, the association between Influenza and cardiovascular events has been of interest recently. Hypothesis: Therefore, this study aimed to investigate recent influenza-like illnesses (ILI) in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients compared to other hospitalized patients as the control group during the cold season in the north of Iran. Methods: This retrospective case-control study included 300 patients (150 AMI patients and 150 controls) aged ≥ 50 years hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) or other conditions between September 22, 2019, and March 15, 2020. Patients in each group were frequency-matched for gender and age range. The primary exposure was a recent ILI (fever ≥ 37.8°C, cough, and sore throat) in the past month. Results: The patients’ mean age was 64.42 ± 9.47 years, with a range of 50-94 years. Overall, forty-five (15%) patients of 300 participants had diseases that met the ILI criteria. The AMI group patients significantly reported more ILI than controls (adjusted OR: 3.04, 95% CI: 1.02 to 9.09, p < 0.001). On the other hand, patients who received the influenza vaccine were significantly less likely to have an acute myocardial infarction than those who did not receive the vaccine (adjusted OR: 0.02, 95% CI: 0.001 to 0.38, p = 0.006). Conclusion: In conclusion, the present study demonstrates that ILI can increase the risk of AMI. Also, it was confirmed that Influenza vaccination could reduce the risk of AMI.

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) disease is a cross-species infectious disease that severely affects small ruminants and causes great losses to livestock industries in various countries. Distinguishing vaccine-immunized animals from naturally infected animals is an important prerequisite for the eradication of PPR. [ ](javascript:void(0);)Although peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) was currently divided into lineages I-IV and only one vaccine strain N75 belongs to type II, its epidemic strains in China all belong to lineage IV. As to achieve this goal, we developed an SYBR Green I real-time RT-qPCR method for rapid detection and differentiation of PPRV lineage II and IV by analyzing different melting curve analyses. Primers targeting the L gene were highly specific, as evidenced by the negative amplification of closely related viruses, such as Orf virus, goat poxvirus, and Foot-and-mouth disease virus. The sensitivity of the assay was assessed based on plasmid DNA and the detection limit achieved was 10 copies of PPRV-II and PPRV-IV respectively. As the method has high sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility, which will be significant in effectively controlling the occurrence and transmission of PPRV.

Caryopteris incana, an endangered species distributed parts of western Kyushu in Japan, is composed of clusters of individuals that can be recognized as a population, and grow in a spatially isolated environment. The objective of this study was to evaluate the phenotypic variation of C. incana in western Kyushu and to clarify their relationships with natural environment and geographical structure, therefore, we investigated the growth survey using collected seeds under the same cultivation conditions. As a result, it was confirmed that each natural population showed various phenotypes in plant height, flower color, etc., and each population was classified into five groups by phenotype, showing the similar phenotype in each region. On the other hand, since different phenotypic groups were shown in the same region, it was inferred that each natural population acquired various phenotypes by differentiating independently in various natural environments. In addition, chloroplast DNA haplotypes differed between populations with the same phenotype, suggesting that they should be conserved as separate local populations to maintain genetic diversity. Similarly, because of the low seed-dispersal ability and the ecology as a lithophyte, even if haplotypes are common, when phenotypes differ between populations, they should be conserved as finely divided as possible. These results suggest that local populations and their ranges of high conservation priority should be set not only among regions but also within regions, and prompt actions should be taken.

In this paper, the dynamic model of a carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) truncated laminated conical shell based on the first-order shear deformation theory is established. The free and forced vibration analyses of the CFRP truncated laminated conical shell are presented. By utilizing the Hamilton principle, the first-order shear deformation shell theory and the von-Karman type nonlinear geometric relationships, a system of the partial differential governing equations for the CFRP truncated laminated conical shell is derived. The ordinary differential equations of the cylindrical shell are obtained according to Galerkin method. Then, the analytical nonlinear frequencies of the CFRP truncated laminated conical shell are solved by using the harmonic balance method. The nonlinear dynamic responses of the CFRP truncated laminated conical shell are obtained via the Runge-Kutta algorithm. The present method are validated by carrying out some comparisons with the existing results in the published literatures. A parametric study is conducted to investigate the effects of the temperatures of outside surfaces and the ratio of length to thickness as well as ratio of radius to length of the CFRP truncated laminated conical shell on the nonlinear free and forced vibration behaviors.

Phage display is widely used in the discovery and development of antibody therapeutics. Though the library quality is critical, no quality control system has been developed. Here, we report a systematic quality control system to ensure the fast construction of phage display libraries. The keys of the system include the single PCR amplification of variable heavy (VH) and light chain (LC) repertoires, construction of component libraries, introduction of a linker between the LC and VH regions in display vectors and use of four-fragments ligation (four-way ligation). Using this system, two Fab display libraries (4 × 1010 and 1.6 × 1011) were constructed. Titration, sequencing and expression analyses of the libraries revealed a ligation-transformation efficiency (LTE) of >109 clones/µg of ligation product, >80% unique clones and >80% Fab-expressible clones, indicating a diversity of > 1.28 x 1011. Starting from the amplification of antibody gene repertoires, a library up to 1011 can be constructed in three months. The results demonstrated the practicability, simplicity, reliability, scalability, flexibility, and reproducibility of the system in the fast construction of a high-quality phage display library.

Background: Atrial-esophageal fistula (AEF) is a complication of catheter ablation procedures for atrial fibrillation. Esophageal luminal devices (ELDs) may potentially mitigate the risk of developing an AEF by preventing thermal injury, yet their impact on the esophagus-left atrium (LA) relationship is unknown. Objective: This study will investigate the changes, if any, that occur in the LA-esophageal relationship upon insertion of an ELD prototype. Methods: Twelve fresh cadaveric torsos were scanned, via computed tomography (CT), with and without an ELD. Esophageal width and anterior-posterior dimension (APD) were digitally measured and compared within specimens. 3D reconstructions of the LA and esophagus were used for a spatial analysis of their relationship. Translational movements of the esophagus were also noted from reconstructions. Results: Minimal esophageal translation was noted in seven (58%) specimens, leftwards deviation in three (25%) specimens, and posterior deviation in two (17%) specimens. One or both of esophageal width and APD increased in eleven (92%) specimens but did not always lead to an increase in surface contact at the posterior LA. In addition, leftwards or posterior deviation of the esophagus was associated with a reduction in surface contact, with the latter reducing contact completely. Furthermore, the anterior esophagus-LA distance was a good predictor of surface contact changes. Conclusions: This study is the first to provide a comprehensive understanding of changes in the esophagus-LA relationship as it pertains to the use of ELDs. Heterogeneity in morphological and translational changes of the esophagus suggest the need for considering anatomical variations in the design of medical devices.