The prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) is forecasted to increase manifold, emphasizing the need for efficacious treatments. Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) to eliminate ectopic triggers is now established as a fundamental component of the invasive treatment of AF, however its efficacy in persistent AF remains suboptimal. The atrial myocardium undergoes adverse fibrotic remodeling as AF progresses, favoring arrhythmia initiation and maintenance. Reductions in left atrial bipolar voltage have been suggested to identify regions of such pathological remodeling, and represent novel targets for ablation to target the arrhythmogenic substrate. Early observational studies targeting these low voltage areas (LVA) have been encouraging, however results from more recent randomized trials are more mixed. Importantly, there is significant heterogeneity in the techniques for identifying LVAs and the strategies for ablation. In reality, the atrial arrhythmogenic substrate is multi-faceted rather than being limited to fibrosis and there remains uncertainty as to how accurately LVAs represent regions of fibrosis. Additionally, bipolar voltage is influenced by numerous physiological and biophysical factors. The present review summarizes the current evidence for LVA ablation in AF. We then analyze the components of the atrial arrhythmic substrate, its relationship to LVAs and the limitations in LVA assessment. Finally we discuss novel techniques for delineating the atrial substrate.

For the government to safeguard public health, it must regulate healthcare providers because medical procedures and interventions are fraught with the risk of death and immeasurable mental and physical harm. In recent years, cosmetic surgery has gained popularity in Nigeria. This has led to an increase in the number of medical practitioners who have been drawn into the market since it is seen as highly profitable. This paper examines the existing laws regulating cosmetic surgery in Nigeria. It finds that the extant law regulating medical practice in Nigeria increases the risk of harm to patients because it allows any doctor with a medical license to practice as a cosmetic surgeon without undertaking specialized training in cosmetic procedures. It therefore argues that there is a need for a law that will ensure that only doctors with specialized skills in cosmetic surgery are allowed to practice as cosmetic surgeons.

Vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia (VaIN) always diagnosed through coloscopy accidentally when the cervical cancer screening was abnormal. A precise estimate of the detection rate of cervical cancer screening for VaIN is limited. This study to investigated the characteristics and screening history of VaIN, and compared the sensitivity of cytology and human papillomavirus tests on the cervix against vaginal and cervical high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) or cancer. A total of 1200 patients with definitive histopathologic diagnoses of VaIN were included in this study. Among them, 22.5% were diagnosed with VaIN2+, and 50.4% were concomitant with cervical lesions. The median age of VaIN2+ patients was 41.5 years old , while VaIN1 reported a median age of 53 years old , p＜0.001. This study reported that VaIN was significantly and positively correlated with cervical lesions (r=0.387). The high-risk human papillomavirus (hr-HPV) detection rate was 88.5% (883/998) in VaIN and 95.4% in VaIN2+. HPV 16 was the most prevalent HPV type in VaIN2+, which accounted for 54.5%, followed by HPV58 (17.0%), HPV52 (14.8%), HPV51 (11.4%), and HPV18 (10.2%). The sensitivity of hr-HPV and cytology tests on the cervix for detecting VaIN2+ was 95.0% and 84.9%, respectively. Both tests were not significantly different from detecting CIN2+. When the cervical cancer screening is abnormal and referring to colposcopy, acetic acid and Lugol’s iodine need to cover the whole vaginal mucosa as well as the fornix, attention need to be paid for the abnormal images of vagina in order to find VaIN.

Monkeypox is a viral zoonosis caused by monkeypox virus, an orthopoxvirus, structurally related to smallpox virus. Characterised by skin lesions such as rashes, concentrated on face, palms & soles. Two distinct clades are West African clade and Congo Basin clade, also called central African clade. Enveloped brick shaped virus, replicated in cytoplasm. Both humoral and cell mediated immunity are seen.Diagnosed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and various serological tests.Now a days supportive treatment is given along with antiviral drugs. Smallpox vaccines have role in protection, recently new Mpox vaccines are approved by FDA.Researches are needed to understand the effectiveness of treatment & prevention. This review consists of an updated version of monkeypox in human life in context of ongoing outbreaks around the world.

Adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) have acquired a central role in modern medicine as delivery agents for gene therapies targeting rare diseases. While new AAVs with improved tissue targeting, potency, and safety are being introduced, their biomanufacturing technology is lagging. The AAV purification pipeline, in particular, hinges on protein ligands for the affinity-based capture step: while featuring excellent AAV binding capacity and selectivity, these ligands require strong acid (pH <3) elution conditions, which can compromise the product’s activity and stability; additionally, their high cost and limited lifetime has a significant impact on the price tag of AAV-based therapies. Seeking to introduce a more robust and affordable – yet equally effective – affinity technology, this study introduces a cohort of peptide ligands that (i) mimic the biorecognition activity of the AAV receptor (AAVR) and anti-AAV antibody A20, while (ii) enabling product elution under near-physiological conditions (pH 6.0) and (iii) granting extended reusability by withstanding multiple regenerations. A20-mimetic CYIHFSGYTNYNPSLKSC and AAVR-mimetic CVIDGSQSTDDDKIC demonstrated excellent capture of serotypes belonging to distinct clones/clades – AAV1, AAV2, AAV5, AAV6, AAV8, and AAV9 – corroborating the in silico models documenting their ability to target regions of the viral capsid that are conserved across all serotypes. CVIDGSQSTDDDKIC-Toyopearl resin features binding capacity (~1014 vp per mL) and product yields (~60-80%) on par with commercial adsorbents, and purified AAV2 from HEK293 and Sf9 cell lysates affording high recovery (up to 78%) and reduction of host cell proteins (up to 700-fold), and high transduction activity (up to 65%) of the purified vectors.

Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is a common chronic degenerative and disabling spinal disease in which the inflammatory response plays a crucial role. Rebamipide (REB) prevents gastric mucosal damage by suppressing inflammatory cytokines via the NF-κB signaling pathway. The aim of this study was to investigate how REB affects the pathological process of IVD degeneration. In our study, nucleus pulposus tissue and cells were obtained from patients and mice, and western blotting, real-time PCR, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, histological staining, and flow cytometry were used to identify the mechanism of REB in TNF-α-induced IVD degeneration, demonstrating that TNF-α induced lumbar disc degeneration and REB prevented lumbar disc degeneration induced by the TNF-α pathway. REB inhibited TNF-α-mediated degradation of the extracellular matrix and protected the inflammatory responses of TNF-α-induced disc degeneration. Furthermore, a mechanistic study verified that REB could suppress TNF-α-mediated disc degeneration through the NF-κB signaling pathway. The role of REB in disc degeneration in vivo was validated using a needle puncture model in rats. Overall, REB inhibited lumbar disc degeneration by suppressing inflammatory responses via the NF-κB signaling pathway. REB provides a potential therapeutic treatment for back pain due to IVDD.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between plasma levels of thrombin-activated fibrinolytic inhibitor (TAFI) and recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) in varying conditions of anti-thyroid antibodies (ATA), and to provide appropriate recommendations for RSA prevention. Design: Retrospective case-control study. Setting：Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shengjing Hospital, China Medical University. Sample: There were 1068 subjects in this retrospective study, including 402 RSA patients and 666 controls. Methods: Collected case records from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology from January 2020 to March 2022 for comparative analysis between cases and controls. Main outcome measures: Patients’ socio-demographic factors, plasma TAFI levels, ATA status, including thyroid peroxidase antibodies (Anti-TPO) and thyroglobulin antibodies (Anti-TG), thyroid function, coagulation function, and so on. Multivariate adjusted conditional logistic regression and restricted cubic spline (RCS) models were applied to evaluate odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) between plasma TAFI levels and the risk of RSA under different ATA conditions according to the normal reference range of plasma TAFI levels (24-35ug/ml). Results: Compared to normal TAFI levels (as reference), low TAFI levels (<24ug/ml) had a significantly increased risk of RSA, which was shown in the Anti-TPO positive group (OR, 2.15; 95% CI, 1.221-3.785; P=0.008), Anti-TPO negative group (OR, 1.429; 95% CI, 1.032-1.98; P = 0.032), and Anti-TG positive group (OR, 2.215; 95% CI, 1.265-3.878; P = 0.005). In addition, the RSC model showed that plasma TAFI levels showed a linear negative dose relationship with the risk of RSA. Conclusions: The study indicates that pregnant women with plasma TAFI levels below the normal range, especially those who are ATA positive, are at a higher risk of developing RSA. These findings suggest the need to develop prevention recommendations.

An improved coot optimization algorithm is proposed for wireless sensor networks (WSNs) coverage optimization. To monitor the interest field and obtain the valid data, a wireless sensor network coverage model is established. The population is initialized with cubic map and opposition-based learning strategy. The leader population is reversely learned dimension by dimension, so as to improve the diversity of the population and the global optimization ability of the algorithm. The simplex method is introduced to optimize the local exploration of the population. The experimental results show that the enhanced coot optimization algorithm for coverage optimization in wireless sensor networks can reduce energy consumption and improve network coverage.

Background: The role and benefit of yittrium-90 (Y-90) remain in question amongst patients with metastatic chemo-refractory colorectal liver metastases (CRLM). We aim to report a complete experience and outcomes following lobar, segmental, combination administration, and repeated Y-90 radioembolizations utilizing a minimal prescribed dose in the treatment of CRLM. Methods and Results: This is a retrospective analysis of all patients who underwent Y-90 radioembolization of CRLM at a single institution. Tumor response was evaluated using a modified RECIST criteria 2-6 months post-radioembolization. Progression-free survival (PFS) was the primary outcome of interest. Tumor response, conversion to resectable disease, and overall survival (OS) were analyzed as a secondary outcomes. 4 rectal and 7 colonic adenocarcinoma CRLM patients with significant previous systemic therapy exposure were included. The median tumor number and size was 3 and 4.0 cm, respectively. 7 segmental and 12 lobar radioembolizations were performed (range 1-6 per patient) with a mean administered activity of 22.1 mCi. Tumor regression occurred in 71.4% of cases with 4 complete radiographic responses. The median hepatic PFS was 5.5 months. The median OS from the time of primary cancer diagnosis and initial Y-90 was 3.2 and 1.2 years, respectively. 18% of initially unresectable patients were converted to surgically resectable. Conclusions: Y-90 results in reliable tumor regression and repeated radioembolizations are safe when conservative doses are utilized in a multidisciplinary setting. This study supports the ‘neoadjuvant’ use of Y-90 to allow for the conversion of borderline resectable patients to resectable. The results suggest that Y-90 maybe associated with an OS benefit in chem-refractory CRLM patients.

Late inflammatory monocytes define circulatory immune dysregulation observed in skin microbiome-stratified atopic dermatitisTo the Editor,Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a skin inflammatory disorder well described for significant disease heterogeneity. (1) Previously, we defined steady-state microbial configurations dermotypes A and B that robustly reflected heterogeneity in AD clinical severity, cutaneous barrier properties and skin microbiome composition. (2) Here, we explored circulating immune dysregulation underlying dermotype-stratified AD.We performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of PBMCs from healthy subjects with dermotype A (n = 4) and AD patients with dermotypes A (n = 4) and B (n = 6).  UMAP reduction distinguished 13 major immune clusters using transcriptional profile differences, identified using DISCO CELLiD (3) and top differentially expressed genes (DEGs; Supplementary Figure 1A ). Major clusters corroborated well across all groups as a testimony to limited sample distortion by inter-individual or batch effects (Supplementary Figure 1B ). Critically, AD patients harboured a marked enrichment in monocyte population cluster 1, whereby dermotype stratification saw a further enrichment in dermotype B (Supplementary Figure 1B ).To reveal finer expression details, we sub-clustered myeloid cells, obtaining 11 sub-populations whose identities were similarly assigned following DISCO CELLiD and top DEGs (Supplementary Figure 1C ). Clusters with low cell counts and not of myeloid origin were removed prior to down sampling for normalisation, yielding 7 myeloid clusters of interest. Majority of clusters represent CD14+ monocytes except for clusters 5 and 7 corresponding to CD16+ monocytes and conventional dendritic cells (cDC) respectively (Figure 1A ). CD14+ monocytes segregated into 4 transcriptionally distinct states (Figure 1A and B ): early activation monocytes expressing proinflammatory alarmins (S100A8 and S100A12; clusters 0 and 1), transitional monocytes concomitantly expressing alarmins and chemokines (S100A12 and CCL3; cluster 2), intermediate monocytes expressing antigen presentation genes (HLA-DPB1 andHLA-DPA1 ; cluster 3), and late inflammatory monocytes expressing proinflammatory cytokines (IL1B, CCL3 and TNF ; cluster 4,Supplementary Figure 1D ) (4, 5). Late inflammatory monocytes (cluster 4) were notably enriched in AD dermotype B (Figure 1A and C ) and exhibited upregulation in MHC class II (HLA-DQA2, HLA-DQB1 ), monocyte-related (ITGAM, FGD2 ) and proinflammatory genes (CCL4L2, CCL3L1 and CCL20 ), suggestive of inflammatory dysregulation (Figure 1D and Supplementary Table 1 ). Taken together, dermotype stratification addressed part of the cellular heterogeneity observed in circulating immune profiles, characterised particularly by late inflammatory monocytes enrichment in dermotype B.Complimenting scRNA-seq findings with CytoFLEX (Supplementary Figure 2A ), unstimulated PBMCs were stained and secretion of inflammatory cytokines CCL3, CCL4, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-8 was monitored (Supplementary Table 2 ). Cytokine secretion by classical (CD14+ CD16-) monocytes were significantly elevated in AD compared to healthy controls (Figures 2A, B and Supplementary Figure 2B ). Atopy-relevant cell types were examined, revealing similar levels between AD dermotypes A and B but elevated presence of Th2 and Th2a in AD dermotype B as opposed to healthy controls (Figures 2C and D ). The reverse was observed for NK and ILC3s, where AD subjects with dermotype B registered cell deficiencies (Figures 2E and F ). Comparing between AD dermotypes, IL3Cs were significantly diminished in dermotype B (Figure 2F ). Healthy and AD subjects harbouring dermotype A shared similar expression of aforementioned cells, suggesting that disease alone could not differentiate immune dysregulation observed. Next, we quantified 92 inflammatory biomarkers in plasma using Olink Proteomics Proximity Extension Assay (PEA) Target 96 Inflammation Panel. AD subjects recorded significantly higher expression of TNF-associated cytokines TRANCE and TRAIL, monocyte chemoattractant MCP-4, IL-18, and IL-2 than healthy controls (Figures 2G-J and Supplementary Figure 2C ). Noticeably, higher basal abundance of TRANCE and MCP-4 was observed in AD dermotype B than dermotype A (Figures 2G and I ), lending additional support to circulatory immune dysregulation previously observed in inflammatory monocytes.Our findings provide unique insights into immune heterogeneity underlying AD patients stratified by defined skin microbiome configurations. Definingly, dermotype B is characterised by microbial dysbiosis with reduced species richness, fewer commensal species and increased presence of S. aureus virulence genes. (2) Rather than atopy-relevant Type 2 cells, late inflammatory monocytes demonstrated a striking enrichment in AD dermotype B, particularly in the upregulation of proinflammatory cytokine transcripts. Coupled with skin microbial dysbiosis that increases cutaneous exposure to potent allergic inflammation inducers such as δ-toxin (2, 6), immune dysregulation directed by monocytes could predispose AD skin towards flare predisposition and clinical severity as observed in dermotype B. Basal secretion levels of proinflammatory cytokines by classical monocytes are elevated in AD regardless of dermotype, suggesting higher baseline inflammation driven by disease. While no stimulation was conducted here, earlier reports have demonstrated that LPS activation of monocytes upregulates transcriptional expression of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β, CCL3 and IL-8. (4) Similarly, heightened proinflammatory cytokines and monocyte-related proteins were detected in plasma of AD dermotype B compared to dermotype A subjects, validating scRNA-seq findings of monocyte-driven immune dysregulation and inflammation.Collectively, circulatory immune profiling of dermotypes, defined by alterations in skin microbiota compositions, suggest a pathophysiological role for inflammatory monocytes. Future studies are needed to ascertain the functional and mechanistic roles of late inflammatory monocytes in dermotype-stratified AD. Importantly, our study highlights the potential clinical utility of dermotype stratification to indicate the cellular basis for increased inflammation and exacerbated immune dysregulation, setting precedence for better understanding of disease prognosis.

Introduction:Necrotizing Fasciitis (NF) is an aggressive, life threatening, soft tissue infection with an incidence of 0.5 – 1.5 cases per 100,000 population [1]. It is usually due to synergetic polymicrobial infection. Most common causes of NF are trauma, urinary tract disease and perineal abscess [1]. Treatment involves early surgical debridement of infected tissue followed by broad-spectrum antimicrobial therapy and supportive measures [2]. However only few cases of NF associated with intestinal diseases such as perforated colon cancer have been reported [1]. We present a case of colonic cancer complicated by NF of the thigh.

Researchers have proposed including more indicators in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) prediction. This study developed a predictive model for the GDP of Nigeria by considering indicators such as healthcare spending, net migration, population, life expectancy, electricity access, and individuals using the internet in Nigeria. The study utilised a dataset of GDP and relevant economic and non-economic indicators from 2000 to 2021. Machine learning algorithms, including Random Forest Regressor, XGboost Regressor, and Linear Regression Analysis, were used to build predictive models and evaluate their performance. The results show that all the independent variables highly correlate with GDP and that the Random Forest Regressor outperforms the other algorithms in GDP prediction. The Random Forest Regressor with R 2 of 0.96 and Mean Absolute Error (MAE) of 24.29 is suitable for predicting Nigeria’s GDP in this context and that initiatives to improve healthcare, electricity access, internet access, and population could bolster the country’s economic growth.

Hydrological models are used to represent the hydrological cycle occurring in a basin. How accurately the hydrological model reflects reality is related to good calibration of the model. In this study, the SWAT hydrological model was used to simulate the streamflow of the Mudurnu River basin in the Black Sea Region of Turkiye for the period 1978-1995. The first 3 years between 1978-1980 were introduced to the model as a warm-up period. 10 years between 1981-1990 were chosen as the calibration period and 5 years between 1991-1995 as the validation period.SWAT-CUP’s SUFI-2 algorithm was used in the study for multi (Gebes and Dokurcun stations) and single-site (Gebes station) model calibration and validation for monthly time steps. The single and multi-site calibration results for Gebes station for the monthly simulation for the period 1981-1990 showed excellent model performance for flow rates with R2 of 0.91 and 0.90, respectively, with NSE values of 0.91, 0.90; PBIAS values of -4.0, 1.6 and RSR values of 0.30 and 0.32. The single and multi-site validation results for Gebes station for the monthly simulation for the 1991-1995 period are 0.87 and 0.87 R2, NSE values are 0.87, 0.87; PBIAS values are -3.6, 3.7 and RSR values are 0.36 and 0.36, respectively. When the calibration and validation results were analyzed, it was observed that there was no significant difference between single-site and multi-site calibration approaches. Based on this situation, it can be said that there are no significant differences between single- and multi-site calibration approaches in small basins, and calibration with the flow gauging station at the basin outlet will not pose a problem in terms of model reliability.

Fibroblast growth factor 10 (FGF10) is a signaling molecule with a well-established role for lung branching morphogenesis. Rare heterozygous, deleterious variants in the FGF10 gene are known causes of the lacrimo-auriculo-dento-digital (LADD) syndrome as well as aplasia of lacrimal and salivary glands (ALSG). Previous studies indicate that pathogenic variants in FGF10 can cause lethal human developmental disorders of the lung, but reports on diffuse lung disease caused by pathogenic variants in the FGF10 gene are lacking. We describe four children with postnatal onset of severe diffuse lung disease and heterozygous variants in FGF10, each detected by whole exome or whole genome sequencing. All children presented with postnatal respiratory failure. Two children died within the first 2 days of life, one patient died at age of 12 years and one patient is alive at age of six years, but still symptomatic. One patient presented signs of severe dental caries suggestive for ALSG or LADD-syndrome. Histopathological analysis of lung biopies from the two children with early postpartum demise revealed diffuse developmental disorder representing acinar dysplasia. Sequential biopsies of the child with survival until the age of 12 years revealed alveolar simplification and progressive interstitial fibrosis. Our report extends the phenotype of FGF10-related disorders to diffuse developmental disorders of the lung and early onset lung fibrosis. Therefore, FGF10-related disorder should be considered even without previously described syndromic stigmata in children with postnatal respiratory distress, not only when leading to death in the neonatal period but also in case of persistent respiratory complaints.

A document by Alberto Toso. Click on the document to view its contents.

Suicide is a stigmatized and marginalized act by society that damages the lives of those close to the suicidal person and makes rebuilding their lives difficult. In understanding the social reality after suicide, emotions that are a component of social action play a key role. This study’s fundamental aim is understanding the emotions of those close to the suicidal person and the cultural roots of these emotions. In-depth interviews were conducted with twenty-three individuals who are close to someone who had committed suicide to obtain the necessary data, and the data were analyzed using discourse analysis. The following results were obtained: The most prominent emotion in those close to the suicidal person is anger. This anger is directed towards actors who are indifferent to the problems that led to suicide and towards the individual who committed suicide. Those close to the suicidal person are in a state of anger, shame, fear, guilt, and fear of being blamed due to social stigma and marginalization. The most significant feature of those close to the deceased is the emotional disturbances resulting from the coexistence of opposing emotions.

Macroscopic ‘click’ covalent assembly using azide/alkyne functionalized polymer hydrogels was studied. It is achieved by amplifying chemoselective alkyne-azide click reaction through interfacial multisite interactions. The underlying LEGO-like building process could be generalized with the help of click chemistry. Macroscopic assembly of hydrogels via host–guest chemistry or non-covalent interactions such as electrostatic interactions has been reported. Unlike macroscopic supramolecular assembly, here we report visible ‘click’ covalent assembly of hydrogels at macroscale. PAAm hydrogels modified with alkyne and azide groups, respectively, can click together via formation of covalent bonds. Monomer concentration-dependent assembly and selective covalent assembly have been conducted. Notably, macroscopic gel assembly clearly elucidates the substrate selectivity not observed in the solution reactions of competing monomers.

This study aimed to explore the neural mechanism underlying high-altitude (HA) adaptation and deadaptation on perceptual processes in lowlanders. Eighteen healthy lowlanders were administered a facial S1-S2 matching task that included incomplete face (S1) and complete face (S2) photographs, combined with ERP technology. Participants were tested shortly before they went to HA at sea level (Test 1), twenty-five days after entering HA (Test 2), one week (Test 3) and one month (Test 4) after returning to lowlands. Compared with sea level baseline, shorter latencies of P1 and N170 and larger amplitudes of complete face N170 were found in HA. After returning to sea level, compared with HA, the amplitude of the incomplete face P1 was smaller after one week and the complete face was smaller after one month. The right hemisphere N170 amplitude was larger after entering HA and one week after returning to sea level compared to baseline, but it returned to baseline after one month. Taken together, the current findings suggest that HA adaptation increases visual cortex excitation to accelerate perceptual processing. More mental resources are recruited during the configural encoding stage of complete faces after HA exposure. The perceptual processes affected by HA exposure is reversible after returning to sea level, but the low-level processing stage is different between incomplete and complete faces due to neural compensation mechanisms. The configural encoding stage in the right hemisphere is affected by HA exposure and requires more than one week but less than one month to recover to baseline

Background: In applied psychophysiology, bootstrapping procedures are often used to classify individuals into one of two or more independent states (e.g., high risk vs low risk). Although the number of iterations required for a reliable bootstrap test is not universally agreed upon, some research (Rosenfeld et al., 2017b) suggests that 100 iterations is a sufficient number to obtain reliable results when analyzing P300 from a concealed information test. However, no study to-date has evaluated the diagnostic consistency of the 100 iterations test across repeated examinations. Methods: We evaluated the precision of the 100 iteration test by repeating the test 100 times per participant in a sample of 81 participants. The test was designed to classify participants as either knowledgeable or not knowledgeable of critical information related to a mock crime. Results: We found that the test provided variable classifications in approximately a quarter of our sample (n = 19/81 or 23%), specifically when a participant’s score presented near the diagnostic cutpoint. Moreover, the test’s diagnostic results varied by as much as +/-15%, in certain cases. Conclusion: Although the test provided reliable results for the majority of our sample, this was not true for a notable number of cases. We recommend that researchers report the variability of their diagnostic metrics and integrate this variability when classifying individuals. We discuss several simple examples of how to take variability into account when making classifications, such as by calculating the probability of one classification state over another given the data.

13C-Breath testing is increasingly used in physiology and ecology research because of what it reveals about the different fuels that animals oxidize to meet their energetic demands. Here we review the practice of 13C-breath testing in humans and other animals and describe the impact that contamination that ambient/background CO 2 in the air can have on the accuracy of 13C-breath measurements. We briefly discuss physical methods to avoid sample contamination as well as the Keeling plot approach that researchers have been using for the past two decades to estimate δ 13C from breath samples mixed with ambient CO 2. Unfortunately, Keeling plots are not suited for 13C breath testing in common situations where 1) a subject’s VCO 2 is dynamic 2) ambient [CO 2] may change, 3) a subject is sensitive to hypercapnia, or 4) in any flow-through indirect calorimetry system. As such, we present a mathematical solution that addresses these issues by using information about the instantaneous [CO 2] and the δ 13CO 2 of ambient air as well as the diluted breath sample to back-calculate the δ 13CO 2 in the CO 2 exhaled by the animal. We validate this approach by titrating a sample of 13C-enriched gas into an air stream and demonstrate its ability to provide accurate values across a wide range of breath and air mixtures. Researchers can now instantaneously calculate the δ 13C of alveolar gas of humans or animals in real time without having to scrub ambient CO 2 or rely on estimated values.

Rationale: The structures of organometallic complexes determine their stable functioning in product performance. Electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) is used in studying metal complexes, but it exhibits limitations in analyzing labile organometallics. Therefore, identifying a method of detecting unstable organometallics and evaluating their stabilities is necessary, providing a theoretical basis for material selection and performance evaluation. Methods: The standard complexes Zn(BTZ) 2, Fe(acac) 3, and Sn(Oct) 2 were analyzed using nanoelectrospray ionization-quadrupole orbitrap MS (nanoESI-MS) and compared with ESI-MS. Alkylamine-Ag + complexes were analyzed using nanoESI and collision-induced dissociation MS/MS (CID-MS/MS). Breakdown plots of the ion relative abundances against collision energies expressed in terms of the center-of-mass were constructed according to the obtained product ion spectra. Quantum chemical calculations based on density functional theory were performed to calculate the binding energies between the alkylamines and Ag +. Results: The molecular ions of the three standard complexes were only detected using nanoESI-MS, which confirmed the suitability of soft nanoESI for use in detecting unstable organometallics. The gas-phase stabilities of the amine-Ag + complexes, as estimated using the breakdown plots constructed by plotting the data obtained via nanoESI and CID-MS/MS, were consistent with the established theories, previous studies, and binding energies calculated using computational methods. Conclusions: NanoESI-MS is suitable for detecting labile organometallics and enables the structural analyses of unknown organometallic additives. A novel approach based on nanoESI and CID-MS/MS was developed to determine the gas-phase stabilities of organometallics, enabling their quantification and comparison and providing a technical basis for product improvement, which is essential in developing industrial materials.

Shenling Baizhu Granule, a traditional Chinese medicine prescription comprising Renshen, Gancao, and Shanyao, has been widely consumed in China nowadays. However, its pharmacopoeia quality-marker (Q-marker) has not been defined nowadays. The study thus used a novel strategy, i.e., library-based ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-orbitrap mass spectrometry, to analyze its lyophilized aqueous powder. The strategy has simultaneously and putatively 77 compounds; Especially, 32 isomeric compounds have been strictly distinguished, including ferulic acid and isoferulic acid; liquiritigenin and isoliquiritigenin; 3,4-dicaffeoylquinic acid and 4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid; schaftoside and isoschaftoside; ginsenoside Re and ginsenoside Rd; ginsenoside Rc and ginsenoside Rb2; daidzein and 7,4’-dihydroxyflavone; luteolin and kaempferol; butin and S-naringenin; calycosin and prunetin; isovitexin and cosmosiin; orientin and quercitrin; costunolide and alantolactone; 2’-hydroxydaidzein, genistein, and apigenin; ginsenoside Rg2, 20R-ginsenoside Rg3, and 20S-ginsenoside Rg3. In addition, 45 non-isomeric compounds have been also putatively identified. Combining with the quantum chemistry calculation and UV-vis spectra scanning results, 4 compounds are recommended as pharmacopoeia Q-marker candidates, including glycyrrhizic acid, ginsenoside Re, ginsenoside Rb1, and diosgenin. The four can be used to qualitatively assess the materials of Renshen, Gancao, and Shanyao, to prevent possible adulterant.

A document by Tanmoy Chakraborty. Click on the document to view its contents.

Geometric morphometrics and mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) DNA barcoding are crucial for identifying closely related cryptic carangid species. We integrated both taxonomic methods for promising identification within selected carangid groups, trevallies (Turrum coeruleopinnatum, Platycaranx malabaricus, and Atropus hedlandensis) and scads (Selar crumenophthalmus, Selar boops, and Atule mate). Despite a plethora of carangid barcode data, the knowledge bridge on carangid evolutionary footprints provides limited information on their origin, evolution, and distribution. Procrustes-defined data derived from shape differences between species and between morphs within species were analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA) and canonical variate analysis (CVA) (P < 0.0001), and were independent of intraspecific variation. Geometric morphometric clustering was evaluated using mtDNA COI barcoding, and each morph/species cluster was found to be compatible with the corresponding species. Average Kimura 2- Parameter (K2P) divergences were obtained in accordance with taxonomic hierarchy and were consistent with the 2% species delimitation: conspecific, congeneric, confamilial divergences were 0.28%, 4.50%, and 11.90% respectively and intraspecific and interspecific divergences were in the ranges (0.00-0.60)% and (2.10-18.70)% respectively. The greatest divergence was observed between the Indian and Indo-Australian Archipelago (IAA) individuals, whereas the lowest divergence was observed between the common ancestral cluster and IAA individuals. However, both consolidated taxonomic approaches provided a clear resolution of the selected carangid species over cryptic speciation. The origin of the carangid ancestor and its centered distribution in the IAA region are well described by regional characteristic divergences and are further explained by the center of origin and overlap hypotheses.