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Omega Sep 2023While extensive research exists on parental loss in childhood and the related psychological interventions, little has been done in the adolescent population. Adolescence... (Review)
Review
While extensive research exists on parental loss in childhood and the related psychological interventions, little has been done in the adolescent population. Adolescence is a particular phase of life characterized by a singular psychological, emotional, neurological, and endocrinological development, paralleled by the process of self-affirmation and an opening toward social relationships. This complex neuropsychological phase should thus be understood independently from children and adults. The objective of this work was to review the literature studying the impacts of parental loss in adolescents. The current review identified a wide range of behavioral and emotional responses to parental death in adolescence, including depression, suicidal ideations, anxiety, insomnia, addiction and impaired function at school and home. The role of peers, school life, and family and social environment are important for the recovery from loss. More studies are required to better understand the different psychological trajectories in adolescence after parental death and tailor mental health interventions accordingly.
Topics: Adolescent; Humans; Anxiety; Anxiety Disorders; Bereavement; Mental Health; Parental Death; Parents
PubMed: 34324402
DOI: 10.1177/00302228211033661 -
Annals of Botany Dec 2023A general view in the study of pollination syndromes is that floral traits usually represent convergent floral adaptations to specific functional pollinator groups.... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
A general view in the study of pollination syndromes is that floral traits usually represent convergent floral adaptations to specific functional pollinator groups. However, the definition of convergence is elusive and contradictory in the literature. Is convergence the independent evolution of either the same trait or similar traits with the same function? A review of the concept of convergence in developmental biology and phylogenetic systematics may shed new light in studies of pollination syndromes.
SCOPE
The aims of this article are (1) to explore the notion of convergence and other concepts (analogy, homoplasy and parallelism) within the theory and practice of developmental evolution and phylogenetic systematics; (2) to modify the definitions of syndromes in order to embrace the concepts of analogy and convergence; (3) to revisit the bat pollination syndrome in the context of angiosperm phylogeny, with focus on the showy 'petaloid' organs associated with the syndrome; (4) to revisit the genetic-developmental basis of flower colour; (5) to raise evolutionary hypotheses of floral evolution associated with the bat pollination syndrome; and (6) to highlight some of the current frontiers of research on the origin and evolution of flowers and its impact on pollination syndrome studies in the 21st century.
CONCLUSIONS
The inclusion of the concepts of analogy and convergence within the concept of syndromes will constitute a new agenda of inquiry that integrates floral biology, phylogenetic systematics and developmental biology. Phyllostomid and pteropodid bat pollination syndrome traits in eudicots and monocots represent cases of analogous and convergent evolution. Pollination syndromes are a multivariate concept intrinsically related to the understanding of flower organogenesis and evolution. The formulation of hypotheses of pollination syndromes must consider the phylogenetic levels of universality for both plant and animal taxa, flower development, genetics, homology and evolution, and a clear definition of evolutionary concepts, including analogy, convergence, homoplasy and parallelism.
Topics: Animals; Pollination; Phylogeny; Chiroptera; Phenotype; Reproduction; Flowers
PubMed: 37814841
DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcad147 -
BMC Anesthesiology Sep 2023Endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation are prevalent interventions in the operating room and intensive care unit. Recently, the complications of endotracheal... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
Comparison of the effect of pressure control and volume control ventilation on endotracheal tube cuff pressure in patients undergoing general anesthesia and mechanical ventilation: a parallel randomized clinical trial.
BACKGROUND
Endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation are prevalent interventions in the operating room and intensive care unit. Recently, the complications of endotracheal tube cuff pressure have been a topic of interest. Therefore, this study compared the effect of pressure control and volume control ventilation modes on the endotracheal cuff pressure rate in patients undergoing general anesthesia and mechanical ventilation.
METHODS
In this triple-blinded randomized clinical trial, 50 patients undergoing open limb surgery and inguinal hernia were allocated to two groups of 25 based on inclusion criteria. After intubation, one group underwent ventilation on the pressure control ventilation mode, and the other underwent ventilation on the volume control ventilation mode. In both groups, using a manometer, the cuff's pressure was first adjusted in the range of 25-30 cm of water. Then, the cuff pressure was measured at 10, 20, and 30 min intervals. The data were statistically analyzed using independent t-test, and two-way repeated measures ANOVA.
RESULTS
The present study's findings showed that cuff pressure has significantly decreased over time in both study groups (F = 117.7, P < 0.001). However, a repeated measures ANOVA with a Greenhouse-Geisser correction showed no interaction between time and groups (F = 0.019, P = 0.98). The two groups had no significant difference in cuff pressure (F = 0.56, P = 0.458).
CONCLUSION
Since the cuff pressure has been significantly reduced in both groups over time, continuous monitoring of endotracheal tube cuff pressure in patients undergoing mechanical ventilation is essential. Therefore, it is suggested to keep the cuff pressure within the recommended range to prevent complications resulting from cuff pressure reduction, such as aspiration and ventilation decrease.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
The study was registered in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trial on 23/02/2019 (trial registration number: IRCT20181018041376N1).
Topics: Humans; Respiration, Artificial; Iran; Respiration; Intubation, Intratracheal; Anesthesia, General
PubMed: 37670235
DOI: 10.1186/s12871-023-02263-1 -
ELife Jul 2023Microorganism sensing of and responding to ambient chemical gradients regulates a myriad of microbial processes that are fundamental to ecosystem function and human...
Microorganism sensing of and responding to ambient chemical gradients regulates a myriad of microbial processes that are fundamental to ecosystem function and human health and disease. The development of efficient, high-throughput screening tools for microbial chemotaxis is essential to disentangling the roles of diverse chemical compounds and concentrations that control cell nutrient uptake, chemorepulsion from toxins, and microbial pathogenesis. Here, we present a novel microfluidic multiplexed chemotaxis device (MCD) which uses serial dilution to simultaneously perform six parallel bacterial chemotaxis assays that span five orders of magnitude in chemostimulant concentration on a single chip. We first validated the dilution and gradient generation performance of the MCD, and then compared the measured chemotactic response of an established bacterial chemotaxis system () to a standard microfluidic assay. Next, the MCD's versatility was assessed by quantifying the chemotactic responses of different bacteria () to different chemoattractants and chemorepellents. The MCD vastly accelerates the chemotactic screening process, which is critical to deciphering the complex sea of chemical stimuli underlying microbial responses.
Topics: Humans; Microfluidics; Chemotaxis; Microfluidic Analytical Techniques; Ecosystem; Chemotactic Factors; Escherichia coli
PubMed: 37486823
DOI: 10.7554/eLife.85348 -
Analytica Chimica Acta Sep 2023Water-in-oil droplets allow performing massive experimental parallelization and high-throughput studies, such as single-cell experiments. However, analyzing such vast...
Water-in-oil droplets allow performing massive experimental parallelization and high-throughput studies, such as single-cell experiments. However, analyzing such vast arrays of droplets usually requires advanced expertise and sophisticated workflow tools, which limits accessibility for a wider user base in the fields of chemistry and biology. Thus, there is a need for more user-friendly tools for droplet analysis. In this article, we deliver a set of analytical pipelines for user-friendly analysis of typical scenarios in droplet experiments. We built pipelines that combine various open-source image-analysis software with a custom-developed data processing tool called "EasyFlow". Our pipelines are applicable to the typical experimental scenarios that users encounter when working with droplets: i) mono- and polydisperse droplets, ii) brightfield and fluorescent images, iii) droplet and object detection, iv) signal profile of droplets and objects (e.g., fluorescence).
Topics: Software; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Coloring Agents; Workflow
PubMed: 37355339
DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2023.341397 -
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Dec 2023Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is sparsely investigated in Arctic populations. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of ulcerative colitis (UC) and...
BACKGROUND
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is sparsely investigated in Arctic populations. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) in Greenland.
METHODS
Cross-sectional nationwide data on demography, anthropometry, biochemistry, and pharmacotherapy were extracted from the electronic medical records in Greenland. Diagnoses of UC and CD were based on International Classification of Diseases-Tenth Revision and International Classification of Primary Care-Second Edition coding and treatment with mesalazine. Data from Statistics Greenland were used for prevalence calculations.
RESULTS
In total, 254 patients in Greenland experienced IBD, with 214 cases of UC and 40 cases of CD. The overall IBD prevalence was 0.45%, distributed as 0.38% with UC and 0.07% with CD. The IBD prevalence was similar across the 5 regions of Greenland. However, a higher prevalence was observed in the region main towns with the largest populations (0.53%) compared with the small towns along the coastline (0.29%). UC patients were prescribed mesalazine treatment with a frequency of 78%. Furthermore, 10% of all IBD patients received treatment with nonspecific immunomodulators and 7% received biologics.
CONCLUSIONS
This study estimates the prevalence and uncovers characteristics of IBD in Greenland. Although CD may be underdiagnosed or less prevalent, the overall prevalence of IBD in Greenland parallels Scandinavian countries and North America. These results boost the knowledge on autoimmune diseases in arctic populations and may guide clinicians in their management of IBD in Greenland. Furthermore, the results may encourage research in IBD across the Arctic regions.
Topics: Humans; Mesalamine; Prevalence; Greenland; Cross-Sectional Studies; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases; Colitis, Ulcerative; Crohn Disease
PubMed: 36702537
DOI: 10.1093/ibd/izad002 -
Chemical Society Reviews Mar 2024Exploration for commercially viable natural hydrogen accumulations within the Earth's crust, here compared to 'foraging' for wild food, holds promise. However, a... (Review)
Review
Exploration for commercially viable natural hydrogen accumulations within the Earth's crust, here compared to 'foraging' for wild food, holds promise. However, a potentially more effective strategy lies in the artificial generation of hydrogen in natural underground reservoirs, akin to 'farming'. Both biotic and abiotic processes can be employed, converting introduced or indigenous components, gases, and nutrients into hydrogen. Through studying natural hydrogen-generating reactions, we can discern pathways for optimized engineering. Some reactions may be inherently slow, allowing for a 'seed and leave' methodology, where sites are infused with gases, nutrients, and specific bacterial strains, then left to gradually produce hydrogen. However, other reactions could offer quicker outcomes to harvest hydrogen. A crucial element of this strategy is our innovative concept of 'X' components-ranging from trace minerals to bioengineered microbes. These designed components enhance biotic and/or abiotic reactions and prove vital in accelerating hydrogen production. Drawing parallels with our ancestors' transition from hunter-gathering to agriculture, we propose a similar paradigm shift in the pursuit of hydrogen energy. As we transition towards a hydrogen-centric energy landscape, the amalgamation of geochemistry, advanced biology, and engineering emerges as a beacon, signalling a pathway towards a sustainable and transformative energy future.
Topics: Hydrogen; Agriculture; Physical Phenomena
PubMed: 38323342
DOI: 10.1039/d3cs00723e -
Nutrients Jul 2023Vitamin D intervention studies are designed to evaluate the impact of the micronutrient vitamin D on health and disease. The appropriate design of studies is essential... (Review)
Review
Vitamin D intervention studies are designed to evaluate the impact of the micronutrient vitamin D on health and disease. The appropriate design of studies is essential for their quality, successful execution, and interpretation. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are considered the "gold standard" for intervention studies. However, the most recent large-scale (up to 25,000 participants), long-term RCTs involving vitamin D did not provide any statistically significant primary results. This may be because they are designed similarly to RCTs of a therapeutic drug but not of a nutritional compound and that only a limited set of parameters per individual were determined. We propose an alternative concept using the segregation of study participants into different groups of responsiveness to vitamin D supplementation and in parallel measuring a larger set of genome-wide parameters over multiple time points. This is in accordance with recently developed mechanistic modeling approaches that do not require a large number of study participants, as in the case of statistical modeling of the results of a RCT. Our experience is based on the vitamin D intervention trials VitDmet, VitDbol, and VitDHiD, which allowed us to distinguish the study participants into high, mid, and low vitamin D responders. In particular, investigating the vulnerable group of low vitamin D responders will provide future studies with more conclusive results both on the clinical and molecular benefits of vitamin D supplementation. In conclusion, our approach suggests a paradigm shift towards detailed investigations of transcriptome and epigenome-wide parameters of a limited set of individuals, who, due to a longitudinal design, can act as their own controls.
Topics: Humans; Cholecalciferol; Vitamin D; Vitamins; Research Design; Dietary Supplements
PubMed: 37571318
DOI: 10.3390/nu15153382 -
Sleep Nov 2023Insufficient sleep is a concerning hallmark of modern society because sleep deprivation (SD) is a risk factor for neurodegenerative and cardiometabolic disorders. SD...
STUDY OBJECTIVES
Insufficient sleep is a concerning hallmark of modern society because sleep deprivation (SD) is a risk factor for neurodegenerative and cardiometabolic disorders. SD imparts an aging-like effect on learning and memory, although little is known about possible common molecular underpinnings of SD and aging. Here, we examine this question by profiling metabolic features across different tissues after acute SD in young adult and aged mice.
METHODS
Young adult and aged mice were subjected to acute SD for 5 hours. Blood plasma, hippocampus, and liver samples were subjected to UPLC-MS/MS-based metabolic profiling.
RESULTS
SD preferentially impacts peripheral plasma and liver profiles (e.g. ketone body metabolism) whereas the hippocampus is more impacted by aging. We further demonstrate that aged animals exhibit SD-like metabolic features at baseline. Hepatic alterations include parallel changes in nicotinamide metabolism between aging and SD in young animals. Overall, metabolism in young adult animals is more impacted by SD, which in turn induces aging-like features. A set of nine metabolites was classified (79% correct) based on age and sleep status across all four groups.
CONCLUSIONS
Our metabolic observations demonstrate striking parallels to previous observations in studies of learning and memory and define a molecular metabolic signature of sleep loss and aging.
Topics: Mice; Animals; Sleep Deprivation; Chromatography, Liquid; Tandem Mass Spectrometry; Sleep; Aging
PubMed: 37738102
DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsad246 -
Medical Physics Mar 2024Lung cancer has the highest morbidity and mortality rate among all types of cancer. Histological subtypes serve as crucial markers for the development of lung cancer and...
BACKGROUND
Lung cancer has the highest morbidity and mortality rate among all types of cancer. Histological subtypes serve as crucial markers for the development of lung cancer and possess significant clinical values for cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and prediction of treatment responses. However, existing studies only dichotomize normal and cancerous tissues, failing to capture the unique characteristics of tissue sections and cancer types.
PURPOSE
Therefore, we have pioneered the classification of lung adenocarcinoma (LAD) cancer tissues into five subtypes (acinar, lepidic, micropapillary, papillary, and solid) based on section data in whole-slide image sections. In addition, a novel model called HybridNet was designed to improve the classification performance.
METHODS
HybridNet primarily consists of two interactive streams: a Transformer and a convolutional neural network (CNN). The Transformer stream captures rich global representations using a self-attention mechanism, while the CNN stream extracts local semantic features to optimize image details. Specifically, during the dual-stream parallelism, the feature maps of the Transformer stream as weights are weighted and summed with those of the CNN stream backbone; at the end of the parallelism, the respective final features are concatenated to obtain more discriminative semantic information.
RESULTS
Experimental results on a private dataset of LAD showed that HybridNet achieved 95.12% classification accuracy, and the accuracy of five histological subtypes (acinar, lepidic, micropapillary, papillary, and solid) reached 94.5%, 97.1%, 94%, 91%, and 99% respectively; the experimental results on the public BreakHis dataset show that HybridNet achieves the best results in three evaluation metrics: accuracy, recall and F1-score, with 92.40%, 90.63%, and 91.43%, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS
The process of classifying LAD into five subtypes assists pathologists in selecting appropriate treatments and enables them to predict tumor mutation burden (TMB) and analyze the spatial distribution of immune checkpoint proteins based on this and other clinical data. In addition, the proposed HybridNet fuses CNN and Transformer information several times and is able to improve the accuracy of subtype classification, and also shows satisfactory performance on public datasets with some generalization ability.
PubMed: 38427790
DOI: 10.1002/mp.17006