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National Science Review Jul 2024Room-temperature superconductivity has been a long-held dream of mankind and a focus of considerable interest in the research field of superconductivity. Significant... (Review)
Review
Room-temperature superconductivity has been a long-held dream of mankind and a focus of considerable interest in the research field of superconductivity. Significant progress has recently been achieved in hydrogen-based superconductors found in superhydrides (hydrides with unexpectedly high hydrogen contents) that are stabilized under high-pressure conditions and are not capturable at ambient conditions. Of particular interest is the discovery of a class of best-ever-known superconductors in clathrate metal superhydrides that hold the record for high superconductivity (e.g. = 250-260 K for LaH) among known superconductors and have great promise to be those that realize the long-sought room-temperature superconductivity. In these peculiar clathrate superhydrides, hydrogen forms unusual 'clathrate' cages containing encaged metal atoms, of which such a kind was first reported in a calcium hexa-superhydride (CaH) showing a measured high of 215 K under a pressure of 170 GPa. In this review, we aim to offer an overview of the current status of research progress on the clathrate metal superhydride superconductors, discuss the superconducting mechanism and highlight the key features (e.g. structure motifs, bonding features, electronic structure, etc.) that govern the high-temperature superconductivity. Future research direction along this line to find room-temperature superconductors will be discussed.
PubMed: 38883291
DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwad270 -
ArXiv Jun 2024Electrical waves in the heart form rotating spiral or scroll waves during life-threatening arrhythmias such as atrial or ventricular fibrillation. The wave dynamics are...
Electrical waves in the heart form rotating spiral or scroll waves during life-threatening arrhythmias such as atrial or ventricular fibrillation. The wave dynamics are typically modeled using coupled partial differential equations, which describe reaction-diffusion dynamics in excitable media. More recently, data-driven generative modeling has emerged as an alternative to generate spatio-temporal patterns in physical and biological systems. Here, we explore denoising diffusion probabilistic models for the generative modeling of electrical wave patterns in cardiac tissue. We trained diffusion models with simulated electrical wave patterns to be able to generate such wave patterns in unconditional and conditional generation tasks. For instance, we explored the diffusion-based i) parameter-specific generation, ii) evolution and iii) inpainting of spiral wave dynamics, including reconstructing three-dimensional scroll wave dynamics from superficial two-dimensional measurements. Further, we generated arbitrarily shaped bi-ventricular geometries and simultaneously initiated scroll wave patterns inside these geometries using diffusion. We characterized and compared the diffusion-generated solutions to solutions obtained with corresponding biophysical models and found that diffusion models learn to replicate spiral and scroll waves dynamics so well that they could be used for data-driven modeling of excitation waves in cardiac tissue. For instance, an ensemble of diffusion-generated spiral wave dynamics exhibits similar self-termination statistics as the corresponding ensemble simulated with a biophysical model. However, we also found that diffusion models {produce artifacts if training data is lacking, e.g. during self-termination,} and `hallucinate' wave patterns when insufficiently constrained.
PubMed: 38883235
DOI: No ID Found -
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews Jun 2024Out-of-body experiences (OBEs) are characterized by the subjective experience of being located outside the physical body. Little is known about the neurophysiology of... (Review)
Review
Out-of-body experiences (OBEs) are characterized by the subjective experience of being located outside the physical body. Little is known about the neurophysiology of spontaneous OBEs, which are often reported by healthy individuals as occurring during states of reduced vigilance, particularly in proximity to or during sleep (sleep-related OBEs). In this paper, we review the current state of research on sleep-related OBEs and hypothesize that maintaining consciousness during transitions from wakefulness to REM sleep (sleep-onset REM periods) may facilitate sleep-related OBEs. Based on this hypothesis, we propose a new conceptual model that potentially describes the relationship between OBEs and sleep states. The model sheds light on the phenomenological differences between sleep-related OBEs and similar states of consciousness, such as lucid dreaming (the realization of being in a dream state) and sleep paralysis (feeling paralyzed while falling asleep or waking up), and explores the potential polysomnographic features underlying sleep-related OBEs. Additionally, we apply the predictive coding framework and suggest a connecting link between sleep-related OBEs and OBEs reported during wakefulness.
PubMed: 38880408
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105770 -
BMC Medicine Jun 2024Seeking and obtaining effective health care for Long COVID remains a challenge in the USA. Women have particularly been impacted, as they are both at higher risk of...
BACKGROUND
Seeking and obtaining effective health care for Long COVID remains a challenge in the USA. Women have particularly been impacted, as they are both at higher risk of developing Long COVID and of facing gendered barriers to having symptoms acknowledged. Long COVID clinics, which provide multidisciplinary and coordinated care, have emerged as a potential solution. To date, however, there has been little examination of U.S. patient experiences with Long COVID clinics and how patients may or may not have come to access care at a Long COVID clinic.
METHODS
We conducted semi-structured interviews with 30 U.S. women aged 18 or older who had experienced Long COVID symptoms for at least 3 months, who had not been hospitalized for acute COVID-19, and who had seen at least one medical provider about their symptoms. Participants were asked about experiences seeking medical care for Long COVID. Long COVID clinic-related responses were analyzed using qualitative framework analysis to identify key themes in experiences with Long COVID clinics.
RESULTS
Of the 30 women, 43.3% (n = 13) had been seen at a Long COVID clinic or by a provider affiliated with a Long COVID clinic and 30.0% (n = 9) had explored or attempted to see a Long COVID clinic but had not been seen at time of interview. Participants expressed five key themes concerning their experiences with seeking care from Long COVID clinics: (1) Access to clinics remains an issue, (2) Clinics are not a one stop shop, (3) Not all clinic providers have sufficient Long COVID knowledge, (4) Clinics can offer validation and care, and (5) Treatment options are critical and urgent.
CONCLUSIONS
While the potential for Long COVID clinics is significant, findings indicate that ongoing barriers to care and challenges related to quality and coordination of care hamper that potential and contribute to distress among women seeking Long COVID care. Since Long COVID clinics are uniquely positioned and framed as being the place to go to manage complex symptoms, it is critical to patient wellbeing that they be properly resourced to provide a level of care that complies with emerging best practices.
Topics: Humans; Female; COVID-19; Middle Aged; Adult; Qualitative Research; United States; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Aged; Health Services Accessibility; SARS-CoV-2; Ambulatory Care Facilities; Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome; Interviews as Topic; Young Adult
PubMed: 38867247
DOI: 10.1186/s12916-024-03465-1 -
Acute and Critical Care May 2024
PubMed: 38863364
DOI: 10.4266/acc.2023.01074 -
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews Jun 2024Changes in sleep and dreams are often observed during pregnancy. Dreaming may represent privileged access to the inner world of individuals, providing relevant... (Review)
Review
Changes in sleep and dreams are often observed during pregnancy. Dreaming may represent privileged access to the inner world of individuals, providing relevant information about their well-being. For this reason, a growing but heterogeneous literature has investigated dream experiences of pregnant women. The present paper aimed to systematically review the available evidence on the relationship between pregnancy and oneric activity, focusing on dream and nightmare frequency, dream contents, and emotional features. Moreover, dream changes between pre-partum and post-partum periods and the impact of previous pregnancy-related adverse events on dreaming have been summarized. Overall, 17 studies have been examined. The reviewed evidence suggests that women tend to have an abundant production of dreams and nightmares during pregnancy, and some results support the view that a high rate of dream recall is associated with poor sleep quality. Most studies have shown a high presence of pregnancy-related dream content, likely reflecting waking experiences and concerns. Additionally, dreaming may promote psychological preparation and activation of functional coping strategies to face life changes after childbirth.
PubMed: 38852848
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105763 -
Public Health in Practice (Oxford,... Jun 2024We aimed to evaluate lesson learnt from a pilot project in Mozambique focused on point-of-care (POC) HbA1c testing for diabetes management in primary health care...
AIMS
We aimed to evaluate lesson learnt from a pilot project in Mozambique focused on point-of-care (POC) HbA1c testing for diabetes management in primary health care facilities.
METHODS
Over a three-year period, several health centers were equipped with POC HbA1c testing machines. The evaluation involved 12 months of data collection, interviews with patients and staff, and regular supervision visits.
RESULTS
The project screened over 22,000 individuals and provided HbA1c testing to 2362 diabetes patients. Among the analyzed results, 65.7 % had HbA1c levels below 7 %, 10.9 % between 7 % and 8.5 %, and 23.4 % above 8.5 %. POC testing showed advantages such as reduced costs and improved workload management.
CONCLUSIONS
Limited access to HbA1c testing remains a challenge in African countries. The pilot project demonstrated the feasibility of POC HbA1c testing and highlighted the need for increased efforts to make it more widely available, leading to improved diabetes management and patient outcomes.
PubMed: 38840715
DOI: 10.1016/j.puhip.2024.100504 -
Molecular Oncology Jun 2024Rewiring of cellular metabolism is now fully recognized as a hallmark of cancer. Tumor cells reprogram metabolic pathways to meet the energetic and macromolecular...
Rewiring of cellular metabolism is now fully recognized as a hallmark of cancer. Tumor cells reprogram metabolic pathways to meet the energetic and macromolecular demands to support unrestricted growth and survival under unfavorable conditions. It is becoming apparent that these adaptations underpin most of the traits that define a cancer cell's identity, including the ability to avoid immune surveillance, endure nutrient and oxygen restrictions, detach and migrate from their natural histological niche, and avert human-made aggressions (i.e., therapy). In a recent study, Benichou and collaborators identify carbohydrate-responsive element-binding protein (ChREBP), a master regulator of physiological glucose metabolism, as an oncogene in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development. Upregulation of ChREBP expression results in a self-stimulatory loop interconnecting PI3K/AKT signaling and glucose metabolism to feed fatty acid and nucleotide synthesis supporting tumorigenesis. Importantly, pharmacological inhibition of ChREBP activity quells in vivo HCC tumor growth without causing systemic toxicity. This study identifies novel oncometabolic pathways and open up new avenues to improve the treatment of a deadly tumor.
PubMed: 38837736
DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.13669 -
Computerized Medical Imaging and... May 2024Lung cancer screening (LCS) using annual computed tomography (CT) scanning significantly reduces mortality by detecting cancerous lung nodules at an earlier stage. Deep...
Lung cancer screening (LCS) using annual computed tomography (CT) scanning significantly reduces mortality by detecting cancerous lung nodules at an earlier stage. Deep learning algorithms can improve nodule malignancy risk stratification. However, they have typically been used to analyse single time point CT data when detecting malignant nodules on either baseline or incident CT LCS rounds. Deep learning algorithms have the greatest value in two aspects. These approaches have great potential in assessing nodule change across time-series CT scans where subtle changes may be challenging to identify using the human eye alone. Moreover, they could be targeted to detect nodules developing on incident screening rounds, where cancers are generally smaller and more challenging to detect confidently. Here, we show the performance of our Deep learning-based Computer-Aided Diagnosis model integrating Nodule and Lung imaging data with clinical Metadata Longitudinally (DeepCAD-NLM-L) for malignancy prediction. DeepCAD-NLM-L showed improved performance (AUC = 88%) against models utilizing single time-point data alone. DeepCAD-NLM-L also demonstrated comparable and complementary performance to radiologists when interpreting the most challenging nodules typically found in LCS programs. It also demonstrated similar performance to radiologists when assessed on out-of-distribution imaging dataset. The results emphasize the advantages of using time-series and multimodal analyses when interpreting malignancy risk in LCS.
PubMed: 38833895
DOI: 10.1016/j.compmedimag.2024.102399 -
MBio Jun 2024The phylum consists of large and giant viruses that range in genome size from about 100 kilobases (kb) to more than 2.5 megabases. Here, using metagenome mining...
UNLABELLED
The phylum consists of large and giant viruses that range in genome size from about 100 kilobases (kb) to more than 2.5 megabases. Here, using metagenome mining followed by extensive phylogenomic analysis and protein structure comparison, we delineate a distinct group of viruses with double-stranded (ds) DNA genomes in the range of 35-45 kb that appear to be related to the . In phylogenetic trees of the conserved double jelly-roll major capsid proteins (MCPs) and DNA packaging ATPases, these viruses do not show affinity to any particular branch of the and accordingly would comprise a class which we propose to name "" (after Ukrainian "mriya," dream). Structural comparison of the MCP suggests that, among the extant virus lineages, mriyaviruses are the closest one to the ancestor of the . In the phylogenetic trees, mriyaviruses split into two well-separated branches, the family and proposed new family "" The previously characterized members of these families, yaravirus and sp. endemic viruses, infect amoeba and haptophytes, respectively. The genomes of the rest of the mriyaviruses were assembled from metagenomes from diverse environments, suggesting that mriyaviruses infect various unicellular eukaryotes. Mriyaviruses lack DNA polymerase, which is encoded by all other members of the , and RNA polymerase subunits encoded by all cytoplasmic viruses among the , suggesting that they replicate in the host cell nuclei. All mriyaviruses encode a HUH superfamily endonuclease that is likely to be essential for the initiation of virus DNA replication via the rolling circle mechanism.
IMPORTANCE
The origin of giant viruses of eukaryotes that belong to the phylum is not thoroughly understood and remains a matter of major interest and debate. Here, we combine metagenome database searches with extensive protein sequence and structure analysis to describe a distinct group of viruses with comparatively small genomes of 35-45 kilobases that appear to comprise a distinct class within the phylum that we provisionally named "." Mriyaviruses appear to be the closest identified relatives of the ancestors of the . Analysis of proteins encoded in mriyavirus genomes suggests that they replicate their genome via the rolling circle mechanism that is unusual among viruses with double-stranded DNA genomes and so far not described for members of .
PubMed: 38832788
DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01035-24