Search Results (176)

Specific Hawaiian fruit flies have an extra crossvein (ECV) in the wing vein network which connects contiguously with another crossvein and forms a unique cruciform topology. These flies are distinguished by their large wings and their allometrically small vein diameters compared to those of typical fruit flies. Small vein diameters may increase frictional energy loss during internal blood transport, although they lead to an improvement in the wing’s moment of inertia. Our hypothesis was that the ECV’s presence would reduce the hydraulic resistance of the entire vein network. To investigate the hemodynamic effects of its presence, the flow rate of blood and frictional pressure loss within the vein networks was simulated by modeling them as hydraulic circuits. The results showed a 3.1% reduction in pressure loss owing to the network topology created by the presence of the ECV. This vein and its contiguous crossvein diverted part of the blood from the wing veins topologically parallel to them, reducing the pressure loss in these bypassed veins. The contiguity of the ECV to the other crossvein provided the shortest blood transfer route and lowest pressure drop between these crossveins. The results suggest that the presence of the ECV may counterbalance the heightened resistance caused by constricted veins. Full article

Ehrlichia chaffeensis infects and proliferates inside monocytes or macrophages and causes human monocytic ehrlichiosis (HME), an emerging life-threatening tick-borne zoonosis. After internalization, E. chaffeensis resides in specialized membrane-bound inclusions, E. chaffeensis-containing vesicles (ECVs), to evade from host cell innate immune responses and obtain nutrients. However, mechanisms exploited by host cells to inhibit E. chaffeensis growth in ECVs are still largely unknown. Here we demonstrate that host cells recognize E. chaffeensis Ech_1067, a penicillin-binding protein, and then upregulate the expression of PIT1, which is a phosphate transporter and transports phosphate from ECVs to the cytosol to inhibit bacterial growth. We found that host cells upregulate the PIT1 expression upon E. chaffeensis infection using transcriptome sequencing, qRT-PCR and Western blotting, and PIT1 is localized on the ECV membrane in infected THP-1 cells using confocal microscopy. Silence of PIT1 using shRNA enhances E. chaffeensis intracellular growth. Finally, we found that E. chaffeensis Ech_1067 induces the upregulation of PIT1 expression through the MyD88-NF-κB pathway using recombinant protein for stimulation and siRNA for silence. Our findings deepen the understanding of the innate immune responses of host cells to inhibit bacterial intracellular growth and facilitate the development of new therapeutics for HME. Full article

Background and Objectives: Over the past decade, there has been increasing attention paid to advanced and innovative cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) modalities, such as T1 and T2 mapping, which play a major role in diagnosing diffuse myocardial disease. There is little data summarizing the current evidence regarding the diagnostic accuracy of T1 and T2 mapping, and extracellular volume (ECV) in acute myocarditis. The aim of our study was to select, analyze, and systematically review the recent scientific literature on the diagnostic value of CMR T1 and T2 parametric mapping in clinically suspected acute myocarditis. Materials and Methods: The literature search was performed in the PubMed database. Articles published in the years 2014–2024 were included in the analysis. At the initial stage, 458 articles were reviewed, and 13 exploratory research studies were further analyzed and presented in this systematic literature review. Results: The analysis included 686 patients with clinically suspected myocarditis and 372 subjects in the control group. The average age of patients with suspected myocarditis was 40.25 years; 26% of them were women. Prolonged native myocardial T1 relaxation time provides diagnostic accuracy in the setting of suspected acute myocarditis ranging from 69 to 99%, with sensitivity from 64 to 98% and specificity from 87 to 100%. Diagnostic accuracy of prolonged T2 relaxation time ranges from 47 to 87%, with sensitivity being from 48% to 94% and specificity from 60% to 92%. ECV alone showed moderate diagnostic performance, with diagnostic accuracy ranging from 62% to 76%, sensitivity from 47% to 73%, and specificity from 76% to 90%. T1 and T2 mapping and ECV, combined with the late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) technique, increases the probability of detecting myocardial inflammatory changes at various stages of the disease, improving the diagnostic accuracy to 96%. Conclusions: New quantitative CMR techniques, i.e., T1 and T2 mapping, have an advantage over conventional CMR sequences in detecting inflammatory myocardial structural changes and play an important role in diagnosing acute myocarditis. Incorporating these sequences in daily clinical practice increases the diagnostic value of CMR in acute myocarditis and becomes an alternative to endomyocardial biopsy, which has been considered the gold standard until now. Full article

This review comprehensively explores the complex interplay between extracellular vesicles (ECVs)/exosomes and circadian rhythms, with a focus on the role of this interaction in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Exosomes are nanovesicles derived from cells that facilitate intercellular communication by transporting bioactive molecules such as proteins, lipids, and RNA/DNA species. ECVs are implicated in a range of diseases, where they play crucial roles in signaling between cells and their surrounding environment. In the setting of cancer, ECVs are known to influence cancer initiation and progression. The scope of this review extends to all cancer types, synthesizing existing knowledge on the various roles of ECVs. A unique aspect of this review is the emphasis on the circadian-controlled release and composition of exosomes, highlighting their potential as biomarkers for early cancer detection and monitoring metastasis. We also discuss how circadian rhythms affect multiple cancer-related pathways, proposing that disruptions in the circadian clock can alter tumor development and treatment response. Additionally, this review delves into the influence of circadian clock components on ECV biogenesis and their impact on reshaping the tumor microenvironment, a key component driving HCC progression. Finally, we address the potential clinical applications of ECVs, particularly their use as diagnostic tools and drug delivery vehicles, while considering the challenges associated with clinical implementation. Full article

Lake ice thickness (LIT) is a sensitive indicator of climate change, identified as a thematic variable of Lakes as an Essential Climate Variable (ECV) by the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS). Here, we present a novel and efficient analytically based retracking approach for estimating LIT from high-resolution Ku-band (13.6 GHz) synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) altimetry data. The retracker method is based on the analytical modeling of the SAR radar echoes over ice-covered lakes that show a characteristic double-peak feature attributed to the reflection of the Ku-band radar waves at the snow–ice and ice–water interfaces. The method is applied to Sentinel-6 Unfocused SAR (UFSAR) and Fully Focused SAR (FFSAR) data, with their corresponding tailored waveform model, referred to as the SAR_LIT and FFSAR_LIT retracker, respectively. We found that LIT retrievals from Sentinel-6 high-resolution SAR data at different posting rates are fully consistent with the LIT estimations obtained from thermodynamic lake ice model simulations and from low-resolution mode (LRM) Sentinel-6 and Jason-3 data over two ice seasons during the tandem phase of the two satellites, demonstrating the continuity between LRM and SAR LIT retrievals. By comparing the Sentinel-6 SAR LIT estimates to optical/radar images, we found that the Sentinel-6 LIT measurements are fully consistent with the evolution of the lake surface conditions, accurately capturing the seasonal transitions of ice formation and melt. The uncertainty in the LIT estimates obtained with Sentinel-6 UFSAR data at 20 Hz is in the order of 5 cm, meeting the GCOS requirements for LIT measurements. This uncertainty is significantly smaller, by a factor of 2 to 3 times, than the uncertainty obtained with LRM data. The FFSAR processing at 140 Hz provides even better LIT estimates, with 20% smaller uncertainties. The LIT retracker analysis performed on data at the higher posting rate (140 Hz) shows increased performance in comparison to the 20 Hz data, especially during the melt transition period, due to the increased statistics. The LIT analysis has been performed over two representative lakes, Great Slave Lake and Baker Lake (Canada), demonstrating that the results are robust and hold for lake targets that differ in terms of size, bathymetry, snow/ice properties, and seasonal evolution of LIT. The SAR LIT retrackers presented are promising tools for monitoring the inter-annual variability and trends in LIT from current and future SAR altimetry missions. Full article

Introduction: In 3–6% of pregnancies, foetuses can be expected to be in a breech presentation near term. Consultation concerning further management of the pregnancy, including the option of an external cephalic version (ECV), is recommended by international guidelines (RCOG, ACOG, and DGGG). With regards to an ECV, there need to be two assumptions. Firstly, the procedure is safe, which has been shown adequately. Secondly, a vaginal birth after a successful ECV needs to prove to be non-inferior to the alternative of an elective caesarean section. The aim of this study is to assess the non-inferiority assumption. Methods: Overall, 142 singleton pregnancies were analysed that presented a foetus in a non-cephalic presentation and underwent an ECV near term between 2011 and 2020. The ECV was performed at 36 weeks of gestation for primiparous women and at 37/38 weeks of gestation for multiparous women. To assess neonatal outcome, the following parameters were recorded: arterial and venous umbilical cord blood pH, APGAR scores and admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Data were analysed under the assumption that neonatal outcome does not differ between elective caesarean sections with or without an ECV in advance. Results: The success rate of an ECV was 56.3% (80/142). In the case of a successful ECV, there was a 77.5% (62/80) chance for a vaginal delivery. The mean arterial pH for neonates born vaginally after successful ECV was 7.262 (SD 0.089), compared to 7.316 (SD 0.051) for those born via elective caesarean section (p < 0.001). APGAR scores at 1, 5, and 10 min were similar between the groups, with a slightly higher proportion of neonates scoring below the median in the caesarean section group. Specifically, 13.7% (7/51) at 1 min, 15.7% (8/51) at 5 min, and 9.8% (5/51) at 10 min in the caesarean section group were below the median, compared to 4.92% (3/61), 4.92% (3/61), and 3.28% (2/61) in the vaginal birth group. NICU admission rates were 3.28% for vaginal births and 3.92% for elective caesarean sections (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Women with a successful ECV can expect a neonatal birth outcome after a vaginal birth that is non-inferior to an alternative elective caesarean section. Full article

BACKGROUND: Clinical dynamic posturography concentrates on the pitch and roll but not on the yaw plane instability measures. This emphasis may not represent the axis instability observed in clinical stance and gait tasks for patients with balance deficits in comparison to healthy control (HC) subjects, nor the expected instability based on correlations with vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) deficits. To examine the axis stability changes with vestibular loss, we measured trunk sway in all three directions (pitch, roll, and yaw) during the stance and gait tasks of patients with acute unilateral vestibular neuritis (aUVN) and compared the results with those of HC. Concurrent changes in VORs were also examined and correlated with trunk balance deficits. METHODS: The results of 11 patients (mean age of 61 years) recorded within 6 days of aUVN onset were compared within those of 8 age-matched healthy controls (HCs). All subjects performed a two-legged stance task—standing with eyes closed on foam (s2ecf), a semi-gait task—walking eight tandem steps (tan8), and four gait tasks—walking 3 m with head rotating laterally, pitching, or eyes closed (w3hr, w3hp, w3ec), and walking over four barriers 24 cm high, spaced 1 m apart (barr). The tasks’ peak-to-peak yaw, pitch and roll angles, and angular velocities were measured with a gyroscope system (SwayStar^TM) mounted at L1-3 and combined into three, axis-specific, balance control indexes (BCI), using angles (a) for the tandem gait and barriers task, and angular velocities (v) for all other tasks, as follows: axis BCI = (2 × 2ecf)v + 1.5 × (w3hr + w3hp + w3ec)v + (tan8 + 12 × barr)a. RESULTS: Yaw and pitch BCIs were significantly (p ≤ 0.004) greater (88 and 30%, respectively) than roll BCIs for aUVN patients. For HCs, only yaw but not pitch BCIs were greater (p = 0.002) than those of roll (72%). The order of BCI aUVN vs. HC differences was pitch, yaw, and roll at 55, 44, and 31%, respectively (p ≤ 0.002). This difference with respect to roll corresponded to the known greater yaw plane than roll plane asymmetry (40 vs. 22%) following aUVN based on VOR responses. However, the lower pitch plane asymmetry (3.5%) in VOR responses did not correspond with the pitch plane instability observed in the balance control tests. The increases in pitch plane instability in UVL subjects were, however, highly correlated with those of roll and yaw. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that greater yaw than pitch and roll trunk motion during clinical balance tasks is common for aUVN patients and HCs. However, aUVN leads to a larger increase in pitch than yaw plane instability and a smaller increase in roll plane instability. This difference with respect to roll corresponds to the known greater yaw plane than roll plane asymmetry (40 vs. 22%) following aUVN observed in VOR responses. However, the lower pitch plane asymmetry (3.5%) in VOR responses does not correspond with the enhanced movements in the pitch plane, observed in balance control tasks. Whether asymmetries in vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (Vemps) are better correlated with the deficits in pitch plane balance control remains to be investigated. The current results provide a strong rationale for the clinical testing of directional specific balance responses, especially yaw and pitch, and the linking of balance results for yaw and roll to VOR asymmetries. Full article

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the importance of T1-mapping sequences in the diagnosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in patients without foci of non-ischemic myocardial injury in classic cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) sequences. Methods: Two groups were compared: 28 patients with HCM, without any foci of myocardial injury in the late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) sequence (HCM group), and 28 patients without cardiomyopathy (CON group). Classic CMR sequences and T1-mapping sequences were performed. The following parameters were assessed: T1 time of the whole left ventricular myocardium, T1 time of myocardium in the basal, middle and apical layers of the left ventricle, and T1 time in individual segments of the left ventricular myocardium. Myocardial extracellular volume (ECV) was assessed similarly. Results: ECV was significantly higher in the HCM group than in the CON group, for the whole left ventricular myocardium, for the basal and apical layers of the left ventricle, and for segments 1–3, 8, and 13–16 of the left ventricle. Regression analysis showed that a higher left-ventricular mass index (LVMI), a higher body mass index and older age are factors independently associated with a higher ECV of the whole myocardium but only in the group with LVMI ≥ 131.84 g/m². Conclusion: In patients with HCM without foci of non-ischemic myocardial injury, higher ECV values of the left ventricular myocardium are observed. Full article

Background: Extracellular volume fraction (ECV), measured with contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (CE-MRI), has been utilized to study myocardial fibrosis, but its role in peripheral artery disease (PAD) remains unknown. We hypothesized that T1 mapping and ECV differ between PAD patients and matched controls. Methods and Results: A total of 37 individuals (18 PAD patients and 19 matched controls) underwent 3.0T CE-MRI. Skeletal calf muscle T1 mapping was performed before and after gadolinium contrast with a motion-corrected modified look–locker inversion recovery (MOLLI) pulse sequence. T1 values were calculated with a three-parameter Levenberg–Marquardt curve fitting algorithm. ECV and T1 maps were quantified in five calf muscle compartments (anterior [AM], lateral [LM], and deep posterior [DM] muscle groups; soleus [SM] and gastrocnemius [GM] muscles). Averaged peak blood pool T1 values were obtained from the posterior and anterior tibialis and peroneal arteries. T1 values and ECV are heterogeneous across calf muscle compartments. Native peak T1 values of the AM, LM, and DM were significantly higher in PAD patients compared to controls (all p < 0.028). ECVs of the AM and SM were significantly higher in PAD patients compared to controls (AM: 26.4% (21.2, 31.6) vs. 17.3% (10.2, 25.1), p = 0.046; SM: 22.7% (19.5, 27.8) vs. 13.8% (10.2, 19.1), p = 0.020). Conclusions: Native peak T1 values across all five calf muscle compartments, and ECV fractions of the anterior muscle group and the soleus muscle were significantly elevated in PAD patients compared with matched controls. Non-invasive T1 mapping and ECV quantification may be of interest for the study of PAD. Full article

Sweet pepper is a crop that benefits from phytosanitary treatments with low environmental impact, especially the successful control of pests through the introduction of biological control agents in greenhouses. However, predators that naturally occur in these surroundings often enter greenhouses. The precise roles of these natural predators and their interactions with the introduced predatory insects and mites are often unknown. This study investigated the relationships between Nesidiocoris tenuis, which is naturally present, and Amblyseius swirskii and Orius laevigatus, which are two species of generalist predators released for the control of multiple pests. This study was conducted for two years on 13 commercial sweet pepper crops in various types of greenhouses (tunnels and traditional greenhouses) in Sicily. The environmental complexity value (ECV) for each site was estimated based on 18 points detected around the site according to the different habitats that occurred at each coordinate. The results showed that the occurrence of N. tenuis in greenhouses, independently of their typology (tunnel or traditional greenhouse), was mainly promoted by the greater diversification of habitats immediately surrounding the pepper crops (in a circular area with a diameter of 500 mt), with an increase in its density during the crop season. Moreover, N. tenuis–O. laevigatus’s co-occurrence in flowers suggested that they were not impacted by each other’s presence and that their co-occurrence had a significant effect on pest reduction, although their co-occurrence was density-dependent. As an intraguild predator, N. tenuis competed with O. laevigatus for Frankliniella occidentalis when many predators were present. In addition, N. tenuis also competed with A. swirskii when they both occurred in flowers at a higher density. This study highlights the importance of pepper plant flowers in promoting a higher occurrence of juvenile forms of N. tenuis within flowers. Amblyseius swirskii colonized the plants in 3 weeks, distributing itself almost uniformly over the leaves with a clear control action against not only Bemisia tabaci but also F. occidentalis when present on the flowers. Thus, this concurrent analysis of several commercial pepper sites within the same production area suggests that, even with similar pest control plans, the diverse variability in the presence of natural enemies must be considered when selecting control strategies for pepper crop pests and that N. tenuis, favored by complex surrounding habitats, contributes actively to pest reduction. Full article

We analyzed antimicrobial resistance and virulence traits in multidrug-resistant (MDR) E. coli isolates obtained from imported shrimp using whole-genome sequences (WGSs). Antibiotic resistance profiles were determined phenotypically. WGSs identified key characteristics, including their multilocus sequence type (MLST), serotype, virulence factors, antibiotic resistance genes, and mobile elements. Most of the isolates exhibited resistance to gentamicin, streptomycin, ampicillin, chloramphenicol, nalidixic acid, ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. Multilocus sequence type (MLST), serotype, average nucleotide identity (ANI), and pangenome analysis showed high genomic similarity among isolates, except for EC15 and ECV01. The EC119 plasmid contained a variety of efflux pump genes, including those encoding the acid resistance transcriptional activators (gadE, gadW, and gadX), resistance-nodulation-division-type efflux pumps (mdtE and mdtF), and a metabolite, H1 symporter (MHS) family major facilitator superfamily transporter (MNZ41_23075). Virulence genes displayed diversity, particularly EC15, whose plasmids carried genes for adherence (faeA and faeC-I), invasion (ipaH and virB), and capsule (caf1A and caf1M). This comprehensive analysis illuminates antimicrobial resistance, virulence, and plasmid dynamics in E. coli from imported shrimp and has profound implications for public health, emphasizing the need for continued surveillance and research into the evolution of these important bacterial pathogens. Full article

Background: Amiodarone is an anti-arrhythmic drug that has extensive tissue distribution and substantial storage in the fat tissue. Different studies have described some implications of body fat composition in its pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. However, no clinical studies have described its implications for clinical efficacy. Methods: We studied 878 patients with persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) treated with a regimen of amiodarone and referred to electrical cardioversion (ECV), included prospectively in two Spanish registries. We analyzed the influence of body mass index (BMI), as well as overweight and obesity, in the efficacy of amiodarone for achieving pharmacologic cardioversion to sinus rhythm (SR) before ECV. Results: A total of 185 patients (21.1%) reverted to SR before ECV. Patients who reverted to SR had a lower BMI than those who did not revert (27.45 ± 4.36 kg/m² vs. 29.11 ± 4.09 kg/m²; p < 0.001). We observed a progressively lower probability of reverting to SR in overweight and obese patients (normal weight 28.3%, overweight 21.3%, obesity 13.1%; p < 0.001). In the logistic regression, BMI (kg/m²) adjusted for other related variables remained as the main factor inversely related to reversion to SR (OR = 0.904 × kg/m²); CI 75% 0.864–0.946). Conclusions: We observed a negative relationship between an increased BMI and the efficacy of amiodarone for reversion to SR, suggesting a negative clinical impact of excess body fat in its efficacy. Full article

Coastal areas are among the most productive areas in the world, ecologically as well as economically. Sea Surface Temperature (SST) has evolved as the major essential climate variable (ECV) and ocean variable (EOV) to monitor land–ocean interactions and oceanic warming trends. SST monitoring can be achieved by means of remote sensing. The current relatively coarse spatial resolution of established SST products limits their potential in small-scale, coastal zones. This study presents the first analysis of the TIMELINE 1 km SST product from AVHRR in four key European regions: The Northern and Baltic Sea, the Adriatic Sea, the Aegean Sea, and the Balearic Sea. The analysis of monthly anomaly trends showed high positive SST trends in all study areas, exceeding the global average SST warming. Seasonal variations reveal peak warming during the spring, early summer, and early autumn, suggesting a potential seasonal shift. The spatial analysis of the monthly anomaly trends revealed significantly higher trends at near-coast areas, which were especially distinct in the Mediterranean study areas. The clearest pattern was visible in the Adriatic Sea in March and May, where the SST trends at the coast were twice as high as that observed at a 40 km distance to the coast. To validate our findings, we compared the TIMELINE monthly anomaly time series with monthly anomalies derived from the Level 4 CCI SST anomaly product. The comparison showed an overall good accordance with correlation coefficients of R > 0.82 for the Mediterranean study areas and R = 0.77 for the North and Baltic Seas. This study highlights the potential of AVHRR Local Area Coverage (LAC) data with 1 km spatial resolution for mapping long-term SST trends in areas with high spatial SST variability, such as coastal regions. Full article

Cardiac amyloidosis (CA) is an infiltrative cardiomyopathy divided into two types: light-chain (LA) and transthyretin (ATTR) CA. Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) has emerged as an important diagnostic tool in CA. While late gadolinium enhancement (LGE), T1 mapping and extracellular volume (ECV) have a consolidate role in the assessment of CA, T2 mapping has been less often evaluated. We aimed to test the value of T2 mapping in the evaluation of CA. This study recruited 70 patients with CA (51 ATTR, 19 AL). All the subjects underwent 1.5 T CMR with T1 and T2 mapping and cine and LGE imaging. Their QALE scores were evaluated. The myocardial T2 values were significantly (p < 0.001) increased in both types of CA compared to the controls. In the AL-CA group, increased T2 values were associated with a higher QALE score. The myocardial native T1 values and ECV were significantly (p < 0.001) higher in the CA patients than in the healthy subjects. Left ventricular (LV) mass, QALE score and ECV were higher in ATTR amyloidosis compared with AL amyloidosis, while the LV ejection fraction was lower (p < 0.001). These results support the concept of the presence of myocardial edema in CA. Therefore, a CMR evaluation including not only myocardial T1 imaging but also myocardial T2 imaging allows for more comprehensive tissue characterization in CA. Full article

Amyloidosis is a rare infiltrative condition resulting from the extracellular accumulation of amyloid fibrils at the cardiac level. It can be an acquired condition or due to genetic mutations. With the progression of imaging technologies, a non-invasive diagnosis was proposed. In this study, we discuss the role of CMR in cardiac amyloidosis, focusing on the two most common subtypes (AL and ATTR), waiting for evidence-based guidelines to be published. Full article