Guanidinoacetate-creatine in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis: a case report.

2022

Acute secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) is characterized by escalating neurological disability, with limited disease-modifying therapeutic options. A 48-year-old woman with acute SPMS being treated with interferon beta-1a and oral corticosteroids presented as a clinical outpatient with no disease-modifying effects after treatment. A decision was made to treat her with a combination of guanidinoacetate and creatine for 21 days. She had made clinical progress at follow-up, with the intensity of fatigue dropping from severe to mild. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy revealed increased brain choline, creatine, N-acetylaspartate, and glutathione. Patients with SPMS may benefit from …

Total energy expenditure is repeatable in adults but not associated with short-term changes in body composition

2022

Low total energy expenditure (TEE, MJ/d) has been a hypothesized risk factor for weight gain, but repeatability of TEE, a critical variable in longitudinal studies of energy balance, is understudied. We examine repeated doubly labeled water (DLW) measurements of TEE in 348 adults and 47 children from the IAEA DLW Database (mean ± SD time interval: 1.9 ± 2.9 y) to assess repeatability of TEE, and to examine if TEE adjusted for age, sex, fat-free mass, and fat mass is associated with changes in weight or body composition. Here, we report that repeatability of TEE is high for adults, but not children. Bivariate Bayesian mixed models show no among or within-individual correlation between body c…

Proposal of a Nomenclature for Hydrogeological Instability Risks and Case Studies of Conservative Soil Tillage for Environmental Protection

2022

In order to implement environmental protection, within the Soil Cadastre, previously proposed as a multipurpose inventory that aims to promote sustainable soil uses, the hydrogeological instability caused by human activities is the focus of this work. These activities can be aimed at sustainable agricultural soil use or the building of roads to allow the access to the fields. The soil’s hydrogeological instability causes the unsustainable use and management of a cadastral parcel. Therefore, the aim of this work is to propose a nomenclature for hydrogeological instability risks, as well as the best practices of conservative soil tillage in case studies, in order to reduce environmental impac…

Estimating COVID-19-induced Excess Mortality in Lombardy, Italy.

2022

We compare the expected all-cause mortality with the observed one for different age classes during the pandemic in Lombardy, which was the epicenter of the epidemic in Italy. The first case in Italy was found in Lombardy in early 2020, and the first wave was mainly centered in Lombardy. The other three waves, in Autumn 2020, March 2021 and Summer 2021 are also characterized by a high number of cases in absolute terms. A generalized linear mixed model is introduced to model weekly mortality from 2011 to 2019, taking into account seasonal patterns and year-specific trends. Based on the 2019 year-specific conditional best linear unbiased predictions, a significant excess of mortality is estima…

A Stepwise Proposal for Low-Grade Hemorrhoidal Disease: Injection Sclerotherapy as a First-Line Treatment and Rubber Band Ligation for Persistent Rel…

2022

Outpatient treatments are actually the techniques of choice in the management of low-grade hemorrhoidal disease. Among these, rubber band ligation (RBL) and injection sclerotherapy (IS) are the most frequently performed. Both techniques are used, without one having been determined to be superior over the other. We analyzed the studies that compare these two techniques in terms of efficacy and safety in order to offer a proposal for treatment choice. RBL seems to be most efficient in terms of symptom resolution for second-degree hemorrhoidal disease and equal or superior for treatment of third-degree disease. However, IS offers lower rates of severe post-operative pain and minor complication…

An Expanded 2D Fused Aromatic Network with 90-Ring Hexagons

2022

[EN]Two-dimensional fused aromatic networks (2D FANs) have emerged as a highly versatile alternative to holey graphene. The synthesis of 2D FANs with increasingly larger lattice dimensions will enable new application perspectives. However, the synthesis of larger analogues is mostly limited by lack of appropriate monomers and methods. Herein, we describe the synthesis, characterisation and properties of an expanded 2D FAN with 90-ring hexagons, which exceed the largest 2D FAN lattices reported to date. This work was carried out with support from the Basque Science Foundation for Science (Ikerbasque),POLYMAT, the University of the Basque Country,Gobierno Vasco (BERC programme) and Gobierno d…

Zcs states from the Ds*D¯* and J/ψK* coupled channels: Signal in B+→J/ψϕK+ decay

2022

Formulation of a truss element for modelling the tensile response of FRCM strips

2022

Modelling the tensile behaviour of Fabric Reinforced Cementitious Matrix (FRCM) is not a straightforward task due to the inner complexity of the mechanics of this kind of composite materials. In fact, after that the matrix is cracked, the compatibility between the fibre and the surrounding mortar is lost and the system behaves as two separate elements connected by a brittle interface. For this reason, several research studies proposed computational approaches for evaluating the tensile behaviour of FRCM composites, usually referring to brick-based 3D Finite Element Models (FEM) or to complex numerical procedures. This paper shows the formulation of a simplified coupled truss element for mod…

La Memoria. Investigación Basada en las Artes para la formación del profesorado

2022

En esta investigación presentamos el proceso y los resultados de una experiencia artística desarrollada con alumnado universitario del Grado de Maestro/a en Educación Primaria de la Universitat de València. El tema es 'La Memoria', título genérico que también identifica la exposición que tuvo lugar en el Museo de Historia de Valencia, compuesta por 21 instalaciones artísticas realizadas por el propio alumnado. Planteada como un estudio de caso, a nivel metodológico se incorporan elementos de las narrativas docentes, a partir de procesos muy impregnados por la Investigación Basada en las Artes. La buena acogida que tuvo la exposición en el museo, así como la motivación extra que supuso para …

Role of Biological Sex in the Cardiovascular-Gut Microbiome Axis

2022

There has been a recent, unprecedented interest in the role of gut microbiota in host health and disease. Technological advances have dramatically expanded our knowledge of the gut microbiome. Increasing evidence has indicated a strong link between gut microbiota and the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). In the present article, we discuss the contribution of gut microbiota in the development and progression of CVD. We further discuss how the gut microbiome may differ between the sexes and how it may be influenced by sex hormones. We put forward that regulation of microbial composition and function by sex might lead to sex-biased disease susceptibility, thereby offering a mechani…

Tensions in the communication of science advice on fish and fisheries: northern cod, species at risk, sustainable seafood

2022

Abstract Providing science-based advice can be challenging. Personal in its reflections, the story that follows asks throughout: What constitutes an appropriate model for the communication of science-based advice that best serves society? The first “front line,” in 1992, involved tenuous hypotheses on the collapse and recovery of Newfoundland's Northern cod (Gadus morhua), raising troubling questions about political influence on science-based advice and on its integrity. These questions subsequently motivated a critique written with two colleagues on the communication of science to decision-makers, provoking a telling invective from a government department in defence of the status quo. The …

Robust Assembly Assistance Using Informed Tree Search with Markov Chains

2022

Manual work accounts for one of the largest workgroups in the European manufacturing sector, and improving the training capacity, quality, and speed brings significant competitive benefits to companies. In this context, this paper presents an informed tree search on top of a Markov chain that suggests possible next assembly steps as a key component of an innovative assembly training station for manual operations. The goal of the next step suggestions is to provide support to inexperienced workers or to assist experienced workers by providing choices for the next assembly step in an automated manner without the involvement of a human trainer on site. Data stemming from 179 experiment partici…

Thermodynamic surprises of Cu(II)–amylin analogue complexes in membrane mimicking solutions

2022

AbstractMembrane environment often has an important effect on the structure, and therefore also on the coordination mode of biologically relevant metal ions. This is also true in the case of Cu(II) coordination to amylin analogues—rat amylin, amylin1–19, pramlintide and Ac-pramlintide, which offer N-terminal amine groups and/or histidine imidazoles as copper(II) anchoring sites. Complex stabilities are comparable, with the exception of the very stable Cu(II)–amylin1–19, which proves that the presence of the amylin C-terminus lowers its affinity for copper(II); although not directly involved, its appropriate arrangement sterically prevents early metal binding. Most interestingly, in membrane…

Author Correction: Analysis of Industry-Related Flows by Optical Coherence Tomography—A Review

2022

This is a correction to: KONA Powder and Particle Journal No. 37 (2020) 42–63, published January 10, 2020. https://doi.org/10.14356/kona.2020003

Fathers in focus: two discursive analyses on addressing men, work and care

2022

We introduce in this chapter discourse analysis as a methodological tool for studying work-family issues, particularly those of men and fathers in work and care. Work and family involve complex processes and dynamics, where reconciling different interpretations of events are temporally and contextually changing. Current discourses on involved fatherhood raise many questions about men's work and family relationships and the role of care in their life. Here we present two empirical examples using discourse analysis to study work-family issues from a male gender perspective in the Finnish context. Finally, we discuss the (dis)advantages of using discursive analytical perspectives in work-famil…

Landform classification: a high-performing mapping unit partitioning tool for landslide susceptibility assessment—a test in the Imera River basin (no…

2022

In landslide susceptibility studies, the type of mapping unit adopted affects the obtained models and maps in terms of accuracy, robustness, spatial resolution and geomorphological adequacy. To evaluate the optimal selection of these units, a test has been carried out in an important catchment of northern Sicily (the Imera River basin), where the spatial relationships between a set of predictors and an inventory of 1608 rotational/translational landslides were analysed using the multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) method. In particular, landslide susceptibility models were prepared and compared by adopting four different types of mapping units: the largely adopted grid cells (PX…

Intraoperative High Resolution Manometry for tailored Heller myotomy in esophageal achalasia: could it give better results?

2022

Introduction. Esophageal achalasia is a rare primary motility disorder characterized by impaired lower esophageal sphincter relaxation and absence of esophageal body peristalsis. Achalasia is classified by the Chicago Classification in type I, type II and type III. The present study evaluates how the use of intraoperative high resolution esophageal manometry (IHREM), driving the exact extension of myotomy throughout the esophagus, could improve outcome in achalasic patients, expecially in type III achalasia. Materials and Methods: 49 achalasic patients underwent laparoscopic Heller myotomy and Dor fundoplication: 25 patients (Group 1: 16 type II achalsia, 7 type III achalasia and 2 type I a…

Always pay attention to which model of motor learning you are using

2022

This critical review considers the epistemological and historical background of the theoretical construct of motor learning for a more differentiated understanding. More than simply reflecting critically on the models that are used to solve problems—whether they are applied in therapy, physical education, or training practice—this review seeks to respond constructively to the recent discussion caused by the replication crisis in life sciences. To this end, an in-depth review of contemporary motor learning approaches is provided, with a pragmatism-oriented clarification of the researcher’s intentions on fundamentals (what?), subjects (for whom?), time intervals (when?), and purpose (for what…

Emotional intelligence and coping with stress in foster parents

2022

Although much research on emotional intelligence (EI) and coping with stress has been performed in recent years, little is known about these dimensions of individual differences in both foster and biological parents. The main purpose of this study is to examine emotional intelligence and coping styles in foster parents in comparison to biological parents. The study included 124 individual participants aged between 30 and 64 years old (M = 45.18, SD = 8.72), including foster parents (n = 63, 50.81%) and biological parents (n = 61, 49.19%). The cross-sectional survey study was conducted using the Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT) and Coping Inventory for Stressful Situat…

Potential Anti-Metastatic Role of the Novel miR-CT3 in Tumor Angiogenesis and Osteosarcoma Invasion

2022

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary bone tumor mainly occurring in young adults and derived from primitive bone-forming mesenchyme. OS develops in an intricate tumor microenvironment (TME) where cellular function regulated by microRNAs (miRNAs) may affect communication between OS cells and the surrounding TME. Therefore, miRNAs are considered potential therapeutic targets in cancer and one of the goals of research is to accurately define a specific signature of a miRNAs, which could reflect the phenotype of a particular tumor, such as OS. Through NGS approach, we previously found a specific molecular profile of miRNAs in OS and discovered 8 novel miRNAs. Among these, we deepen our …

Affect and psychological well-being in spouses of cancer patients: the mediating role of meaning in life and self-efficacy

2022

The examination of the psychological functioning of cancer patients’ spouses implies that affect and personal resources play an important role in their psychological well-being. This is a consequence of the severe stress caused by the medical conditions of a spouse and of responsibilities related to caregiving. This study aimed to examine the role of affect and purpose-oriented personal resources (meaning in life and self-efficacy) in shaping psychological well-being in the spouses of cancer patients. The participants were 214 spouses of gastrointestinal patients who were either undergoing medical treatment in hospital units or attending scheduled clinic appointments at outpatient medical c…

Exploring the application of the navigation model with people experiencing homelessness: a scoping review

2022

People experiencing homelessness are known to be at risk of disproportionately poor health outcomes and often face barriers in accessing healthcare. Patient navigation (PN) has been identified as a way to address health disparities and engage underserved populations with healthcare services . This scoping review aims to understand how PN models have been utilized with people experiencing homelessness and other comparable populations to date and more specifically identify (a) the defining features, (b) the barriers and facilitators in implementation, and (c) the outcomes associated with PN models. Database searches were conducted in Web of Science, PubMed and SCOPUS on 15th June 2021 and 21 …

Quantification of volcano deformation caused by volatile accumulation and release

2022

<p>Magma stored in the crust may exsolve a significant amount of volatiles, primarily CO<sub>2</sub>, but also H<sub>2</sub>O and SO<sub>2</sub> if cooling promotes crystallisation and volatile exsolution. These volatiles may, over time, segregate and accumulate into a gas-rich foam at the roof of the magma body. This is the underpinning process to explain the frequently observed ‘excess gas’ produced in explosive eruptions, where the amount of erupted SO<sub>2</sub> is much larger than can be explained by the mass of erupted products and …

Power-effective scanning with AODs for 3D optogenic applications

2022

Two-photon (2P) excitation is a cornerstone approach widely employed in neuroscience microscopy for deep optical access and sub-micrometric-resolution light targeting into the brain. However, besides structural and functional imaging, 2P optogenetic stimulations are less routinary, especially in 3D. This is because of the adopted scanning systems, often feebly effective, slow and mechanically constricted. Faster illumination can be achieved through acousto-optic deflectors (AODs) although their applicability to large volumes excitation has been limited by large efficiency drop along the optical axis. Here, we present a new AOD-based scheme for 2P 3D scanning that improves the power delivery…

The Mediating Role of Self-Esteem in the Relationship between Mother’s Attachment Style and Offspring’s Depression

2022

The present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of the offspring’s self-esteem in the association between the mother’s attachment style and the depressive symptoms of a sample of early adolescents. The participants included 484 students, aged 11 to 15 ( M age = 12.24, SD = .91) and their mothers, ranged in age between 30 and 69 years ( M age = 43.82, SD = 5.13). The students completed the Multidimensional Self-Concept Scale and the Self‐administered Psychiatric Scales for adolescents - Depression. Mothers completed the Attachment Style Questionnaire. The results showed an association between mothers’ anxious attachment and both self-esteem and depression of our young adolescents. …

Combining haptics and inertial motion capture to enhance remote control of a dual-arm robot

2022

AbstractHigh dexterity is required in tasks in which there is contact between objects, such as surface conditioning (wiping, polishing, scuffing, sanding, etc.), specially when the location of the objects involved is unknown or highly inaccurate because they are moving, like a car body in automotive industry lines. These applications require the human adaptability and the robot accuracy. However, sharing the same workspace is not possible in most cases due to safety issues. Hence, a multi-modal teleoperation system combining haptics and an inertial motion capture system is introduced in this work. The human operator gets the sense of touch thanks to haptic feedback, whereas using the motion…

Effect of Oral Semaglutide on Cardiovascular Parameters and Their Mechanisms in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: Rationale and Design of the Semaglutid…

2022

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) management has reached a point where not only optimal glycaemic control is necessary, but also additional interventions with proven cardiovascular risk reduction benefit. Subcutaneous semaglutide has been shown to provide cardiovascular protection, but its use may be limited by its injection formulation. To overcome this limitation, an oral semaglutide tablet has been developed, which could potentially be of the same value as its injection counterpart, but in a much wider group of patients with T2D, thereby allowing for broader cardiovascular risk reduction in this vulnerable patient population.A total of 100 consecutive patients with T2D and a disease duration of up t…

Booster effect after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in immunocompromised hematology patients with prior COVID-19

2022

Patients with hematological malignancies have been excluded from the new zoonotic coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 [SARS-CoV-2]) vaccine trials despite being at higher risk for SARS-CoV-2 disease (COVID-19)-related mortality. However, most health authorities worldwide have designated these patients as a priority for COVID-19 vaccination, even in the absence of efficacy data in these highly immunosuppressed patients. In addition, on 12 August 2021, the US Food and Drug Administration amended the emergency use authorizations for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to allow for the use of an additional dose in immunocompromised individuals, such as sol…

Effects of Long-Term Habitat Protection on Montane Small Mammals: Are Sorex araneus and S. minutus More Sensitive Than Previously Considered?

2022

Protection of natural areas by restricting human activities aims to preserve plant and animal populations and whole communities, ensuring the conservation of biological diversity and enhancement of ecosystem services. Therefore, it is expected that the longer the protection, the stronger the desired effects. We evaluated the responses of small mammals at the population and community levels under protection in the southern Carpathian Mountains. We surveyed small mammals for five years in sites with long- and short-term protection and non-protected. Besides protection status, we included elevation, habitat heterogeneity, and the month of survey as predictors in our models. As response variabl…

From 12 to 1 ECG lead: multiple cardiac condition detection mixing a hybrid machine learning approach with a one-versus-rest classification strategy

2022

Abstract Objective. Detecting different cardiac diseases using a single or reduced number of leads is still challenging. This work aims to provide and validate an automated method able to classify ECG recordings. Performance using complete 12-lead systems, reduced lead sets, and single-lead ECGs is evaluated and compared. Approach. Seven different databases with 12-lead ECGs were provided during the PhysioNet/Computing in Cardiology Challenge 2021, where 88 253 annotated samples associated with none, one, or several cardiac conditions among 26 different classes were released for training, whereas 42 896 hidden samples were used for testing. After signal preprocessing, 81 features per ECG-le…

Hedysarum coronarium-Based Green Composites Prepared by Compression Molding and Fused Deposition Modeling

2022

In this work, an innovative green composite was produced by adding Hedysarum coronarium (HC) flour to a starch-based biodegradable polymer (Mater-Bi®, MB). The flour was obtained by grinding together stems, leaves and flowers and subsequently sieving it, selecting a fraction from 75 μm to 300 μm. Four formulations have been produced by compression molding (CM) and fused deposition modeling (FDM) by adding 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% of HC to MB. The influence of filler content on the processability was tested, and rheological, morphological and mechanical properties of composites were also assessed. Through CM, it was possible to obtain easily homogeneous samples with all filler amounts.…

Predictive Score of Nodal Involvement in Endometrial Cancer Patients: A Large, Multicenter Series

2022

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White light emitting silsesquioxane based materials: the importance of a ligand with rigid and directional arms

2022

The synthesis of a novel polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane functionalized with eight rigid and directional terpyridine-based arms (Ter-POSS) was successfully achieved via a Sonogashira reaction. The POSS based ligand was extensively characterized using different techniques including 1H, 13C and 29Si NMR as well as UV-Vis and fluorescence spectroscopies. The assembly of these nano-caged units in the presence of different transition metal ions (Fe2+, Zn2+ and Cu2+) as well as of a cation from the lanthanides (Eu3+) was investigated using absorption and emission spectroscopies. The final materials display an evident emission in different regions of the visible spectrum as a function of the …

Let's End HepC: modelling public health epidemiological policies applied to Hepatitis C in Spain

2022

Background: The WHO has defined international targets toward the elimination of hepatitis C by 2030. Most countries cannot be on track to achieve this goal unless many challenges are surpassed. The Let's End HepC (LEHC) tool aims to contribute to the control of hepatitis C. The innovation of this tool combines the modelling of public health policies (PHP) focused on hepatitis C with epidemiological modelling of the disease, obtaining a unique result that allows to forecast the impact of policy outcomes. The model was applied to several countries, including Spain.Methods: To address the stated objective, we applied the “Adaptive Conjoint Analysis” for PHP decision-making and Markov Chains in…

Road Thermal Collector for Building Heating in South Europe: Numerical Modeling and Design of an Experimental Set-Up

2022

The combination/integration of renewable energy and storage systems appears to have significant potential, achieving high-energy results with lower costs and emissions. One way to cover the thermal needs of a building is through solar energy and its seasonal storage in the ground. The SMARTEP project aims to create an experimental area that provides for the construction of a road solar thermal collector directly connected to a seasonal low-temperature geothermal storage with vertical boreholes. The storage can be connected to a ground-to-water heat pump for building acclimatization. This system will meet the requirements of visual impact and reduction of the occupied area. Nevertheless, sev…

Roadmapping the Transition to Water Resource Recovery Facilities: The Two Demonstration Case Studies of Corleone and Marineo (Italy)

2022

The current exploitation of freshwater, as well as the significant increase in sewage sludge production from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), represent nowadays a critical issue for the implementation of sustainable development consistent with the circular economy concept. There is an urgent need to rethink the concept of WWTPs from the conventional approach consisting in pollutant removal plants to water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs). The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the demonstration case studies at the Marineo and Corleone WRRFs in Sicily (IT), with the final aim showing the effectiveness of the resources recovery systems, as well as the importance of plant o…