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A 4-week study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary crude protein (CP) content and resistant starch (RS) supplementation on growth performance, intestinal histomorphology and microbial metabolites of weaned pigs. A total of 96 pigs (7.06 ± 0.45 kg body weight) were assigned to 1 of 4 diets in a randomised complete block design involving a 2 (CP levels) × 2 (without or with RS) factorial arrangement to give 8 replicate pens and 3 pigs per pen. Body weight and feed disappearance were recorded weekly, and the faecal consistency score was determined every morning. Blood was sampled on days 1, 14 and 28 from one pig per pen, and the same pig was euthanised on day 28 to collect ileal tissue and ileal and colon digesta. Data were analysed using the MIXED procedure of SAS. The average daily gain and gain:feed ratio were lower (p < 0.05) in pigs fed low crude protein (LCP) diets compared to those fed high CP (HCP) diets during week 3 and overall period. The analysed Lys, Met+Cys and Thr in feed were lower than calculated values, particularly in LCP diets, which may have affected performance. Pigs fed the LCP diets had longer (p < 0.05) ileal villi and higher villus height to crypt depth ratios than those fed the HCP diets, and RS supplementation increased (p < 0.05) ileal villus height. Interactions (p < 0.05) between dietary CP content and RS inclusion were observed for short-chain fatty acid concentration in the ileum and colon in phase 2. There was no difference in propionic acid (ileum) or butyric acid (colon) concentrations among pigs fed HCP diets, however, the butyric acid concentration increased in pigs fed the LCP diet when supplemented with RS. Reducing dietary CP lowered (p < 0.05) faecal score, plasma urea nitrogen and digesta ammonia content. Overall, feeding LCP diets reduced growth performance but improved gut morphology in weaned pigs. Feeding the LCP diet with RS supplementation modulated concentrations of ileal propionic acid and colonic butyric acid in weaned pigs.

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Desde 2007, el Servicio de Epidemiología e Infectología, ha implementado un programa de transición que busca optimizar la atención de los adolescentes con infección por el HIV durante el paso de la atención pediátrica a la de adultos. Objetivo: Describir las características clínicas, epidemiológicas, virológicas y psicosociales de los adolescentes con infección HIV atendidos en el Programa y analizar el proceso de transición. Materiales y Métodos: Estudio de cohorte retrospectivo. Se incluyeron a los adolescentes, atendidos en el Programa de Transición entre enero de 2019 y diciembre de 2023, en el Hospital Garrahan, con al menos un resultado de CV y CD4+ en ese período. Se obtuvo la información de la historia clínica electrónica y se analizaron variables clínicas, epidemiológicas, virológicas, terapéuticas y psicosociales. Resultados: Se incluyeron 124 pacientes. La vía de transmisión fue vertical en el 92,74% y el estadio clínico e inmunológico era avanzado. En el momento de la transición 77,4% se encontraban con supresión virológica y con recuperación inmunológica. El 55,6% ya realizó la transición a un centro de adultos, 31,4% continúan en el programa, 11,3% se perdieron en el seguimiento y 1,7% fallecieron. Se recopilaron los datos de 31 pacientes transferidos. La mediana de seguimiento fue de 2 años; 25 pacientes (80,6%) continúan en seguimiento. Conclusiones: A pesar de la pandemia de COVID-19, el programa logró la retención de los adolescentes con infección por HIV y una transferencia sostenida en el tiempo. Además de un programa de transición estructurado para garantizar una atención continua y de calidad, es necesario continuar evaluando la evolución postransición (AU)

Since 2007, the Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases Department has implemented a transition program to optimize the care of adolescents with HIV infection during their transition from pediatric to adult care. Objective: To describe the clinical, epidemiological, virological, and psychosocial characteristics of adolescents with HIV infection treated in the program and to analyze the transition process. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted. Adolescents followed in the Transition Program at Garrahan Hospital between January 2019 and December 2023, with at least one viral load and CD4+ result during that period, were included. Information was obtained from electronic medical records, and clinical, epidemiological, virological, therapeutic, and psychosocial variables were analyzed. Results: A total of 124 patients were included. The route of transmission was vertical in 92.74%, and the clinical and immunologic stage was advanced. At the time of transition, 77.4% were virologically suppressed and had achieved immunologic recovery. Of the patients, 55.6% had already transitioned to an adult center, 31.4% were still in the program, 11.3% were lost to follow-up, and 1.7% died. Data were collected from 31 transferred patients, with a median follow-up of 2 years; 25 patients (80.6%) remain in follow-up. Conclusions: Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the program successfully retained HIVinfected adolescents and ensured sustained transition over time. In addition to a structured transition program to ensure continuous and quality care, it is necessary to continue evaluating post-transition outcomes (AU)

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Introduction: The pandemic had a profound impact on the provision of health services in Cúcuta, Colombia where the neighbourhood-level risk of Covid-19 has not been investigated. Identifying the sociodemographic and environmental risk factors of Covid-19 in large cities is key to better estimate its morbidity risk and support health strategies targeting specific suburban areas. This study aims to identify the risk factors associated with the risk of Covid-19 in Cúcuta considering inter -spatial and temporal variations of the disease in the city's neighbourhoods between 2020 and 2022. Methods: Age-adjusted rate of Covid-19 were calculated in each Cúcuta neighbourhood and each quarter between 2020 and 2022. A hierarchical spatial Bayesian model was used to estimate the risk of Covid-19 adjusting for socioenvironmental factors per neighbourhood across the study period. Two spatiotemporal specifications were compared (a nonparametric temporal trend; with and without space-time interaction). The posterior mean of the spatial and spatiotemporal effects was used to map the Covid-19 risk. Results: There were 65,949 Covid-19 cases in the study period with a varying standardized Covid-19 rate that peaked in October-December 2020 and April-June 2021. Both models identified an association of the poverty and stringency indexes, education level and PM10 with Covid-19 although the best fit model with a space-time interaction estimated a strong association with the number of high-traffic roads only. The highest risk of Covid-19 was found in neighbourhoods in west, central, and east Cúcuta. Conclusions: The number of high-traffic roads is the most important risk factor of Covid-19 infection in Cucuta. This indicator of mobility and connectivity overrules other socioenvironmental factors when Bayesian models include a space-time interaction. Bayesian spatial models are important tools to identify significant determinants of Covid-19 and identifying at-risk neighbourhoods in large cities. Further research is needed to establish causal links between these factors and Covid-19.

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Poultry meal, a rendered byproduct of poultry slaughter, is a valuable protein source in swine and poultry diets because of its highly digestible protein content and balanced amino acid (AA) profile. Rendering of poultry meal may reduce its AA digestibility because of heat damage to the byproduct. The effect of heat damage on AA digestibility of poultry meal may be different between broiler chickens and growing pigs. For this reason, the objective of this study was to determine the effect of autoclaving time on standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of AA in poultry meal fed to broiler chickens and growing pigs. Poultry meal from the same batch was autoclaved at 134 °C for 0, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, or 180 min to produce seven heat-treated samples. Eight experimental diets were formulated. Poultry meal served as the sole source of nitrogen in seven diets that each contained one of the heat-treated byproducts and a nitrogen-free diet was formulated to assess basal ileal endogenous losses of AA. In experiment 1, 656 male broiler chickens (initial body weight = 719 ±â€…97 g) at day 18 post hatching were assigned to the eight diets in a randomized complete block design with body weight as a blocking factor. On day 23, birds were euthanized by CO2 asphyxiation and dissected for the collection of ileal digesta. In experiment 2, 16 barrows (initial body weight = 23.3 ±â€…0.7 kg) were surgically fitted with T-cannulas at the distal ileum and allotted to a duplicate 8 × 4 incomplete Latin square design with the eight diets and four periods. Each experimental period consisted of 5-day adaptation and 2-day ileal digesta collection periods. Data for experiments 1 and 2 were pooled and analyzed as a 2 × 7 factorial treatment arrangement with the effects of species (i.e., pigs and broiler chickens) and autoclaving time (i.e., 0 to 180 min) as the two factors. Increasing autoclaving time decreased SID of nitrogen and all AA in both species, but the decrease in SID values except for leucine was greater (interaction, P < 0.05) or tended to be greater in pigs compared with broiler chickens. Given the species differences in AA utilization response to the severity of heat damage, target species should be considered when using SID of AA values of poultry meal in diet formulation.

Poultry meal, a rendered byproduct of poultry slaughter, is a valuable protein source in swine and poultry diets. Rendering is required during the processing of poultry meal to inactivate potential harmful bacteria and to reduce moisture content in the raw byproduct. However, rendering can induce heat damage to poultry meal, which may reduce amino acid (AA) digestibility. To mimic heat damage to poultry meal, the byproduct was autoclaved at 134 °C for 0, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, or 180 min in the current study. These seven heat-treated poultry meal samples were then fed to broiler chickens and growing pigs. AA digestibility in poultry meal decreased with increasing autoclaving time, but the decrease in digestibility of most AAs by autoclaving was larger in growing pigs compared with broiler chickens.

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BACKGROUND: Gender and racial disparities exist after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation. Compared with older devices, the HeartMate 3 (HM3) (Abbott Cardiovascular) has demonstrated improved survival. Whether HM3 differentially improves outcomes by gender or race and ethnic groups is unknown. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to examine differences by gender and race in the use of HM3 among patients listed for heart transplantation (HT) and associated waitlist and post-transplant outcomes. METHODS: The authors examined all patients (20% women, 33% Black) who received LVADs as bridge to transplantation (BTT) between January 2018 and June 2020, in the OPTN (Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network) database. Trends in use of HM3 were evaluated by gender and race. Competing events of death/delisting and transplantation were evaluated using subdistribution hazard models. Post-transplant outcomes were evaluated using multivariate logistic regression adjusted for demographic, clinical, and donor characteristics. RESULTS: Of 11,524 patients listed for HT during the study period, 955 (8.3%) had HM3 implanted as BTT. Use of HM3 increased for all patients, with no difference in use by gender (P = 0.4) or by race (P = 0.2). Competing risk analysis did not demonstrate differences in transplantation or death/delisting in men compared with women (HT: adjusted HR [aHR]: 0.92 [95% CI: 0.70-1.21]; death/delisting: aHR: 0.91 [95% CI: 0.59-1.42]), although Black patients were transplanted fewer times than White patients (HT: aHR: 0.72 [95% CI: 0.57-0.91], death/delisting: aHR: 1.36 [95% CI: 0.98-1.89]). One-year post-transplant survival was comparable by gender (aHR: 0.52 [95% CI: 0.21-1.70]) and race (aHR: 0.76 [95% CI: 0.34-1.70]), with no differences in rates of stroke, acute rejection, or graft failure. CONCLUSIONS: Use of HM3 among patients listed for HT has increased over time and by gender and race. Black patients with HM3 were less likely to be transplanted compared with White patients, but there were no differences in post-transplant outcomes between these groups or between men and women.

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Many organisms communicate using signals in different sensory modalities (multicomponent or multimodal). When one signal or component is lost over evolutionary time, it may be indicative of changes in other characteristics of the signalling system, including the sensory organs used to perceive and process signals. Sceloporus lizards predominantly use chemical and visual signals to communicate, yet some species have lost the ancestral ventral colour patch used in male-male agonistic interactions and exhibit increased chemosensory behaviour. Here, we asked whether evolutionary loss of this sexual signal is associated with larger vomeronasal organ (VNO) volumes (an organ that detects chemical scents) compared with species that have retained the colour patch. We measured VNO coronal section areas of 7-8 adult males from each of 11 Sceloporus species (4 that lost and 7 that retained the colour patch), estimated sensory and total epithelium volume, and compared volumes using phylogenetic analysis of covariance, controlling for body size. Contrary to expectations, we found that species retaining the ventral patch had similar relative VNO volumes as did species that had lost the ancestral patch, and that body size explains VNO epithelium volume. Visual signal loss may be sufficiently compensated for by increased chemosensory behaviour, and the allometric pattern may indicate sensory system trade-offs for large-bodied species.

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The 14th Annual Report from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support (Intermacs) describes outcomes of 27,493 patients with a continuous-flow left ventricular assist device (LVAD) from the past decade (2013-2022). In 2022, 2517 primary LVADs were implanted, of which 2512 (99.8%) were fully magnetically levitated (Mag-Lev) devices. This shift to nearly exclusive use of a Mag-Lev device led us to examine its outcomes compared with contemporary (2018-2022) and historical (2013-2017) non-Mag-Lev cohorts. Patients supported by a Mag-Lev device (n = 10,920) had a higher 1- and 5-year survival of 86% (vs 79% and 81%, P < .0001) and 64% (vs 44% and 44%, P < .0001), respectively, than those receiving non-Mag-Lev devices during the contemporary and historical eras. Over 5 years, freedom from gastrointestinal bleeding (72% vs 60%, P < .0001), stroke (87% vs 67%, P < .0001), and device malfunction/pump thrombus (83% vs 54%, P < .0001), but not device-related infection (61% vs 64%, P = .93), was higher with Mag-Lev devices compared with non-Mag-Lev support during the contemporary era. In this large primacy cohort of real-world patients with advanced heart failure, this report underscores marked improvements in short- and intermediate-term survival and reduction of adverse events with a contemporary Mag-Lev LVAD.

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Canopy-forming macroalgae are facing large declines due to climate change worldwide. The foundation species Gelidium corneum (Hudson) J.V. Lamouroux has shown a long-term decline in the Southeastern Bay of Biscay. We conducted an in situ experiment to investigate the combined effect of solar radiation and nutrient availability on the photosynthetic acclimation and growth of this macrophyte, and on the species richness and diversity of the assemblages that it forms. Photochemical stress in G. corneum was found to be greater at the end of the study, probably as a result of a prolonged exposure to high irradiance (PAR and UVR) and due to high temperatures during summer. We found an acclimation of G. corneum specimens to summer light and thermal conditions through dynamic/reversible photoinhibition and a decrease in photosynthetic efficiency. Nutrients may also have had a positive effect in dealing with the negative effects of these stressors. Under ongoing global climate change and projections for the future, further research will be needed to better understand the effects not only on canopy forming species but also on the whole community and thus on the functioning of the ecosystem.

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IMPORTANCE: Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) enhance quality and duration of life in advanced heart failure. The burden of nonsurgical bleeding events is a leading morbidity. Aspirin as an antiplatelet agent is mandated along with vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) with continuous-flow LVADs without conclusive evidence of efficacy and safety. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether excluding aspirin as part of the antithrombotic regimen with a fully magnetically levitated LVAD is safe and decreases bleeding. DESIGN, SETTING, and PARTICIPANTS: This international, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of aspirin (100 mg/d) vs placebo with VKA therapy in patients with advanced heart failure with an LVAD was conducted across 51 centers with expertise in treating patients with advanced heart failure across 9 countries. The randomized population included 628 patients with advanced heart failure implanted with a fully magnetically levitated LVAD (314 in the placebo group and 314 in the aspirin group), of whom 296 patients in the placebo group and 293 in the aspirin group were in the primary analysis population, which informed the primary end point analysis. The study enrolled patients from July 2020 to September 2022; median follow-up was 14 months. Intervention: Patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive aspirin (100 mg/d) or placebo in addition to an antithrombotic regimen. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The composite primary end point, assessed for noninferiority (-10% margin) of placebo, was survival free of a major nonsurgical (>14 days after implant) hemocompatibility-related adverse events (including stroke, pump thrombosis, major bleeding, or arterial peripheral thromboembolism) at 12 months. The principal secondary end point was nonsurgical bleeding events. RESULTS: Of the 589 analyzed patients, 77% were men; one-third were Black and 61% were White. More patients were alive and free of hemocompatibility events at 12 months in the placebo group (74%) vs those taking aspirin (68%). Noninferiority of placebo was demonstrated (absolute between-group difference, 6.0% improvement in event-free survival with placebo [lower 1-sided 97.5% CI, -1.6%]; P < .001). Aspirin avoidance was associated with reduced nonsurgical bleeding events (relative risk, 0.66 [95% confidence limit, 0.51-0.85]; P = .002) with no increase in stroke or other thromboembolic events, a finding consistent among diverse subgroups of patient characteristics. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In patients with advanced heart failure treated with a fully magnetically levitated LVAD, avoidance of aspirin as part of an antithrombotic regimen, which includes VKA, is not inferior to a regimen containing aspirin, does not increase thromboembolism risk, and is associated with a reduction in bleeding events. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04069156.

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Background: Repolarization alternans, defined as period-2 oscillation in the repolarization phase of the action potentials, provides a mechanistic link between cellular dynamics and ventricular fibrillation (VF). Theoretically, higher-order periodicities (e.g., periods 4, 6, 8,...) are expected but have minimal experimental evidence. Methods: We studied explanted human hearts obtained from recipients of heart transplantation at the time of surgery. Optical mapping of the transmembrane potential was performed after staining the hearts with voltage-sensitive fluorescent dyes. Hearts were stimulated at an increasing rate until VF was induced. Signals recorded from the right ventricle endocardial surface prior to induction of VF and in the presence of 1:1 conduction were processed using the Principal Component Analysis and a combinatorial algorithm to detect and quantify higher-order dynamics. Results were correlated to the underlying electrophysiological characteristics as quantified by restitution curves and conduction velocity. Results: A prominent and statistically significant global 1:4 peak (corresponding to period-4 dynamics) was seen in three of the six studied hearts. Local (pixel-wise) analysis revealed the spatially heterogeneous distribution of periods 4, 6, and 8, with the regional presence of periods greater than two in all the hearts. There was no significant correlation between the underlying restitution properties and the period of each pixel. Discussion: We present evidence of higher-order periodicities and the co-existence of such regions with stable non-chaotic areas in ex-vivo human hearts. We infer from the independence of the period to the underlying restitution properties that the oscillation of the excitation-contraction coupling and calcium cycling mechanisms is the primary mechanism of higher-order dynamics. These higher-order regions may act as niduses of instability that can degenerate into chaotic fibrillation and may provide targets for substrate-based ablation of VF.

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The objective of this experiment was to investigate the effects of dietary crude protein (CP) content and crystalline amino acids (CAA) supplementation patterns in low CP (LCP) diets on intestinal bacteria and their metabolites in weaned pigs raised under clean (CSC) or unclean sanitary conditions (USC). One hundred forty-four piglets (6.35 ±â€…0.63 kg) were assigned to one of six treatments in a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement based on CP content and sanitary conditions in a randomized complete block design to give eight replicates with three pigs per pen over a 21-d period. Diets consisted of a high CP (HCP; 21%) and two LCP (18%) diets supplemented with 9 CAA (Lys, Met, Thr, Trp, Val, Ile, Leu, His, and Phe) or only six CAA (Lys, Met, Thr, Trp, Val, and Ile) to meet the requirements. The CSC room was washed weekly, whereas the USC room had sow manure spread in the pens from the beginning of the study and was not washed throughout the experiment. Jejunum and colon digesta were sampled on day 21. Both jejunum and colon digesta were analyzed for ammonia nitrogen, short-chain fatty acids, and biogenic amines but only colon digesta was analyzed for microbiome composition (16s rRNA sequencing on MiSeq). Data were analyzed using R software for 16S rRNA and the MIXED procedure of SAS for microbial metabolites. Sanitation, CP content, and CAA supplementation patterns did not affect the diversity of colonic bacterial composition in weaned pigs. Pigs raised under USC had greater (P < 0.05) jejunal ammonia nitrogen concentration than those raised under CSC. Pigs fed LCP diets had reduced (P < 0.05) jejunal ammonia nitrogen concentration compared to those fed the HCP diet. Interactions between sanitation and dietary CP content were observed (P < 0.05) for: (1) jejunal acetate and (2) colonic spermidine and spermine, whereby (1) acetate concentrations decreased from NCP to LCP in pigs raised under the CSC but those concentrations increased under the USC, and (2) spermidine and spermine concentrations increased in LCP diets compared to HCP diet under USC, unlike CSC which did not show any difference between HCP and LCP. In conclusion, reducing dietary CP lowered ammonia nitrogen content regardless of sanitation and increased microbial metabolites in weaned pigs raised under USC. However, LCP diets with different CAA supplementation patterns did not affect bacterial diversity in weaned pigs, regardless of the hygienic conditions where the animals were housed.

Lowering dietary crude protein concentration by 3% to 4% units has been used as one of the strategies to promote growth and improve the gut health of weaned pigs. Undigested and endogenous protein could be available for microbial fermentation, and protein fermentation is considered detrimental to the gut health of the host animal. The unclean sanitary condition model mimics commercial raising conditions and stimulates a low-grade inflammatory and immune response. Ammonia nitrogen is one of the harmful metabolites derived by protein fermentation and pigs fed low-protein diets had decreased ammonia nitrogen than those fed high-protein diets. Also, pigs raised under unclean sanitation had greater ammonia nitrogen than those raised under clean sanitation. However, sanitation, protein content, and crystalline amino acids supplementation patterns did not affect the diversity of colonic bacterial composition in weaned pigs. The results obtained from the present study showed that a low protein diet could be used to improve gut health in weaned pigs.

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We report a 60-year-old woman who presented to the emergency department after experiencing a witnessed unknown onset bilateral tonic clonic seizure (GTCS) that culminated in cardiac arrest. A neurology consultant uncovered a years-long history of frequent episodic staring followed by confusion and expressive aphasia, which strongly suggested that she suffered from epilepsy. Thus, her cardiac arrest and subsequent resuscitation met criteria for a near-sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) diagnosis. Serial bloodwork demonstrated transient troponin I elevations and leukocytoses, while a brain MRI revealed global cerebral anoxic injury and a small acute right cerebellar ischemic infarction. A review of her medical record uncovered a hospitalization sixteen months earlier for a likely GTCS whose workup showed similar troponin I elevations and leukocytoses, and surprisingly, a different small acute right cerebellar ischemic infarction in the same vascular territory. To our knowledge, this is the first report of subcortical ischemic infarctions occurring concurrently with GTCSs in a near-SUDEP patient. Aside from illustrating the key role of inpatient neurologists in the diagnosis of near-SUDEP, this manuscript discusses the potential significance of postictal ischemic infarctions, transient asymptomatic troponin elevations, and transient non-infectious leukocytoses in epilepsy patients with cardiovascular risk factors.

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Background: Repolarization alternans, defined as period-2 oscillation in the repolarization phase of the action potentials, is one of the cornerstones of cardiac electrophysiology as it provides a mechanistic link between cellular dynamics and ventricular fibrillation (VF). Theoretically, higher-order periodicities (e.g., period-4, period-8,...) are expected but have very limited experimental evidence. Methods: We studied explanted human hearts, obtained from the recipients of heart transplantation at the time of surgery, using optical mapping technique with transmembrane voltage-sensitive fluorescent dyes. The hearts were stimulated at an increasing rate until VF was induced. The signals recorded from the right ventricle endocardial surface just before the induction of VF and in the presence of 1:1 conduction were processed using the Principal Component Analysis and a combinatorial algorithm to detect and quantify higher-order dynamics. Results: A prominent and statistically significant 1:4 peak (corresponding to period-4 dynamics) was seen in three of the six studied hearts. Local analysis revealed the spatiotemporal distribution of higher-order periods. Period-4 was localized to temporally stable islands. Higher-order oscillations (period-5, 6, and 8) were transient and primarily occurred in arcs parallel to the activation isochrones. Discussion: We present evidence of higher-order periodicities and the co-existence of such regions with stable non-chaotic areas in ex-vivo human hearts before VF induction. This result is consistent with the period-doubling route to chaos as a possible mechanism of VF initiation, which complements the concordant to discordant alternans mechanism. The presence of higher-order regions may act as niduses of instability that can degenerate into chaotic fibrillation.

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Cultural heritage has become a keystone for comprehending our society, as it represents and reflects our origins, passions, beliefs and traditions. Furthermore, it provides fundamental information about specific temporary spaces, materials' availability, technology, artist's intention, and site weather conditions. Our aim was to develop a multidisciplinary approach with a main focus on investigating two Italian large-format paintings located in highly diverse environments such as the National Theater of Costa Rica. We monitored environmental conditions and quantified fungal aerial spores. Then, we determined regions of possible biodeterioration with the software MicroorganismPattern and used the software PigmentArrangement to elucidate the apparent colour of the paintings based on distribution and arrangement of the pigment crystals. Finally, we characterized eight genera of calcareous nannofossils found in the ground layers of the artwork. The former Men's Canteen at the National Theater of Costa Rica presented a mean air temperature of 23.5 [Formula: see text]C, a relative humidity of 72.7% and a concentration of CO[Formula: see text] of 570 ppm. The fungal aerial concentration was 1776 spores/m[Formula: see text]. The software MicroorganismPattern identified 32 sampling regions, out of which 11 were positive for microbial contamination. The software PigmentArrangement determined that the blue crystals (ultramarine pigment) had the shortest distances between themselves (29 [Formula: see text]m). Finally, the nanofossils identified enabled us to restrict the age of the material to a biostratigraphic interval ranging from Coniacian to Maastricthian ages. By using a multidisciplinary approach we were able to explore the diptych, suggest a set of minimally invasive perspectives in tropical environments to be used worldwide and obtain key information about the artist's artistic process, materials used along with better understand its state of conservation.

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The causes and consequences of the evolution of placentotrophy (post-fertilization nutrition of developing embryos of viviparous organisms by means of a maternal placenta) in non-mammalian vertebrates are still not fully understood. In particular, in the fish family Poeciliidae there is an evolutionary link between placentotrophy and superfetation (ability of females to simultaneously bear embryos at distinct developmental stages), with no conclusive evidence for which of these two traits facilitates the evolution of more advanced degrees of the other. Using a robust phylogenetic comparative method based on Ornstein-Uhlenbeck models of adaptive evolution and data from 36 poeciliid species, we detected a clear causality pattern. The evolution of extensive placentotrophy has been facilitated by the preceding evolution of more simultaneous broods. Therefore, placentas became increasingly complex as an adaptive response to evolutionary increases in the degree of superfetation. This finding represents a substantial contribution to our knowledge of the factors that have shaped placental evolution in poeciliid fishes.

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BACKGROUND: Urochloa (syn. Brachiaria) is a genus of tropical grasses sown as forage feedstock, particularly in marginal soils. Here we aimed to clarify the genetic diversity and population structure in Urochloa species to understand better how population evolution relates to ploidy level and occurrence of apomictic reproduction. METHODS: We explored the genetic diversity of 111 accessions from the five Urochloa species used to develop commercial cultivars. These accessions were conserved from wild materials collected at their centre of origin in Africa, and they tentatively represent the complete Urochloa gene pool used in breeding programmes. We used RNA-sequencing to generate 1.1 million single nucleotide polymorphism loci. We employed genetic admixture, principal component and phylogenetic analyses to define subpopulations. RESULTS: We observed three highly differentiated subpopulations in U. brizantha, which were unrelated to ploidy: one intermixed with U. decumbens, and two diverged from the former and the other species in the complex. We also observed two subpopulations in U. humidicola, unrelated to ploidy; one subpopulation had fewer accessions but included the only characterized sexual accession in the species. Our results also supported a division of U. decumbens between diploids and polyploids, and no subpopulations within U. ruziziensis and U. maxima. CONCLUSIONS: Polyploid U. decumbens are more closely related to polyploid U. brizantha than to diploid U. decumbens, which supports the divergence of both polyploid groups from a common tetraploid ancestor and provides evidence for the hybridization barrier of ploidy. The three differentiated subpopulations of apomictic polyploid U. brizantha accessions constitute diverged ecotypes, which can probably be utilized in hybrid breeding. Subpopulations were not observed in non-apomictic U. ruziziensis. Sexual Urochloa polyploids were not found (U. brizantha, U. decumbens) or were limited to small subpopulations (U. humidicola). The subpopulation structure observed in the Urochloa sexual-apomictic multiploidy complexes supports geographical parthenogenesis, where the polyploid genotypes exploit the evolutionary advantage of apomixis, i.e. uniparental reproduction and clonality, to occupy extensive geographical areas.

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Objetivo: Evaluar, a lo largo de un seguimiento de 79,2 meses, el comportamiento de la densidad mineral ósea (DMO) determinada mediante Densitometría Axial Computarizada (DXA), la densidad mineral ósea volumétrica (DMOvol) y su relación con los datos antropométricos, junto con los parámetros relativos al metabolismo óseo (calcio, fósforo, fosfatasa alcalina, parathormona (PTH) y vitamina D (25-OH-D3)) en una población infantil con Diabetes Mellitus Tipo 1 (DM1) sin complicaciones microvasculares y un grupo control de referencia de similares características.Material y métodos: Inicialmente, se realizó un estudio transversal en 40 niños diabéticos (edad media 9,4±2,8 años) y 108 controles (9,3±1,5 años) para valorar las posibles diferencias entre ambas poblaciones. 26 pacientes del grupo diabético inicial, fueron reevaluados tras 79,2 meses de seguimiento.Resultados: Se observó que, al inicio, la masa ósea fue similar en los diabéticos y controles. Después del seguimiento, la DMO de los niños diabéticos era muy inferior a la esperada en población infantil no diabética.El peso, la altura y el Índice de Masa Corporal (IMC) siguieron el mismo patrón que la DMO. Los valores de calcio, fósforo, fosfatasa alcalina, PTH y vitamina D, aunque en rango de normalidad, fueron más bajos que en los controles. La fosfatasa alcalina no se incrementó en el periodo puberal.Conclusiones: El presente estudio demuestra que los niños y adolescentes con un diagnóstico reciente de DM1 tienen una DMO normal. Sin embargo, con el paso del tiempo, y sobre todo durante la adolescencia, muestran una menor ganancia de masa ósea y alteraciones en los parámetros de recambio óseo. (AU)

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Little is known about the post heart transplantation management of extra cardiac manifestations in patients with hereditary transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (hATTR-CM) in the new era of disease modifying treatment for ATTR amyloidosis. This is a retrospective study of all patients with hATTR-CM associated with the Val142Ile variant who underwent heart transplantation (HT) from January 2014 to February 2022. All 10 patients with the Val142Ile mutation were successfully transplanted, with a 1 year survival post heart transplantation (HT) of 90%, comparable to an age, sex, and race matched cohort of patients transplanted for non-amyloid indications. However, 4 (40%) of these patients developed progressive extracardiac manifestations requiring initiation of TTR silencer therapy with the small interfering RNA (siRNA) drug patisiran, which was well tolerated with no significant side effects in this population. We recommend formal neurologic evaluation and assessment of extracardiac manifestations annually as part of routine post-transplant care, and disease modifying therapy, aimed at TTR stabilization or silencing, should be initiated in the context of previously untreated extracardiac manifestations or evidence of subclinical neuropathy to prevent progression.

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The object of this study was to evaluate the dose of scattered radiation in the organs of the operator and assistant located in different positions within a dental room when acquiring intraoral images with a portable handheld X-ray device, using Monte Carlo simulations for recommended and traditional techniques. A typical dental installation was modeled, where the operator and assistant were placed. The beam is represented by 60-kV spectrum. Ten scenarios were simulated, representing different positions and use of the lead apron. The results of the simulations were carried out with typical parameters of the annual workload, showing significant increases in dose in the organs of the operator due to the angulation. The minimum dose in the organs of the assistant occurred when he was located 2-m away and 45° from the direction of the beam. The dose received by the operator is significantly reduced with the use apron.

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