Mitochondrial respiration using the oxygraph‐2k respirometer (Oroboros) is widely used to estimate mitochondrial capacity in human skeletal muscle. Here, we measured mitochondrial respiration ...variability, in a relatively large sample, and for the first time, using statistical simulations, we provide the sample size required to detect meaningful respiration changes following lifestyle intervention. Muscle biopsies were taken from healthy, young men from the Gene SMART cohort, at multiple time points. We utilized samples for each measurement with two technical repeats using two respirometer chambers (n = 160 pairs of same muscle after removal of low‐quality samples). We measured the Technical Error of measurement (TEM) and the coefficient of variation (CV) for each mitochondrial complex. There was a high correlation between measurements from the two chambers (R > 0.7 P < .001) for all complexes, but the TEM was large (7.9‐27 pmol s−1 mg−1; complex dependent), and the CV was >15% for all complexes. We performed statistical simulations of a range of effect sizes at 80% power and found that 75 participants (with duplicate measurements) are required to detect a 6% change in mitochondrial respiration after an intervention, while for interventions with 11% effect size, ~24 participants are sufficient. The high variability in respiration suggests that the typical sample sizes in exercise studies may not be sufficient to capture exercise‐induced changes.
Objective
To systematically review the literature in order to investigate the efficacy and safety of surgical and non‐invasive penile enhancement procedures for aesthetic and therapeutic purposes.
...Methods
A systematic search for papers investigating penile enhancement procedures was performed using the MEDLINE database. Articles published from January 2010 to December 2019, written in English, including >10 cases, and reporting objective length and/or girth outcomes, were included. Studies without primary data and conference s were excluded. The main outcome measure was objective length and/or girth improvement. The review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) statement.
Results
Out of 220 unique records, a total of 57 were reviewed. Eighteen studies assessed interventions for penile enhancement in 1764 healthy men complaining of small penis. Thirty‐nine studies investigated 2587 men with concomitant pathologies consisting mostly of Peyronie's disease and erectile dysfunction. Twenty‐five studies evaluated non‐invasive interventions and 32 studies assessed surgical interventions, for a total of 2192 and 2159 men, respectively. Non‐invasive interventions, including traction therapies and injection of fillers, were safe and mostly efficacious, whereas surgical interventions were associated with minor complications and mostly increased penile dimensions and/or corrected penile curvature. Overall, the quality of studies was low, and standardized criteria to evaluate and report efficacy and safety of procedures, as well as patient satisfaction, were missing.
Conclusion
The quality of the studies on penile enhancement procedures published in the last decade is still low. This prevents us from establishing recommendations based on scientific evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of interventions that are performed to increase the penis size for aesthetic or therapeutic indications.
The article presents the main design features and photovoltaic requirements of a FPCS (floating photovoltaic cover system) for water irrigation reservoirs whose purpose is to reduce the evaporation ...of water while generating electrical power. Also, a summary of installation costs and relationship with the yield performance is deeply analyzed. A prototype of 20 kWp was implemented, and given the success of the results observed, the whole surface reservoir was covered (4490 m2 and 300 kWp). The paper analyses the first electricity productions of the system and from these data the CO2 balance of the facility is calculated.
•We present the main design features of a floating photovoltaic cover system (FPCS) for water irrigation reservoirs.•The FPCS purpose is to reduce the evaporation of water while generating electrical power.•We include an economic analysis of the system and analyze the first electricity productions of the real system.•Also, a quick approach to the CO2 balance is performed.
We accurately estimate the 3D geometry and appearance of the human body from a monocular RGB-D sequence of a user moving freely in front of the sensor. Range data in each frame is first brought into ...alignment with a multi-resolution 3D body model in a coarse-to-fine process. The method then uses geometry and image texture over time to obtain accurate shape, pose, and appearance information despite unconstrained motion, partial views, varying resolution, occlusion, and soft tissue deformation. Our novel body model has variable shape detail, allowing it to capture faces with a high-resolution deformable head model and body shape with lower-resolution. Finally we combine range data from an entire sequence to estimate a high-resolution displacement map that captures fine shape details. We compare our recovered models with high-resolution scans from a professional system and with avatars created by a commercial product. We extract accurate 3D avatars from challenging motion sequences and even capture soft tissue dynamics.
Objective
To analyze the influence of the resting interval after removal of a double‐balloon for cervical ripening and oxytocin administration on the time to onset of active labor in singleton ...pregnancies.
Methods
A retrospective cohort study of women who required a cervical ripening with double‐balloon was conducted between January 2019 and December 2022. We collected data for cervical ripening balloon insertion and removal, oxytocin administration, suspicious or pathological cardiotocographic trace, mode of delivery, maternal and neonatal complications, neonatal outcomes. Proportional hazards model comparing resting interval between double‐balloon cervical ripening removal and oxytocin administration.
Results
A total of 403 singleton pregnancies were recruited and 213 pregnant women experienced a rest of 12 h between cervical balloon removal and oxytocin administration (resting group). Oxytocin was administered immediately after balloon removal in 190 women (non‐resting group). Median insertion‐to‐active labor interval and insertion‐to‐delivery interval were significantly shorter in the non‐resting group: 18.5 versus 24.0 h, HR 2.59 (CI 95%: 1.97–3.41) and 24.0 versus 29.0 h, HR 2.38 (CI 95%: 1.85–3.05) respectively. Bishop score change and mode of delivery between were similar in both groups. No differences in maternal nor neonatal complications between both groups were found.
Conclusions
Oxytocin administration immediately after removal of a double‐balloon for cervical ripening compared with 12 h delayed interval resulted in a shortened time from insertion to active labor onset and to delivery interval without increasing maternal or neonatal adverse outcomes.
Synopsis
In a retrospective study of 403 singleton pregnancies, administering oxytocin immediately after double‐balloon removal reduced labor onset time without increasing complications.
The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is involved in cognitive functions such as working memory. Astrocytic cannabinoid type 1 receptor (CB1R) induces cytosolic calcium (Ca2+) concentration changes ...with an impact on neuronal function. mPFC astrocytes also express adenosine A1 and A2A receptors (A1R, A2AR), being unknown the crosstalk between CB1R and adenosine receptors in these cells. We show here that a further level of regulation of astrocyte Ca2+ signaling occurs through CB1R‐A2AR or CB1R‐A1R heteromers that ultimately impact mPFC synaptic plasticity. CB1R‐mediated Ca2+ transients increased and decreased when A1R and A2AR were activated, respectively, unveiling adenosine receptors as modulators of astrocytic CB1R. CB1R activation leads to an enhancement of long‐term potentiation (LTP) in the mPFC, under the control of A1R but not of A2AR. Notably, in IP3R2KO mice, that do not show astrocytic Ca2+ level elevations, CB1R activation decreases LTP, which is not modified by A1R or A2AR. The present work suggests that CB1R has a homeostatic role on mPFC LTP, under the control of A1R, probably due to physical crosstalk between these receptors in astrocytes that ultimately alters CB1R Ca2+ signaling.
Main Points
CB1R heteromerizes with A1R and A2AR in astrocytes.
CB1R signaling is potentiated by A1R and inhibited by A2AR.
LTP potentiation by CB1R is A1R‐dependent in IP3R2WT mice.
CB1R activation and A2AR blockade decrease LTP independently in IP3R2KO mice.
Purpose:
This study sought to validate the Skills for Future Work Scale for its use with professional/vocational training (PT) and baccalaureate students.
Methods:
A total of 1,159 students were ...recruited. Structural equation analysis was performed using IBM Amos Graphics®.
Results:
Excellent fit indices were obtained, forming a final scale composed of nine indicators and two factors. The first dimension was associated with cognitive skills and adaptability, grouping together the skills of finding meaning, adaptable thinking, and understanding management. The second dimension comprises collaborative skills, as social intelligence and virtual collaboration.
Discussion:
Collaboration skills were more developed within those undertaking PT, while baccalaureate students had more strongly developed mastery over new media. This scale allows to know effectively the development of the work skills set by the European Union in the 2030 horizon. These findings contribute interesting data regarding the development of training strategies to support insertion into the job market.
Volatile compounds (VCs) emitted by the fungal phytopathogen Penicillium aurantiogriseum promote root growth and developmental changes in Arabidopsis. Here we characterised the metabolic and ...molecular responses of roots to fungal volatiles. Proteomic analyses revealed that these compounds reduce the levels of aquaporins, the iron carrier IRT1 and apoplastic peroxidases. Fungal VCs also increased the levels of enzymes involved in the production of mevalonate (MVA)‐derived isoprenoids, nitrogen assimilation and conversion of methionine to ethylene and cyanide. Consistently, fungal VC‐treated roots accumulated high levels of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), MVA‐derived cytokinins, ethylene, cyanide and long‐distance nitrogen transport amino acids. qRT‐PCR analyses showed that many proteins differentially expressed by fungal VCs are encoded by VC non‐responsive genes. Expression patterns of hormone reporters and developmental characterisation of mutants provided evidence for the involvement of cyanide scavenging and enhanced auxin, ethylene, cytokinin and H2O2 signalling in the root architecture changes promoted by fungal VCs. Our findings show that VCs from P. aurantiogriseum modify root metabolism and architecture, and improve nutrient and water use efficiencies through transcriptionally and non‐transcriptionally regulated proteome resetting mechanisms. Some of these mechanisms are subject to long‐distance regulation by photosynthesis and differ from those triggered by VCs emitted by beneficial microorganisms.
Here we show that volatile compounds (VCs) from the fungal phytopathogen Penicillium aurantiogriseum modify root metabolism and architecture, and enhance nutrient and water use efficiencies by means of transcriptionally and non‐transcriptionally regulated proteome resetting mechanisms that involve cyanide scavenging, hormone and ROS signalling. Some of these mechanisms are subject to long‐distance regulation by photosynthesis and differ from those involved in the response to VCs from beneficial microorganisms.
The computed tomographic angiography (CTA) spot sign is associated with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) expansion and may mark those patients most likely to benefit from intensive blood pressure (BP) ...reduction.
To investigate whether the spot sign is associated with ICH expansion across a wide range of centers and whether intensive BP reduction decreases hematoma expansion and improves outcome in patients with ICH and a spot sign.
SCORE-IT (Spot Sign Score in Restricting ICH Growth) is a preplanned prospective observational study nested in the Antihypertensive Treatment of Acute Cerebral Hemorrhage II (ATACH-II) randomized clinical trial. Participants included consecutive patients with primary ICH who underwent a CTA within 8 hours from onset at 59 sites from May 15, 2011, through December 19, 2015. Data were analyzed for the present study from July 1 to August 31, 2016.
Patients in ATACH-II were randomized to intensive (systolic BP target, <140 mm Hg) vs standard (systolic BP target, <180 mm Hg) BP reduction within 4.5 hours from onset. Expansion of ICH was defined as hematoma growth of greater than 33%, and an unfavorable outcome was defined as a 90-day modified Rankin Scale score of 4 or greater (range, 0-6). The association among BP reduction, ICH expansion, and outcome was investigated with multivariable logistic regression.
A total of 133 patients (83 men 62.4% and 50 women 37.6%; mean SD age, 61.9 13.1 years) were included. Of these, 53 (39.8%) had a spot sign, and 24 of 123 without missing data (19.5%) experienced ICH expansion. The spot sign was associated with expansion with sensitivity of 0.54 (95% CI, 0.34-0.74) and specificity of 0.63 (95% CI, 0.53-0.72). After adjustment for potential confounders, intensive BP treatment was not associated with a significant reduction of ICH expansion (relative risk, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.27-2.51; P = .74) or improved outcome (relative risk of 90-day modified Rankin Scale score ≥4, 1.24; 95% CI, 0.53-2.91; P = .62) in spot sign-positive patients.
The predictive performance of the spot sign for ICH expansion was lower than in prior reports from single-center studies. No evidence suggested that patients with ICH and a spot sign specifically benefit from intensive BP reduction.
clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01176565.
PDF
