Prediction of human O-linked glycosylation sites using stacked generalization and embeddings from pre-trained protein language model.

MOTIVATION: O-linked glycosylation, an essential post-translational modification process in Homo sapiens, involves attaching sugar moieties to the oxygen atoms of serine and/or threonine residues. It influences various biological and cellular functions. While threonine or serine residues within protein sequences are potential sites for O-linked glycosylation, not all serine and/or threonine residues undergo this modification, underscoring the importance of characterizing its occurrence. This study presents a novel approach for predicting intracellular and extracellular O-linked glycosylation events on proteins, which are crucial for comprehending cellular processes. Two base multi-layer perceptron models were trained by leveraging a stacked generalization framework. These base models respectively employ ProtT5 and Ankh O-linked glycosylation site-specific embeddings whose combined predictions are used to train the meta-multi-layer perceptron model. Trained on extensive O-linked glycosylation datasets, the stacked-generalization model demonstrated high predictive performance on independent test datasets. Furthermore, the study emphasizes the distinction between nucleocytoplasmic and extracellular O-linked glycosylation, offering insights into their functional implications that were overlooked in previous studies. By integrating the protein language model's embedding with stacked generalization techniques, this approach enhances predictive accuracy of O-linked glycosylation events and illuminates the intricate roles of O-linked glycosylation in proteomics, potentially accelerating the discovery of novel glycosylation sites. RESULTS: Stack-OglyPred-PLM produces Sensitivity, Specificity, Matthews Correlation Coefficient, and Accuracy of 90.50%, 89.60%, 0.464, and 89.70%, respectively on a benchmark NetOGlyc-4.0 independent test dataset. These results demonstrate that Stack-OglyPred-PLM is a robust computational tool to predict O-linked glycosylation sites in proteins. AVAILABILITY: The developed tool, programs, training, and test dataset are available at https://github.com/PakhrinLab/Stack-OglyPred-PLM. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Prevalence and Progression of Gingivitis in Domestic Cats in Subtropical Mexico.

With the objective to characterize the gingival index (GI) and its progression, 218 domestic cats in a subtropical region of Mexico were studied. All teeth of each cat were examined with a periodontal probe to determine the GI; in addition, the absence of teeth was recorded. Six months later, the teeth of the 38 cats were again examined to assess any progression of the GI and loss of teeth. From the 218 cats, 33.0% of them develop some degree of gingival inflammation; from those, 61.5% were classified as GI 1. Age, sex, and neutered status were associated with tooth affections. Missed teeth were observed in 35% of the cats, particularly for molars 109 and 209 in both sexes. After six months, the number of teeth with GI 1 decreased to 20%. The gingival problems in cats have not been well studied, particularly at the speed they progress and how this can affect the loss of teeth; under the conditions of this study, a high frequency of gingival inflammation even at early age was demonstrated, with a rapid tooth loss. Although young males were more prone to develop gingivitis, females tend to loss more teeth. Non-neutered cats tended to develop more dental affections.

SumoPred-PLM: human SUMOylation and SUMO2/3 sites Prediction using Pre-trained Protein Language Model.

SUMOylation is an essential post-translational modification system with the ability to regulate nearly all aspects of cellular physiology. Three major paralogues SUMO1, SUMO2 and SUMO3 form a covalent bond between the small ubiquitin-like modifier with lysine residues at consensus sites in protein substrates. Biochemical studies continue to identify unique biological functions for protein targets conjugated to SUMO1 versus the highly homologous SUMO2 and SUMO3 paralogues. Yet, the field has failed to harness contemporary AI approaches including pre-trained protein language models to fully expand and/or recognize the SUMOylated proteome. Herein, we present a novel, deep learning-based approach called SumoPred-PLM for human SUMOylation prediction with sensitivity, specificity, Matthew's correlation coefficient, and accuracy of 74.64%, 73.36%, 0.48% and 74.00%, respectively, on the CPLM 4.0 independent test dataset. In addition, this novel platform uses contextualized embeddings obtained from a pre-trained protein language model, ProtT5-XL-UniRef50 to identify SUMO2/3-specific conjugation sites. The results demonstrate that SumoPred-PLM is a powerful and unique computational tool to predict SUMOylation sites in proteins and accelerate discovery.

O3-Annealing Effect on the Etching Resilience of a TiO2/Al2O3 filter Prepared by Atomic Layer Deposition.

This research investigates the improvements of ozone (O3) annealing on the optical and etching characteristics of TiO2/Al2O3 multilayer band-pass filters designed for potential optoelectronic applications. The band-pass filters were fabricated using atomic layer deposition (ALD), and their performance was systematically analyzed after the addition of O3 annealing at moderate temperatures (up to 300 °C). Results reveal that O3 annealing improves the optical transmittance of the multilayers by approximately 40% without significant spectral changes (∼6 nm). The observed enhancement in the transmittance is attributed to the improved stoichiometry of TiO2. By filling in the oxygen vacancies created during the fabrication process, it reduces its extinction coefficient. Furthermore, the O3 annealing enhances the stability of TiO2 against wet etching, improving the uniformity of etched surfaces. Etching on the ozone-annealed multilayer was up to 8 times more homogeneous, as observed in the roughness. The relatively short duration of the O3 annealing process, approximately 1.6 h, makes it a cost-effective alternative compared to using ozone in the ALD process, which can last several hours for thick optical coatings.

Has Biomimicry in Architecture Arrived in France? Diversity of Challenges and Opportunities for a Paradigm Shift.

Biomimicry is a growing field of developing environmental innovations for materials, facade systems, buildings, and urban planning. In France, we observe an extensive diversity of initiatives in biomimicry for the development of regenerative cities. These initiatives blossom in a large range of areas, from education to urban policies, to achieve a major environmental, social and economic paradigm shift. To provide a comprehensive understanding of this development at the national scale, this paper presents and discusses the diversity of the developed initiatives over the last 10 years in six main fields-education, urban policies, fundamental and applied research, design demonstrators, arts, and communication. This research is an opportunistic study based on the analysis of these initiatives enriched by the feedback of the stakeholders collected by the authors working in the field of biomimicry over the last seven years. We identify that biomimicry in France has mainly extended through individual initiatives of teachers, territorial authorities, architectural studios, or researchers rather than through the support of public policies. Putting into perspective developments in biomimicry by other countries, this cross-discipline analysis provides recommendations for the extensive development of regenerative architecture and urbanism at the national scale.

Anatomical landmarks for a proximal paravertebral thoracolumbar block in sheep: Cadaver and in-vivo study.

The objective of this study was to describe the anatomy of the spinal nerves, specifically the last thoracic nerve (T13) and the first to third lumbar nerves (L1 to L3), in order to safely carry out an accurate proximal paravertebral block (PPVB) in sheep. This study consisted of 2 phases. In Phase 1, 7 sheep cadavers were dissected to identify the path and relevant anatomical landmarks of spinal nerves T13 and L1 to L3. In Phase 2, 2 healthy sheep received bilateral injections of 0.35 mL/kg body weight (BW) for each hemithoracolumbar area (0.088 mL/kg BW per nerve) of a dye-lidocaine solution (50:50) using a PPVB approach and then assessed for 15 min for signs of systemic and local effects of lidocaine. After euthanasia, the infiltrated area was dissected to assess the spread of the dye. Successful nerve staining (> 2 cm in length), macroscopic evidence of intraneural/intravascular injection, and spread to the epidural space and the abdominal cavity were recorded. In Phase 1, each branch of all nerves was easily identified and located using the caudal aspect of the spinous apophysis and the lateral edge of the transverse process of the respective vertebrae. An overlap was observed between the costoabdominal (T13), the iliohypogastric (L1), and ilioinguinal (L2) nerves. In Phase 2, all nerves were stained at least 2 cm from the injection site. There was no diffusion of the dye into the epidural space or abdominal cavity. In conclusion, using the anatomical landmarks described specifically for sheep, the PPVB provided accurate perineural distribution of the injected dye-lidocaine solution, which could result in clinical analgesia of the flank.

L'objectif de cette étude était de décrire l'anatomie des nerfs rachidiens, en particulier le dernier nerf thoracique (T13) et les premier à troisième nerfs lombaires (L1 à L3), afin de réaliser en toute sécurité un bloc paravertébral proximal précis (PPVB) chez les moutons. Cette étude comportait deux phases. Dans la phase 1, sept cadavres de moutons ont été disséqués pour identifier le trajet et les repères anatomiques pertinents des nerfs rachidiens T13 et L1 à L3. Dans la phase 2, deux moutons en bonne santé ont reçu des injections bilatérales de 0,35 mL/kg de poids corporel (PC) pour chaque zone hémithoraco-lombaire (0,088 mL/kg de PC par nerf) d'une solution de colorant-lidocaïne (50:50) en utilisant une approche PPVB, puis évalué pendant 15 min pour des signes d'effets systémiques et locaux de la lidocaïne. Après l'euthanasie, la zone infiltrée a été disséquée pour évaluer la propagation du colorant. Une coloration nerveuse réussie (> 2 cm de longueur), une preuve macroscopique d'injection intraneurale/intravasculaire et une propagation à l'espace épidural et à la cavité abdominale ont été enregistrées. Dans la phase 1, chaque branche de tous les nerfs a été facilement identifiée et localisée en utilisant la face caudale de l'apophyse épineuse et le bord latéral de l'apophyse transverse des vertèbres respectives. Un chevauchement a été observé entre les nerfs costo-abdominal (T13), ilio-hypogastrique (L1) et ilio-inguinal (L2). Dans la phase 2, tous les nerfs ont été colorés à au moins 2 cm du site d'injection. Il n'y a pas eu de diffusion du colorant dans l'espace péridural ou la cavité abdominale. En conclusion, en utilisant les repères anatomiques décrits spécifiquement pour les moutons, le PPVB a fourni une distribution périneurale précise de la solution de colorant-lidocaïne injectée, ce qui pourrait entraîner une analgésie clinique du flanc.(Traduit par Docteur Serge Messier).

Fe3O4-TiO2 Thin Films in Solar Photocatalytic Processes.

The optical properties of 5wt% Fe3O4-TiO2 thin films were evaluated in detail with the aim of proposing a mechanism for solar photocatalytic processes and highlighting the advantages over the use of bare TiO2. The results showed that the incorporation of 5wt% Fe3O4 enhanced the optical properties by a redshift to a wavelength in the visible range, reducing the anatase/rutile band gap energy from 3.2 eV to 2.8 eV. Photoluminescence studies reveal a superior separation efficiency of photoexcited electron-hole pairs when Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) are present in the photocatalyst. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectra confirm the presence of Fe3O4 and existence of a chemical bonding between TiO2 and Fe3O4 NPs. Moreover, in this study, a mechanism of solar photocatalytic processes involving Fe3O4-TiO2 thin films is proposed and it is supported by experimental results. Finally, solar photocatalytic experiments were carried out, indicating that the effectiveness for the removal of the selected pharmaceutical is considerably improved when the composite material is used as catalyst. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the photocatalytic activity of the prepared Fe3O4-TiO2 thin films depends on their thickness, achieving the highest pharmaceutical removal yields using the 2 µm thick sample. The stability and reusability of the catalyst was confirmed studying the photocatalytic activity over three cycles.

Two new species of Rhopalochernes Beier, 1932 (Pseudoscorpiones: Chernetidae) from Colombia.

The pseudoscorpion genus Rhopalochernes Beier, 1932 is restricted to the Neotropical region and currently includes eight species. Recent field collections in the Caribbean region of Colombia have revealed the presence of two previously undescribed species, which are here described as Rhopalochernes luiscarlosi sp. nov. and Rhopalochernes catalinae sp. nov. They differ from one another by the shape of the carapace, the position of the trichobothria and the length of the nodus ramosus. They differ from other species of the genus by the absence of eye spots, and the number of the cheliceral setae. One of these features, the presence of only four setae on the cheliceral hand, is shared with R. panamensis Heurtault, 1998 and R. chamberlini Heurtault, 1998, with other species possessing a higher number. Additionally, the key for the genus proposed by Beier (1932) is updated for included all the species.

Patient and Provider Perspectives on Medication Non-adherence Among Patients with Depression and/or Diabetes in Diverse Community Settings - A Qualitative Analysis.

Background: Diabetes and depression affect a significant percentage of the world's total population, and the management of these conditions is critical for reducing the global burden of disease. Medication adherence is crucial for improving diabetes and depression outcomes, and research is needed to elucidate barriers to medication adherence, including the intentionality of non-adherence, to intervene effectively. The purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of patients and health care providers on intentional and unintentional medication adherence among patients with depression and diabetes through a series of focus groups conducted across clinical settings in a large urban area. Methods: This qualitative study utilized a grounded theory approach to thematically analyze qualitative data using the framework method. Four focus groups in total were conducted, two with patients and two with providers, over a one-year period using a semi-structured facilitation instrument containing open-ended questions about experiences, perceptions and beliefs about medication adherence. Results: Across the focus groups, communication difficulties between patients and providers resulting in medication non-adherence was a primary theme that emerged. Concerns about medication side effects and beliefs about medication effectiveness were identified as perceptual barriers related to intentional medication non-adherence. Practical barriers to medication adherence, including medication costs, forgetting to take medications and polypharmacy, emerged as themes related to unintentional medication non-adherence. Conclusion: The study findings contribute to a growing body of research suggesting health system changes are needed to improve provider education and implement multicomponent interventions to improve medication adherence among patients with depression and/or diabetes, both chronic illnesses accounting for significant disease burden globally.

Spectroscopic Ellipsometry Study on Tuning the Electrical and Optical Properties of Zr-Doped ZnO Thin Films Grown by Atomic Layer Deposition.

This work reports the ellipsometry analysis of atomic layer deposition (ALD) films of ZnO doped with Zr to determine parameters like free carrier concentration and mobility. Thin films of zinc oxide (ZnO) and Zr-doped ZnO of thickness ∼100 nm were prepared by atomic layer deposition on sapphire, SiO2/Si(100), and Si(100) substrates. Variable-angle spectroscopic ellipsometry was used to study their optical properties in the 0.5-3.5 eV spectral range. The optical constants were accurately obtained using a model that combines Drude and Tauc-Lorentz oscillators with Bruggeman effective medium approximations, allowing the inclusion of a roughness layer in the optical model. The effect of Zr doping (ca. 1.9-4.4 atom %) was then investigated in both as-prepared samples and samples annealed in the temperature range of 100-300 °C. All of the films exhibited good optical transparency (ca. 70-90% in the visible region). For doping levels below 2.7 atom %, the real part of the dielectric permittivity reveals a semiconductor-to-metal transition in the near-infrared (NIR) region, as the permittivity goes from positive to negative. Besides, the plasma energy increases with increasing Zr concentration, and both resistivity and carrier concentration exhibit slightly parabolic behaviors, with a minimum of ∼1.5 × 10-3 Ω cm and a maximum of 2.4 × 1020 cm-3, respectively, at the same critical Zr concentration (2.7 atom %). In contrast, the carrier mobility decreases rapidly from 76.0 to 19.2 cm2/(V s) with increasing Zr content, while conductivities and carrier mobilities worsen when the annealing temperature increases, probably due to the segregation of ZnO crystals. Finally, the optical band gap is very stable, revealing its interesting independence of substrate composition and annealing temperature, as it collapses to a single master curve when band gap energy is plotted versus free carrier concentration, following the Burstein-Moss effect. Overall, the Zr-doped ZnO films studied here would be a highly desirable system for developing thermally stable transparent conductive oxides (TCOs).

Evaluation of the effectiveness of fluralaner against adult stages of Rhodnius prolixus in dogs.

Triatomines are vectors of American Trypanosomiasis also known as Chagas´ disease where several reservoirs including dogs are involved in the transmission cycle of the causal agent (Trypanosoma cruzi). Considering that the prevalence of American trypanosomiasis in dogs is higher than in humans and that dogs in addition are susceptible of this disease, and are involved in peridomestic transmission to humans, the search for new alternatives for vector control of the triatomines responsible for transmission in dogs is required. Over the 20 weeks the study lasted, 600 individual female, adult of Rhodnius prolixus were offered to the 15 dogs treated with a single oral dose of Fluralaner (Bravecto®, MSD). Feeding pattern of triatomines was not affected by the treatment during the whole study. The fluralaner-induced mortality of R. prolixus had a significant effect until week 12 at which time 100% mortality was observed. Mortality decreased to 67.5% at week 16 to practically nil 0.8% on week 20. Fluralaner achieved 100% mortality of triatomines between 12- and 48-h post-feeding. It was demonstrated that a single oral dose of fluralaner in dogs is highly effective in producing mortality in adult R. prolixus for the time guaranteed by the manufacturer for other blood-sucking insects, with a considerable effective residual effect for up to 16 weeks. Due to this high efficacy, fluralaner could be considered in strategies to control the transmission vectors of Chagas disease in dogs and in turn decrease the peri-domestic transmission cycle, particularly in hyperendemic areas.

A new species and new records of Pachychernes Beier, 1932 from Colombia (Pseudoscorpiones, Chernetidae).

In Colombia, the status of the Neotropical genus Pachychernes Beier, 1932 is unknown. The only available data in literature to support the presence of this genus is an adult of P. aff. subrobustus, possibly female, from copal resin without specific locality data, and a record at generic level from Northern Colombia. In this study, we extend the distribution of Pachychernes by describing a new species, P. florezi sp. n. and several reporting individuals of P. zehorum Muchmore, 1997 from Montes de Mara and the Caribbean coast of the country. These species are clearly differentiated from one another by the sexual dimorphism in the latter species, with a depression on the tarsus I in males. We also present an updated key for all species of the genus.

[Medical and surgical management of moderate-to-severe inflamatory bowel disease]. / Manejo médico quirúrgico de la enfermedad inflamatoria intestinal moderada-severa.

The management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is mainly medical, however, more than 70% of patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and 25% with ulcerative colitis (UC) will require surgery during their lifetime. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate medical, surgical management and evolution in patients with moderate-to-severe IBD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Observational, descriptive, retrospective study from January 2011 to December 2019 in the Gastroenterology Service of the Guillermo Almenara Irigoyen National Hospital, Lima-Peru. RESULTS: Twenty two patients with IBD, 17 with CD and 5 with UC were included. Male predominance (59%). Emergency surgery was performed in 35.2% and 60% of patients with CD and UC, respectively. Stenosis and toxic megacolon were the most frequent indications. According to the type of surgery, hemicolectomy (41%) and intestinalresection (41%) were the most frequently performed in CD, while in UC it was total colectomy (60%). Among the postoperative complications, dehiscence/fistula and intra-abdominal collections were the most frequently reported in CD; whereas in UC it was surgical site infection and adynamic ileus. After surgery, biologics and 5-ASA associated with immunomodulator were the most used treatment in CD and UC, respectively. Mortality was 17.6% in CD and 60% in UC. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical treatment is an option in the management of moderate-to-severe IBD. Emergency surgery in IBD continues to have a high morbidity and mortality rate.

Enhanced Artificial Enzyme Activities on the Reconstructed Sawtoothlike Nanofacets of Pure and Pr-Doped Ceria Nanocubes.

In this work, a simple one-step thermal oxidation process was established to achieve a significant surface increase in {110} and {111} nanofacets on well-defined, pure and Pr-doped, ceria nanocubes. More importantly, without changing most of the bulk properties, this treatment leads to a remarkable boost of their enzymatic activities: from the oxidant (oxidase-like) to antioxidant (hydroxyl radical scavenging) as well as the paraoxon degradation (phosphatase-like) activities. Such performance improvement might be due to the thermally generated sawtoothlike {111} nanofacets and defects, which facilitate the oxygen mobility and the formation of oxygen vacancies on the surface. Finally, possible mechanisms of nanoceria as artificial enzymes have been proposed in this manuscript. Considering the potential application of ceria as artificial enzymes, this thermal treatment may enable the future design of highly efficient nanozymes without changing the bulk composition.

Biomimicry in French Urban Projects: Trends and Perspectives from the Practice.

Biomimicry is a design framework with growing interests in sustainable architectural and urban design practice. Nevertheless, there is a significant lack of studies and knowledge regarding its practical application. In 2020, a French workgroup called Biomim'City Lab published a document identifying and describing 16 urban projects designed by French teams integrating biomimicry at various levels. Our research is an opportunistic study analyzing this data, aiming to identify trends and challenges in the French market. We analyzed the projects using a mixed-method approach, through quantitative typological analysis and qualitative narrative analysis. This sample of French projects indicates a trend of increasing interest in biomimicry on built space projects in France. Biomimicry was primarily applied at the façade/roof/soil systems, mostly using macroscopic models as ecosystems, plants, and animals. Designers declared to aim diverse objectives with the biomimetic approach; still, thermal comfort is the most recurrent in the sample. We also identified that challenges remain to foster the field application, as the lack of awareness of the urban fabric stakeholders on the topic and the gaps between research and design practice.

Manejo médico quirúrgico de la enfermedad inflamatoria intestinal moderada-severa

El tratamiento de la enfermedad inflamatoria intestinal (EII) es principalmente médico, sin embargo, más del 70% de pacientes con enfermedad de Crohn (EC) y 25% con colitis ulcerativa (CU) requerirán cirugía. Objetivos: Evaluar el manejo médico- quirúrgico y evolución en pacientes con EII moderada-severa. Materiales y métodos: Estudio observacional, descriptivo, retrospectivo de enero del 2011 a diciembre del 2019 en el Servicio de Gastroenterología del Hospital Nacional Guillermo Almenara Irigoyen, Lima-Perú. Resultados: Se incluyó 22 pacientes con EII, 17 con EC y 5 con CU. El 59% fueron masculinos. Se realizó cirugía de emergencia en el 35,2% y el 60% de los pacientes con EC y CU respectivamente. La estenosis y el megacolon tóxico fueron las indicaciones más frecuentes. Según el tipo de cirugía, la hemicolectomía (41%) y la resección intestinal (41%) fueron las más frecuentemente realizadas en EC, mientras que, en CU fue la colectomía total (60%). Dentro de las complicaciones postquirúrgicas, las dehiscencias/fistulas y colecciones intraabdominales fueron las más frecuentemente reportadas en EC; mientras que, en CU fue la infección del sitio operatorio e íleo adinámico. Luego de cirugía, los biológicos y los 5-ASA asociados a inmunomodulador fueron el tratamiento más utilizados en EC y CU respectivamente. La mortalidad fue del 17,6% en EC y 60% en CU. Conclusiones: El tratamiento quirúrgico es una opción en el manejo de la EII moderada-severa. La cirugía de emergencia en EII continúa presentando una alta morbimortalidad.

The management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is mainly medical, however, more than 70% of patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and 25% with ulcerative colitis (UC) will require surgery during their lifetime. Objective: To evaluate medical, surgical management and evolution in patients with moderate-to-severe IBD. Materials and methods: Observational, descriptive, retrospective study from January 2011 to December 2019 in the Gastroenterology Service of the Guillermo Almenara Irigoyen National Hospital, Lima-Peru. Results: Twenty two patients with IBD, 17 with CD and 5 with UC were included. Male predominance (59%). Emergency surgery was performed in 35.2% and 60% of patients with CD and UC, respectively. Stenosis and toxic megacolon were the most frequent indications. According to the type of surgery, hemicolectomy (41%) and intestinal resection (41%) were the most frequently performed in CD, while in UC it was total colectomy (60%). Among the postoperative complications, dehiscence/fistula and intra-abdominal collections were the most frequently reported in CD; whereas in UC it was surgical site infection and adynamic ileus. After surgery, biologics and 5-ASA associated with immunomodulator were the most used treatment in CD and UC, respectively. Mortality was 17.6% in CD and 60% in UC. Conclusions: Surgical treatment is an option in the management of moderate-to-severe IBD. Emergency surgery in IBD continues to have a high morbidity and mortality rate.

Comparison of Propofol or Isoflurane Anesthesia Maintenance, Combined with a Fentanyl-Lidocaine-Ketamine Constant-Rate Infusion in Goats Undergoing Abomasotomy.

This study aimed to compare, first, the anesthetic and cardiopulmonary effects of propofol or isoflurane anesthetic maintenance in goats receiving a fentanyl-lidocaine-ketamine infusion undergoing abomasotomy and, secondly, to compare the quality of the recovery from anesthesia. Two groups were used: propofol (TIVA) and isoflurane (PIVA). Goats were premedicated with fentanyl (10 µg/kg intravenously [IV]), lidocaine (2 mg/kg, IV), and ketamine (1.5 mg/kg, IV). Anesthesia was induced with propofol and maintenance consisted of fentanyl (10 µg/kg/h, IV), lidocaine (50 µg/kg/min, IV), and ketamine (50 µg/kg/min, IV) as constant-rate infusions (CRIs), combined with either CRI of propofol at initial dose of 0.3 mg/kg/min, IV (TIVA), or isoflurane with initial end-tidal (FE'Iso) concentration of 1.2% partial intravenous anesthesia (PIVA). The mean effective propofol dose for maintenance was 0.44 ± 0.07 mg/kg/min, while the mean FE'Iso was 0.81 ± 0.2%. Higher systolic arterial pressure (SAP) values were observed in total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) during some time points. Recovery was smooth in PIVA, while restlessness, vocalizations, and paddling were observed in TIVA. Both protocols produced a satisfactory quality of anesthesia during surgery, with minimal impact on cardiopulmonary function. Nevertheless, recovery after anesthesia in TIVA might be of poor quality.

Differences in prefrontal cortex activity based on difficulty in a working memory task using near-infrared spectroscopy.

The Prefrontal cortex (PFC) has been highly related to executive functions such as working memory (WM). This study assesses the activity of the PFC in performing the Sternberg WM task (ST) with three levels of difficulty (easy, medium and hard) using the near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) technique. Participants were 43 young and healthy right-handed women. Nine WM task blocks were pseudo randomly presented, three for each difficulty task. The results showed that the participant's performance was better in the easy trials than in the medium and hard trials. Performance in the medium trials was also better than in the hard ones. Bonferroni-corrected paired post-hoc t-tests indicated higher oxygenation in medium and hard tasks than in the easy ones for times between 13 and 42 s in the left lateral PFC and in both, medial and lateral, right PFC. Significant differences in Oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO), Total hemoglobin (HbT) and oxygenation (Oxy) changes depending on the Sternberg WM task were found. Unlike previous studies with fNIRS and WM, the current study uses a highly controlled WM task that differentiates between encoding, retention and retrieval phases, comparing different levels of task load.

Presence of congenital anomalies in three dog litters.

This report describes multiple congenital malformations found in three dog litters delivered by emergency caesarean section. In all of the litters, some puppies were born alive but were euthanized because of the seriousness of their malformations and low probability of survival. In two litters, gastroschisis was associated with amelia of the right anterior limb. Other malformations such as anencephaly were also found in three puppies among the different litters. This report describes the morphological findings of the affected puppies, discusses the most appropriate terminologies for each case and highlights the importance of an epidemiological survey to identify potential factors associated with the cases.

Startle reflex modulation by affective face "Emoji" pictographs.

The current research was designed to assess possible differences in the emotional content of pleasant and unpleasant face emoji using acoustically evoked eyeblink startle reflex response. Stimuli were selected from Emojipedia Webpage. First, we assessed these stimuli with a previous independent sample of 190 undergraduate students (46 males and 144 females) mean age of 21.43 years (SD 3.89). A principal axis method was performed using the 30 selected emoji faces, extracting two factors (15 pleasant and 15 unpleasant emoji). Second, we measured the acoustic startle reflex modulation in 53 young adult women [mean age 22.13 years (SD 4.3)] during the viewing of each of the 30 emoji emotional faces in the context of the theory of motivation and emotion proposed by Lang (1995), but considering only the valence dimension. We expected to find higher acoustically evoked startle responses when viewing unpleasant emoji and lower responses for pleasant ones, similarly to the results obtained in the studies using human faces as emotional stimulus. An ANOVA was conducted to compare acoustic startle responses associated with pleasant and unpleasant emoji. Results yielded main effects for picture valence (λ = 0.80, F(1, 50) = 12.80, p = .001, η2 = 0.20). Post-hoc t test analysis indicated significant differences in the startle response between unpleasant (50.95 ± 1.75) and pleasant (49.14 ± 2.49) emoji (t (52) = 3.59, p = .001), with a Cohen's d = 0.495. Viewing affective facial emoji expressions modulates the acoustic startle reflex response according to their emotional content.