Allostatic-interoceptive anticipation of social rejection.

Anticipating social stress evokes strong reactions in the organism, including interoceptive modulations. However, evidence for this claim comes from behavioral studies, often with inconsistent results, and relates almost solely to the reactive and recovery phase of social stress exposure. Here, we adopted an allostatic-interoceptive predictive coding framework to study interoceptive and exteroceptive anticipatory brain responses using a social rejection task. We analyzed the heart-evoked potential (HEP) and task-related oscillatory activity of 58 adolescents via scalp EEG, and 385 human intracranial recordings of three patients with intractable epilepsy. We found that anticipatory interoceptive signals increased in the face of unexpected social outcomes, reflected in larger negative HEP modulations. Such signals emerged from key brain allostatic-interoceptive network hubs, as shown by intracranial recordings. Exteroceptive signals were characterized by early activity between 1-15 Hz across conditions, and modulated by the probabilistic anticipation of reward-related outcomes, observed over distributed brain regions. Our findings suggest that the anticipation of a social outcome is characterized by allostatic-interoceptive modulations that prepare the organism for possible rejection. These results inform our understanding of interoceptive processing and constrain neurobiological models of social stress.

Genetic Study in Pheochromocytoma: Is It Possible to Stratify the Risk of Hereditary Pheochromocytoma?

INTRODUCTION: It is estimated that 30-40% of patients with apparently sporadic pheochromocytomas (PHEOs) have an inherited predisposition syndrome. The aim of our study was to develop a predictive model of hereditary PHEO based on the clinical, hormonal, and radiological features present at the diagnosis of patients with PHEOs. METHODS: A retrospective multicenter cohort study of patients with PHEOs with available genetic study from 18 tertiary hospitals. Clinical, biochemical, and radiological features were used to build a multivariate logistic regression model. The estimation of all possible equations was used to select the model with the best diagnostic accuracy (lower Akaike index). RESULTS: A total of 245 patients were included: 169 (69.0%) patients with sporadic PHEOs and 76 (31%) with hereditary PHEOs. The parsimonious predictive model with the highest diagnostic accuracy for the prediction of hereditary PHEO combined the variables age, non-cardiovascular disease, urinary norepinephrine levels, and tumor size. The area under the ROC curve of this model was 0.800 (0.705-0.887). Based on the predictive model, the probability of hereditary PHEO in patients older than 60 years with cardiovascular disease, high levels of urinary norepinephrine and unilateral PHEOs >60 mm was <2%. And if the age was above 80 years, lower than 1%. The probability of sporadic PHEO linearly increased with age (MH Test for linear Trend: χ2 (1) = 30.05; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In certain populations such as old patients with cardiovascular disease, with high levels of urinary norepinephrine and large tumors in which the probability of hereditary PHEO is very low, genetic testing could be avoided in the absence of specific suspicion.

Long-lasting biofouling formation on transparent fouling-release coatings for the construction of efficient closed photobioreactors.

In order to build an efficient closed-photobioreactor (PBR) in which biofouling formation is avoided, a non-toxic coating with high transparency is required, which can be applied to the interior surface of the PBR walls. Nowadays, amphiphilic copolymers are being used to inhibit microorganism adhesion, so poly(dimethylsiloxane)-based coatings mixed with poly(ethylene glycol)-based copolymers could be a good option. The 7 poly(dimethylsiloxane)-based coatings tested in this work contained 4% w/w of poly(ethylene glycol)-based copolymers. All were a good alternative to glass because they presented lower cell adhesion. However, the DBE-311 copolymer proved the best option due to its very low cell adhesion and high transmittance. Furthermore, XDLVO theory indicates that these coatings should have no cell adhesion at time 0 since they create a very high-energy barrier that microalgae cells cannot overcome. Nevertheless, this theory also shows that their surface properties change over time, making cell adhesion possible on all coatings after 8 months of immersion. The theory is useful in explaining the interaction forces between the surface and microalgae cells at any moment in time, but it should be complemented with models to predict the conditioning film formation and the contribution of the PBR's fluid dynamics over time.

Influence of abiotic conditions on the biofouling formation of flagellated microalgae culture.

This work analyses the adhesion of flagellated microalgae to seven surfaces that have different water adhesion tension characteristics. Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Isochrysis galbana, were cultivated in batch and fed-batch mode at four nitrogen/phosphorus (N/P) ratios (from 1.29 to 70) and subjected to four irradiance levels (50, 100, 200 and 400 µE·s-1·m-2) at 23 °C. Cell adhesion was greater in C. reinhardtii and a higher biomass concentration was obtained for this strain, reaching 2 g·L-1 compared to 1 g·L-1 for I. galbana. The adhesion of cells and exopolymeric substances was measured upon the batch and the first fed-batch reaching the stationary growth phase, observing a direct correlation between them and inversely to biomass generation in the cultures. The protein adhesion data for the different materials are comparable to those for cell adhesion coinciding with minimums of Baier's theory and Vogler. It is observed displacements in the curves as a function of the irradiance level.

Determination of Quality Parameters in Mangetout (Pisum sativum L. ssp. arvense) by Using Vis/Near-Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy.

Pisum sativum L. ssp. arvense, is colloquially called tirabeque or mangetout because it is eaten whole; its pods are recognized as a delicatessen in cooking due to its crunch on the palate and high sweetness. Furthermore, this legume is an important source of protein and antioxidant compounds. Quality control in this species requires the analysis of a large number of samples using costly and laborious conventional methods. For this reason, a non-chemical and rapid technique as near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) was explored to determine its physicochemical quality (color, firmness, total soluble solids, pH, total polyphenols, ascorbic acid and protein content). Pod samples from different cultivars and grown under different fertigation treatments were added to the NIRS analysis to increase spectral and chemical variability in the calibration set. Modified partial least squares regression was used for obtaining the calibration models of these parameters. The coefficients of determination in the external validation ranged from 0.50 to 0.88. The RPD (standard deviation to standard error of prediction ratio) and RER (standard deviation to range) were variable for quality parameters and showed values that were characteristic of equations suitable for quantitative prediction and screening purposes, except for the total soluble solid calibration model.

Adsorption Analysis of Exopolymeric Substances as a Tool for the Materials Selection of Photobioreactors Manufacture.

An improved method that allows the robust characterization of surfaces is necessary to accurately predict the biofouling formation on construction materials of photobioreactors (PBR). Exopolymeric substances (EPS), such as proteins and polysaccharides, have been demonstrated to present a similar behavior to cells in terms of surface adhesion. In this work, these EPS were used to optimize parameters, such as EPS concentration or adsorption time, to evaluate accurately the adsorption capacity of surfaces and, with it, predict the biofouling formation in contact with microalgae cultures. Once the method was optimized, the characterization of seven commercial polymeric surfaces was submitted to different abrasive particles sizes, which modified the roughness of the samples, as well as protein and polysaccharide lawns, which were prepared and carried out in order to evaluate the characteristics of these substances. The characterization consisted of the determination of surface free energy, water adhesion tension, and critical tension determined from the measurement of the contact angle, roughness, surface zeta potential, and the EPS adhesion capacity of each material. This will be useful to understand the behavior of the surface in the function of its characteristics and the interaction with the solutions of EPS, concluding that the hydrophobic and smooth surfaces present good anti-biofouling characteristics.

Role of asymptomatic bacteriuria on early periprosthetic joint infection after hip hemiarthroplasty. BARIFER randomized clinical trial.

PURPOSE: To evaluate preoperative asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) treatment to reduce early-periprosthetic joint infections (early-PJIs) after hip hemiarthroplasty (HHA) for fracture. METHODS: Open-label, multicenter RCT comparing fosfomycin-trometamol versus no intervention with a parallel follow-up cohort without ASB. PRIMARY OUTCOME: early-PJI after HHA. RESULTS: Five hundred ninety-four patients enrolled (mean age 84.3); 152(25%) with ASB (77 treated with fosfomycin-trometamol/75 controls) and 442(75%) without. Despite the study closed without the intended sample size, ASB was not predictive of early-PJI (OR: 1.06 [95%CI: 0.33-3.38]), and its treatment did not modify early-PJI incidence (OR: 1.03 [95%CI: 0.15-7.10]). CONCLUSIONS: Neither preoperative ASB nor its treatment appears to be risk factors of early-PJI after HHA. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: Eudra CT 2016-001108-47.

Compulsive buying behavior of Smartphones by university students.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have analyzed compulsive buying behavior in relation to a specific product. Smartphones are hugely popular products today, especially among young people. These two aspects have motivated this research into the compulsive buying behavior of Smartphones by university students. METHODS: To study this behavior, the main features that differentiate compulsive buyers from those that are not are analyzed, and their risk profiles are obtained through a discrete choice model. RESULTS: Sociodemographic features that define buyers with the greatest propensity to compulsiveness are younger age, longer time spent daily using social networks, higher spending on the acquisition of Smartphones and having owned a greater number of these devices. These buyers also show shopping addiction and greater feelings of guilt after the purchase as well as more positive and negative affective states when purchasing Smartphones. CONCLUSIONS: This analysis not only determines the characteristics that define young individuals with a tendency toward compulsiveness in Smartphone purchases, but also contributes to quantifying the probability of having this tendency.

Dissociable Neural Information Dynamics of Perceptual Integration and Differentiation during Bistable Perception.

At any given moment, we experience a perceptual scene as a single whole and yet we may distinguish a variety of objects within it. This phenomenon instantiates two properties of conscious perception: integration and differentiation. Integration is the property of experiencing a collection of objects as a unitary percept and differentiation is the property of experiencing these objects as distinct from each other. Here, we evaluated the neural information dynamics underlying integration and differentiation of perceptual contents during bistable perception. Participants listened to a sequence of tones (auditory bistable stimuli) experienced either as a single stream (perceptual integration) or as two parallel streams (perceptual differentiation) of sounds. We computed neurophysiological indices of information integration and information differentiation with electroencephalographic and intracranial recordings. When perceptual alternations were endogenously driven, the integrated percept was associated with an increase in neural information integration and a decrease in neural differentiation across frontoparietal regions, whereas the opposite pattern was observed for the differentiated percept. However, when perception was exogenously driven by a change in the sound stream (no bistability), neural oscillatory power distinguished between percepts but information measures did not. We demonstrate that perceptual integration and differentiation can be mapped to theoretically motivated neural information signatures, suggesting a direct relationship between phenomenology and neurophysiology.

Efficiency of Machine Learning Algorithms for the Determination of Macrovesicular Steatosis in Frozen Sections Stained with Sudan to Evaluate the Quality of the Graft in Liver Transplantation.

Liver transplantation is the only curative treatment option in patients diagnosed with end-stage liver disease. The low availability of organs demands an accurate selection procedure based on histological analysis, in order to evaluate the allograft. This assessment, traditionally carried out by a pathologist, is not exempt from subjectivity. In this sense, new tools based on machine learning and artificial vision are continuously being developed for the analysis of medical images of different typologies. Accordingly, in this work, we develop a computer vision-based application for the fast and automatic objective quantification of macrovesicular steatosis in histopathological liver section slides stained with Sudan stain. For this purpose, digital microscopy images were used to obtain thousands of feature vectors based on the RGB and CIE L*a*b* pixel values. These vectors, under a supervised process, were labelled as fat vacuole or non-fat vacuole, and a set of classifiers based on different algorithms were trained, accordingly. The results obtained showed an overall high accuracy for all classifiers (>0.99) with a sensitivity between 0.844 and 1, together with a specificity >0.99. In relation to their speed when classifying images, KNN and Naïve Bayes were substantially faster than other classification algorithms. Sudan stain is a convenient technique for evaluating ME in pre-transplant liver biopsies, providing reliable contrast and facilitating fast and accurate quantification through the machine learning algorithms tested.

Infrared Thermography for the Detection and Characterization of Photovoltaic Defects: Comparison between Illumination and Dark Conditions.

Newly installed renewable power capacity has been increasing incredibly in recent years. For example, in 2018, 181 GW were installed worldwide. In this scenario, in which photovoltaic (PV) energy plays a leading role, it is essential for main players involved in PV plants to be able to identify the failure modes in PV modules in order to reduce investment risk, to focus their maintenance efforts on preventing those failures and to improve longevity and performance of PV plants. Among the different systems for defects detection, conventional infrared thermography (IRT) is the fastest and least expensive technique. It can be applied in illumination and in dark conditions, both indoor and outdoor. These two methods can provide complementary results for the same kind of defects, which is analyzed and characterized in this research. Novel investigation in PV systems propose the use of a power inverter with bidirectional power flow capability for PV plants maintenance, which extremely facilitates the electroluminescence (EL) inspections, as well as the outdoor IRT in the fourth quadrant.

A rare association: acute pancreatitis caused by the influenzavirus A with secondary appendicitis in a six-year-old girl.

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is the most frequent pancreatic disorder in children and abdominal ultrasound (AUS) is very helpful in the clinical management. Even though several agents have been implicated in the etiology of AP, influenza virus A (IVA) is exceptional. We report the case of a 6-year-old girl who presented with generalized abdominal pain and flu-like symptoms. Blood tests and AUS revealed typical findings of AP and a nasopharyngeal aspirate was positive for IVA. Twenty-four hours later, the patient developed signs of acute appendicitis, which was also confirmed by AUS. This case highlights the importance of AUS in the management of acute abdominal conditions in children, including reactive entities such as appendicitis, as well as the need to consider IVA as a potential causal agent of AP.

Intracranial high-γ connectivity distinguishes wakefulness from sleep.

Neural synchrony in the γ-band is considered a fundamental process in cortical computation and communication and it has also been proposed as a crucial correlate of consciousness. However, the latter claim remains inconclusive, mainly due to methodological limitations, such as the spectral constraints of scalp-level electroencephalographic recordings or volume-conduction confounds. Here, we circumvented these caveats by comparing γ-band connectivity between two global states of consciousness via intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG), which provides the most reliable measurements of high-frequency activity in the human brain. Non-REM Sleep recordings were compared to passive-wakefulness recordings of the same duration in three subjects with surgically implanted electrodes. Signals were analyzed through the weighted Phase Lag Index connectivity measure and relevant graph theory metrics. We found that connectivity in the high-γ range (90-120 Hz), as well as relevant graph theory properties, were higher during wakefulness than during sleep and discriminated between conditions better than any other canonical frequency band. Our results constitute the first report of iEEG differences between wakefulness and sleep in the high-γ range at both local and distant sites, highlighting the utility of this technique in the search for the neural correlates of global states of consciousness.

Regulation of Energy Expenditure and Brown/Beige Thermogenic Activity by Interleukins: New Roles for Old Actors.

Obesity rates and the burden of metabolic associated diseases are escalating worldwide Energy burning brown and inducible beige adipocytes in human adipose tissues (ATs) have attracted considerable attention due to their therapeutic potential to counteract the deleterious metabolic effects of nutritional overload and overweight. Recent research has highlighted the relevance of resident and recruited ATs immune cell populations and their signalling mediators, cytokines, as modulators of the thermogenic activity of brown and beige ATs. In this review, we first provide an overview of the developmental, cellular and functional heterogeneity of the AT organ, as well as reported molecular switches of its heat-producing machinery. We also discuss the key contribution of various interleukins signalling pathways to energy and metabolic homeostasis and their roles in the biogenesis and function of brown and beige adipocytes. Besides local actions, attention is also drawn to their influence in the central nervous system (CNS) networks governing energy expenditure.

Quantification of Total Phenolic and Carotenoid Content in Blackberries (Rubus Fructicosus L.) Using Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) and Multivariate Analysis.

A rapid method to quantify the total phenolic content (TPC) and total carotenoid content (TCC) in blackberries using near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) was carried out aiming to provide reductions in analysis time and cost for the food industry. A total of 106 samples were analysed using the Folin-Ciocalteu method for TPC and a method based on Ultraviolet-Visible Spectrometer for TCC. The average contents found for TPC and TCC were 24.27 mg·g-1 dw and 8.30 µg·g-1 dw, respectively. Modified partial least squares (MPLS) regression was used for obtaining the calibration models of these compounds. The RPD (ratio of the standard deviation of the reference data to the standard error of prediction (SEP)) values from external validation for both TPC and TCC were between 1.5 < RPDp < 2.5 and RER values (ratio of the range in the reference data to SEP) were 5.92 for TPC and 8.63 for TCC. These values showed that both equations were suitable for screening purposes. MPLS loading plots showed a high contribution of sugars, chlorophyll, lipids and cellulose in the modelling of prediction equations.

[Progressive myoclonic epilepsy secondary to Lafora's body disease]. / Epilepsia mioclónica progresiva secundaria a enfermedad por cuerpos de Lafora.

Lafora's disease is infrequent. However, it is one of the most common causes of progressive myoclonus epilepsy. We present the case of a 19-year-old woman, without comorbidities and normal development that started at 8 years with seizures and that from 15 years, had progressive cognitive deterioration. She was admitted to our institution with a diagnosis of super refractory status epilepticus. The diagnosis of Lafora's disease was made through pathological anatomy, later a genetic test was performed that reported a pathogenic variant of the EPM2A gene, confirming the diagnosis. We present a cause of progressive myoclonic epilepsy, with an ominous prognosis and a treatment oriented to palliative measures, so it is important to analyze the differential diagnoses with other entities, in order to establish a prognosis, offer better quality of life, adequate medical care and provide genetic counseling to family members.

Biofouling in photobioreactors for marine microalgae.

The economic and/or energetic feasibility of processes based on using microalgae biomass requires an efficient cultivation system. In photobioreactors (PBRs), the adhesion of microalgae to the transparent PBR surfaces leads to biofouling and reduces the solar radiation penetrating the PBR. Light reduction within the PBR decreases biomass productivity and, therefore, the photosynthetic efficiency of the cultivation system. Additionally, PBR biofouling leads to a series of further undesirable events including changes in cell pigmentation, culture degradation, and contamination by invasive microorganisms; all of which can result in the cultivation process having to be stopped. Designing PBR surfaces with proper materials, functional groups or surface coatings, to prevent microalgal adhesion is essential for solving the biofouling problem. Such a significant advance in microalgal biotechnology would enable extended operational periods at high productivity and reduce maintenance costs. In this paper, we review the few systematic studies performed so far and applied the existing thermodynamic and colloidal theories for microbial biofouling formation in order to understand microalgal adhesion on PBR surfaces and the microalgae-microalgae cell interactions. Their relationship to the physicochemical properties of the solid PBR surface, the microalgae cell surfaces, and the ionic strength of the culture medium is discussed. The suitability and the applicability of such theories are reviewed. To this end, an example of biofouling formation on a commercial glass surface is presented for the marine microalgae Nannochloropsis gaditana. It highlights the adhesion dynamics and the inaccuracies of the process and the need for further refinement of previous theories so as to apply them to flowing systems, such as is the case for PBRs used to culture microalgae.

Early detection of intentional harm in the human amygdala.

A decisive element of moral cognition is the detection of harm and its assessment as intentional or unintentional. Moral cognition engages brain networks supporting mentalizing, intentionality, empathic concern and evaluation. These networks rely on the amygdala as a critical hub, likely through frontotemporal connections indexing stimulus salience. We assessed inferences about perceived harm using a paradigm validated through functional magnetic resonance imaging, eye-tracking and electroencephalogram recordings. During the task, we measured local field potentials in three patients with depth electrodes (n = 115) placed in the amygdala and in several frontal, temporal, and parietal locations. Direct electrophysiological recordings demonstrate that intentional harm induces early activity in the amygdala (<200 ms), which--in turn--predicts intention attribution. The amygdala was the only site that systematically discriminated between critical conditions and predicted their classification of events as intentional. Moreover, connectivity analysis showed that intentional harm induced stronger frontotemporal information sharing at early stages. Results support the 'many roads' view of the amygdala and highlight its role in the rapid encoding of intention and salience--critical components of mentalizing and moral evaluation.

Association of CYP1A1 and CYP1B1 polymorphisms with bone mineral density variations in postmenopausal Mexican-Mestizo women.

Herein, we investigated potential associations between polymorphisms of genes related to estrogen metabolism and bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal women. This was a cross-sectional study, in which two hundred and ninety postmenopausal Mexican-Mestizo women were studied. The BMD of the lumbar spine (LS), total hip (TH), and femoral neck (FN) was measured. The distribution of the genetic polymorphisms, including rs1799814 and rs1048943 at CYP1A1 as well as rs1056836 at CYP1B1, were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP), single-stranded conformational polymorphism (SSCP), and DNA sequencing. Deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) were tested, and linkage disequilibrium (LD) was calculated by direct correlation (r2). Moreover, haplotype analysis was performed. All polymorphisms were in HWE. The genotype and allele distributions of the three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) studied showed no significant differences. However, statistical significance was reached when constructing haplotypes. The CG haplotype in CYP1A1 was associated with variations in LS and FN BMD after adjustment for covariates (p = 0.021 and 0.045, respectively), but the association with TH BMD was not significant. These results suggested that the CG haplotype in CYP1A1 may play an important role in the mechanism of osteoporosis and may be useful as a genetic marker.