Tongue electrical impedance myography correlates with functional, neurophysiologic, and clinical outcome measures in long-term oropharyngeal cancer survivors with and without hypoglossal neuropathy: An exploratory study.

BACKGROUND: This pilot study analyzed correlations between tongue electrical impedance myography (EIM), standard tongue electromyography (EMG), and tongue functional measures in N = 4 long-term oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) survivors. METHODS: Patients were screened for a supportive care trial (NCT04151082). Hypoglossal nerve function was evaluated with genioglossus needle EMG, functional measures with the Iowa oral performance instrument (IOPI), and multi-frequency tissue composition with tongue EIM. RESULTS: Tongue EIM conductivity was higher for patients with EMG-confirmed cranial nerve XII neuropathy than those without (p = 0.005) and in patients with mild versus normal EMG reinnervation ratings (16 kHz EIM: p = 0.051). Tongue EIM correlated with IOPI strength measurements (e.g., anterior maximum isometric lingual strength: r2 = 0.62, p = 0.020). CONCLUSIONS: Tongue EIM measures related to tongue strength and the presence of XII neuropathy. Noninvasive tongue EIM may be a convenient adjunctive biomarker to assess tongue health in OPC survivors.

Multi-omic analyses reveal the unique properties of chia (Salvia hispanica) seed metabolism.

Chia (Salvia hispanica) is an emerging crop considered a functional food containing important substances with multiple potential applications. However, the molecular basis of some relevant chia traits, such as seed mucilage and polyphenol content, remains to be discovered. This study generates an improved chromosome-level reference of the chia genome, resolving some highly repetitive regions, describing methylation patterns, and refining genome annotation. Transcriptomic analysis shows that seeds exhibit a unique expression pattern compared to other organs and tissues. Thus, a metabolic and proteomic approach is implemented to study seed composition and seed-produced mucilage. The chia genome exhibits a significant expansion in mucilage synthesis genes (compared to Arabidopsis), and gene network analysis reveals potential regulators controlling seed mucilage production. Rosmarinic acid, a compound with enormous therapeutic potential, was classified as the most abundant polyphenol in seeds, and candidate genes for its complex pathway are described. Overall, this study provides important insights into the molecular basis for the unique characteristics of chia seeds.

Electrical Impedance Dermography Differentiates Squamous Cell Carcinoma In Situ from Inflamed Seborrheic Keratoses.

There are no currently available low-cost, noninvasive methods for discerning the depth of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) invasion or distinguishing SCC from its benign mimics, such as inflamed seborrheic keratosis (SK). We studied 35 subjects with subsequently confirmed SCC or SK. Subjects underwent electrical impedance dermography measurements at six frequencies to assess the electrical properties of the lesion. Averaged greatest intrasession reproducibility values were 0.630 for invasive SCC at 128 kHz, 0.444 for SCC in situ at 16 kHz, and 0.460 for SK at 128 kHz. Electrical impedance dermography modeling revealed significant differences between SCC and inflamed SK in normal skin (P < 0.001) and also between invasive SCC and SCC in situ (P < 0.001), invasive SCC and inflamed SK (P < 0.001), and SCC in situ and inflamed SK (P < 0.001). A diagnostic algorithm classified SCC in situ from inflamed SK with an accuracy of 0.958, a sensitivity of 94.6%, and a specificity of 96.9%; it also classified SCC in situ from normal skin with an accuracy of 0.796, a sensitivity of 90.2%, and a specificity of 51.2%. This study provides preliminary data and a methodology that can be used in future studies to further advance the value of electrical impedance dermography and inform biopsy decision making in patients with lesions suspicious of SCC.

Electrical Characterization of Basal Cell Carcinoma Using a Handheld Electrical Impedance Dermography Device.

Sensitive, objective, and easily applied methods for evaluating skin lesions are needed to improve diagnostic accuracy. In this study, we evaluated whether a developed noninvasive electrical impedance dermography device URSKIN could serve this purpose. In this pilot study, 17 subjects with subsequently confirmed basal cell carcinoma underwent four-electrode electrical impedance dermography measurements to assess the electrical properties of basal cell carcinoma and adjacent normal skin. A linear mixed-effects model with random intercept and slope terms was used for the analysis of multifrequency values in longitudinal and transverse directions. A significant difference in the intercept of frequency trajectories was observed for the longitudinal conductivity of 0.13 siemens/m (P < 0.001, 95% confidence interval = 0.10-0.16), transverse conductivity of 0.06 siemens/m (P < 0.001, 95% confidence interval = 0.05-0.07), longitudinal relative permittivity (dimensionless) of 203,742 (P < 0.001, 95% confidence interval = 180,292-227,191), and transverse relative permittivity (dimensionless) of 86,894 (P < 0.001, 95% confidence interval = 81,549 - 92,238). Thus, our device detected significant electrical differences between basal cell carcinoma and adjacent normal skin. Given these preliminary performance metrics and the ease of use, this technology merits further study to establish its value in facilitating the clinical diagnosis of skin cancers.

Skin Electrical Resistance as a Diagnostic and Therapeutic Biomarker of Breast Cancer Measuring Lymphatic Regions.

Skin changes associated with alterations in the interstitial matrix and lymph system might provide significant and measurable effects due to the presence of breast cancer. This study aimed to determine if skin electrical resistance changes could serve as a diagnostic and therapeutic biomarker associated with physiological changes in patients with malignant versus benign breast cancer lesions. Forty-eight women (24 with malignant cancer, 23 with benign lesions) were enrolled in this study. Repeated skin resistance measurements were performed within the same session and 1 week after the first measurement in the breast lymphatic region and non-breast lymphathic regions. Intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated to determine the technique's intrasession and intersession reproducibility. Data were then normalized as a mean of comparing cross-sectional differences between malignant and benign lesions of the breast. Six months longitudinal data from six patients that received therapy were analyzed to detect the effect of therapy. Standard descriptive statistics were used to compare ratiometric differences between groups. Skin resistance data were used to train a machine learning random forest classification algorithm to diagnose breast cancer lesions. Significant differences between malignant and benign breast lesions were obtained (p<0.01), also pre- and post-treatment (p<0.05). The diagnostic algorithm demonstrated the capability to classify breast cancer with an area under the curve of 0.68, sensitivity of 66.3%, specificity of 78.5%, positive predictive value 70.7% and negative predictive value 75.1%. Measurement of skin resistance in patients with breast cancer may serve as a convenient screening tool for breast cancer and evaluation of therapy. Further work is warranted to improve our approach and further investigate the biophysical mechanisms leading to the observed changes.

Predicting myofiber cross-sectional area and triglyceride content with electrical impedance myography: A study in db/db mice.

BACKGROUND: Electrical impedance myography (EIM) provides insight into muscle composition and structure. We sought to evaluate its use in a mouse obesity model characterized by myofiber atrophy. METHODS: We applied a prediction algorithm, ie, the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), to surface, needle array, and ex vivo EIM data from db/db and wild-type mice and assessed myofiber cross-sectional area (CSA) histologically and triglyceride (TG) content biochemically. RESULTS: EIM data from all three modalities provided acceptable predictions of myofiber CSA with average root mean square error (RMSE) of 15% in CSA (ie, ±209 µm2 for a mean CSA of 1439 µm2 ) and TG content with RMSE of 30% in TG content (ie, ±7.3 nmol TG/mg muscle for a mean TG content of 25.4 nmol TG/mg muscle). CONCLUSIONS: EIM combined with a predictive algorithm provides reasonable estimates of myofiber CSA and TG content without the need for biopsy.

Electrical Impedance Methods in Neuromuscular Assessment: An Overview.

Electrical impedance methods have been used as evaluation tools in biological and medical science for well over 100 years. However, only recently have these techniques been applied specifically to the evaluation of conditions affecting nerve and muscle. This specific application, termed electrical impedance myography (EIM), is finding wide application as it can provide a quantitative index of muscle condition that can assist with diagnosis, track disease progression, and assess the beneficial impact of therapy. Using noninvasive surface methods, EIM has been studied in a number of conditions ranging from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis to muscular dystrophy to disuse atrophy. Data support that the technique is sensitive to disease status and can offer the possibility of performing clinical trials with fewer subjects than would otherwise be possible. Recent advances in the field include improved approaches for using EIM as a "virtual biopsy" and the development of combined needle impedance-electromyography technology.

Estimating Myofiber Size With Electrical Impedance Myography: a Study In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis MICE.

INTRODUCTION: A method for quantifying myofiber size noninvasively would find wide use, including primary diagnosis and evaluating response to therapy. METHODS: Using prediction algorithms, including the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator, we applied multifrequency electrical impedance myography (EIM) to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis superoxide dismutase 1 G93A mice of different ages and assessed myofiber size histologically. RESULTS: Multifrequency EIM data provided highly accurate predictions of myofiber size, with a root mean squared error (RMSE) of only 14% in mean myofiber area (corresponding to ± 207 µm2 for a mean area of 1,488 µm2 ) and an RMSE of only 8.8% in predicting the coefficient of variation in fiber size distribution. DISCUSSION: This impedance-based approach provides predictive variables to assess myofiber size and distribution with good accuracy, particularly in diseases in which myofiber atrophy is the predominant histological feature, without the requirement for biopsy or burdensome quantification. Muscle Nerve 58: 713-717, 2018.

Transmisión materno fetal del VPH. Evolución clínica y nasofibroscópica

A nivel mundial, se estima 630 millones de individuos infectados en el área ano-genital y 190 millones con enfermedad clínica por el virus papiloma humano (VPH), siendo la primera infección de transmisión sexual. En Venezuela se estima que entre el 11 % y 12 % de las mujeres embarazadas pueden están infectadas, con riesgo de transmisión al recién nacido por mecanismo vertical/ perinatal pudiendo llevar a infección crónica en el niño. Objetivo: determinar el porcentaje de transmisibilidad materno fetal del VPH, la persistencia y tipo del mismo en faringe, y los hallazgos nasofibroscópicos en los veinticuatro primeros meses de vida, en pacientes que acuden al servicio de infectología y neumonología del Hospital Pediátrico Dr. Jorge Lizárraga, Valencia, Edo. Carabobo. Metodología: Trabajo descriptivo, longitudinal, retro y prospectivo en hijos de madre con VPH, período junio 2010 a marzo 2016, a quienes se les realizó evaluación clínica y nasofibroscópica, antes del primer año y entre el primer y segundo año de vida, con toma de muestra laríngea para PCR VPH. Resultados: Se evaluaron 12 niños. El 58 % de las madres eran menores de 25 años, el 40,6 % habían tenido más de 4 parejas sexuales; en su mayoría presentaron arrugas vulvares. Los niños fueron en su mayoría a términos, y 75 % parto vaginal; 2/3 presentaron el virus en laringe antes del primer año, predominando el tipo 6, pero persistiendo solo en uno durante el segundo año (tipo 11), con lesión vegetante. CONCLUSIONES: El inicio de actividad sexual es precoz, con una tasa importante de madres embarazadas conVPH. Transmisión vertical/ perinatal aproximada del 75 % pero con una lisis viral mayor al 90 % en el segundo año de vida.

Globally, an estimated 630 million individuals are infected in the ano-genital area and 190 million with clinical disease from the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), being the first sexually transmitted infection in the world. In Venezuela, it is estimated that between 11 and 12 % of pregnant women may be infected, with risk of transmission to the newborn by vertical or perinatal mescanism, leading to complications due to chronic infection in the child. Objective: To determine the percentage of maternal fetal transmissibility of HPV, the persistence and type of the pharynx, as well as the nasofibroscopic findings in the first 24 months of life, in patients attending the infectious and pneumonology department of the Pediatric Hospital Dr. Jorge Lizárraga, Valencia, Edo. Carabobo. Methods: Descriptive, longitudinal, retrospective and prospective work in children of HPV mothers during the period June 2010 to March 2016, who underwent clinical and nasofibroscopic evaluation, before the first year and between the first and second year of life, with laryngeal sampling for HPV PCR. Results: Twelve children were evaluated. 58 % of the mothers were under 25 years old, where 40.6 % had had more than 4 sexual partners; most of them had vulvar wrinkles. In terms of children were mostly terms, 75 % vaginal delivery. Two-thirds of the children presented the virus in the larynx before the first year, predominating type 6, but persisting only in one child during the second year of life (type 11), with a persistent vegetative lesion. Conclusions: The onset of sexual activity is precocious in our population, with an important rate of pregnant mothers important for HPV. There is approximately 75 % vertical / perinatal transmission but viral lysis greater than 90 % in the second year of life.

Electromechanical Conditioning of Adult Progenitor Cells Improves Recovery of Cardiac Function After Myocardial Infarction.

Cardiac cells are subjected to mechanical and electrical forces, which regulate gene expression and cellular function. Therefore, in vitro electromechanical stimuli could benefit further integration of therapeutic cells into the myocardium. Our goals were (a) to study the viability of a tissue-engineered construct with cardiac adipose tissue-derived progenitor cells (cardiac ATDPCs) and (b) to examine the effect of electromechanically stimulated cardiac ATDPCs within a myocardial infarction (MI) model in mice for the first time. Cardiac ATDPCs were electromechanically stimulated at 2-millisecond pulses of 50 mV/cm at 1 Hz and 10% stretching during 7 days. The cells were harvested, labeled, embedded in a fibrin hydrogel, and implanted over the infarcted area of the murine heart. A total of 39 animals were randomly distributed and sacrificed at 21 days: groups of grafts without cells and with stimulated or nonstimulated cells. Echocardiography and gene and protein analyses were also carried out. Physiologically stimulated ATDPCs showed increased expression of cardiac transcription factors, structural genes, and calcium handling genes. At 21 days after implantation, cardiac function (measured as left ventricle ejection fraction between presacrifice and post-MI) increased up to 12% in stimulated grafts relative to nontreated animals. Vascularization and integration with the host blood supply of grafts with stimulated cells resulted in increased vessel density in the infarct border region. Trained cells within the implanted fibrin patch expressed main cardiac markers and migrated into the underlying ischemic myocardium. To conclude, synchronous electromechanical cell conditioning before delivery may be a preferred alternative when considering strategies for heart repair after myocardial infarction. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2017;6:970-981.

Structural changes of Arthrospira sp. after low energy sonication treatment for microalgae harvesting: Elucidating key parameters to detect the rupture of gas vesicles.

The buoyancy suppression by low energy sonication (LES) treatment (0.8W·mL-1, 20kHz, 10s) has recently been proposed as an initial harvesting step for Arthrospira sp. This paper aims to describe the structural changes in Arthrospira sp. after LES treatment and to present how these structural changes affect the results obtained by different analytical techniques. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) micrographs of trichomes evidenced the gas vesicles rupture but also revealed a rearrangement of thylakoids and more visible phycobilisomes were observed. Differences between treated and untreated samples were detected by confocal microscopy, flow cytometry and optical microscopy but not by electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). After LES treatment, 2-fold increase in autofluorescence at 610/660nm was measured (phycocyanin/allophycocyanin emission wavelengths) and a ten-fold decrease in side scatter light intensity (due to a reduction of trichome's inner complexity). This was further confirmed by optical microscopy showing changes on trichomes appearance (from wrinkled to smooth).

Synthesis, characterization, antiparasitic and cytotoxic evaluation of thioureas conjugated to polyamine scaffolds.

A series of mono- and multimeric 4-amino-7-chloroquinoline and ferrocenyl thioureas have been prepared by the reaction of a 7-chloroquinoline methyl ester and a ferrocenylimine methyl ester with various amines. These compounds were characterized using standard spectroscopic and analytical techniques. The compounds were evaluated against the NF54 (CQ-sensitive) and Dd2 (CQ-resistant) strains of Plasmodium falciparum. The quinoline compounds show enhanced activity compared to the ferrocene compounds against this parasite. Compound 5 displays the most promising activity against the NF54 strain. Compounds 5 and 6 are effective at inhibiting ß-hematin formation perhaps due to an increased number of quinoline moieties. The trimeric (12) and tetrameric (13) ferrocenyl compounds also inhibit ß-hematin formation, albeit to a lesser degree compared to the quinoline thioureas. The compounds were also screened against the G3 strain of Trichomonas vaginalis and here the ferrocene-containing compounds show a slightly higher parasite growth inhibition compared to the quinoline thioureas. The quinoline compounds were also found to be more cytotoxic compared to the ferrocenyl compounds. Compound 6 displays good cytotoxicity against WHCO1 oesophageal cancer cells.

In vivo electrical bioimpedance characterization of human lung tissue during the bronchoscopy procedure. A feasibility study.

Lung biopsies form the basis for the diagnosis of lung cancer. However, in a significant number of cases bronchoscopic lung biopsies fail to provide useful information, especially in diffuse lung disease, so more aggressive procedures are required. Success could be improved using a guided electronic biopsy based on multisine electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), a technique which is evaluated in this paper. The theoretical basis of the measurement method and the instrument developed are described, characterized and calibrated while the performance of the instrument is assessed by experiments to evaluate the noise and nonlinear source of errors from measurements on phantoms. Additional preliminary results are included to demonstrate that it is both feasible and safe to monitor in vivo human lung tissue electrical bioimpedance (EBI) during the bronchoscopy procedure. The time required for performing bronchoscopy is not extended because the bioimpedance measurements, present no complications, tolerance problems or side effects among any of the patients measured.

Sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor S1P1 is regulated by direct interactions with P-Rex1, a Rac guanine nucleotide exchange factor.

Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptors S1P(1) are emerging molecular targets for the treatment of cancer, vascular and immune diseases, due to their pivotal role in cell migration and survival of immune and endothelial cells. A therapeutic strategy to control S1P(1) function is based on agonists that promote changes on S1P(1) expression at the plasma membrane. Here, we explored the hypothesis that cell surface expression and function of S1P(1) are influenced by direct interactions with P-Rex1, a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for Rac. We demonstrate that P-Rex1-PDZ domains interact with S1P(1)-carboxyl terminal tail and full length receptor monomers and dimers. Endothelial cells transfected with P-Rex1-PDZ domains show an increased migratory response to S1P. S1P(1) trafficking to intracellular compartments is diminished by coexpression of P-Rex1. We conclude that S1P(1) signaling linked to cell migration is facilitated by a functional interaction with P-Rex1 via a mechanism that involves the maintenance of S1P(1) receptors at the cell membrane.

Models of the iron-only hydrogenase: structural studies of chelating diphosphine complexes [Fe2(CO)4(micro-pdt)(kappa2P,P'-diphosphine)].

Six chelating diphosphine complexes, [Fe2(CO)4(micro-pdt)(kappa2P,P'-diphosphine)], have been crystallographically characterised allowing differences between basal-apical and dibasal conformations to be analysed.

Coagulopatía inducida por aneurisma aórtica abdominal / Induced coagulopaty by abdominal aortic aneurysm

Este es el informe de un caso de coagulopatía inducida por aneurisma aórtico abdominal. Un hombre de 75 años de edad, admitido al hospital por presentar una masa abdominal pulsátil con diagnóstico previo de aneurisma aórtico abdominal infrarrenal, evidenciado por ultrasonido abdominal. Se realizaron estudios de laboratorio preoperatorios donde se corroboró anemia y trombocitopenia. El diagnóstico de CID se confirmó con base en resultados de estudios de coagulación. El paciente fue intervenido quirúrgicamente y la evolución postoperatoria fue exitosa con normalización de los niveles de hemoglobina, plaquetas y fibrinógeno. Se llevó seguimiento postoperatorio a un año, el cual mostró cambios secuenciales en los niveles de coagulación y fibrinógeno con resultados interesantes.