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Recently, imaging systems with submicron image sensors have been increasingly adopting the Quad Bayer color filter array (CFA) owing to its high sensitivity under low illumination conditions when pixel binning techniques are employed. Conversely, under sufficient illumination conditions, direct demosaicing methods are required for the Quad Bayer color filter array to obtain a full-resolution color image. However, the Quad Bayer color filter array is more susceptible to aliasing artifacts because of its structural disadvantages compared to the Bayer color filter array. In this paper, we propose the multi-frame demosaicing method to address this problem. The proposed method assesses local spatial contributions within local windows at each pixel to reconstruct the lost spatial resolution caused by aliasing. Additionally, we utilize the color difference domain to exploit inter-channel correlations, aiming to alleviate color artifacts and enhance spatial resolution. The experimental results demonstrate that our proposed method outperforms other methods, both quantitatively and qualitatively, including single-frame-based demosaicing methods and another multi-frame demosaicing method with pixel binning techniques.
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PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine whether indirectly deterring elevator use through time-targeted Point-of-Decision Prompts (PODPs) efficiently increased stair usage in a university setting. METHODS: A quasi-experimental design (pre-post design) was employed over 2 weeks in September 2023. Baseline observations were conducted for 1 week prior to signage placement at two locations. The intervention in this study lasted for 1 week, immediately following baseline observations. Three hundred and thirty-one and 384 participants were observed during the baseline and intervention periods, respectively. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the increase in the act of ascending the stairs. RESULTS: Our intervention, which focused on time-related messages, effectively increased stair usage among university students (coefficient = 0.435, p-value < 0.01). Furthermore, females (coefficient = -0.820, p-value < 0.05) and individuals aged ≥ 30 years (coefficient = 1.048, p-value < 0.01) were notably more likely to be influenced by our intervention than males and individuals aged < 30 years. CONCLUSION: Indirectly discouraging elevator use through time-targeted PODPs may amplify the effects of the previously employed time-related messages. Our findings suggested that a deterrence nudge should primarily be directed towards promoting stair usage among females or individuals aged ≥ 30 years.
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Promoção da Saúde , Subida de Escada , Estudantes , Humanos , Masculino , Feminino , Universidades , Adulto , Promoção da Saúde/métodos , Estudantes/psicologia , Estudantes/estatística & dados numéricos , Adulto Jovem , Elevadores e Escadas Rolantes , AdolescenteRESUMO
INTRODUCTION: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the characteristics of brain injury and to assess the relationship between them and treatment outcomes in patients with traumatic benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (t-BPPV). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-three consecutive patients who were diagnosed with BPPV within 2 weeks after head trauma were included. RESULTS: Cerebral concussion, intracranial hemorrhages (ICH), skull fracture without ICH, and hemorrhagic contusion were observed in 68%, 24%, 5%, and 3% of t-BPPV patients, respectively. BPPV with single canal involvement was observed in 52 (83%) patients and that with multiple canal involvement was observed in 11 (17%) patients. The number of treatment sessions was not significantly different according to the cause of head trauma (p = 0.252), type of brain injury (p = 0.308) or location of head trauma (p = 0.287). The number of recurrences was not significantly different according to the cause of head trauma (p = 0.308), type of brain injury (p = 0.536) or location of head trauma (p = 0.138). CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated that there were no significant differences in treatment sessions until resolution and the mean number of recurrences according to the type of brain injury.
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Concussão Encefálica , Lesões Encefálicas , Traumatismos Craniocerebrais , Humanos , Vertigem Posicional Paroxística Benigna/diagnóstico , Vertigem Posicional Paroxística Benigna/etiologia , Vertigem Posicional Paroxística Benigna/terapia , Traumatismos Craniocerebrais/complicações , Lesões Encefálicas/complicações , Concussão Encefálica/complicações , Resultado do TratamentoRESUMO
Although working men and women share common retirement concerns, women encounter unique challenges in securing their retirement. These challenges arise from factors such as part-time work, intermittent work histories, and potential wealth disparities. Marital status also exerts a profound influence on retirement decisions. Marital status significantly impacts their financial security as they approach retirement. This study investigates the intricate relationship between gender, marital status, and theory of planned behavior factors that influence retirement planning among older adults. Utilizing data from the 2014 Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and RAND, the research analyzed 2,657 participants aged 50 to 62, all of whom reported full or part-time employment. Also, the research leveraged the theory of planned behavior to examine motivational factors affecting retirement planning. The study's findings highlight the significant association of gender with expected retirement timing, revealing that married women typically anticipate retiring earlier than both unmarried women and men. In addition, older adults who secure retirement resources tend to retire earlier. It is important to develop tailored policies and initiatives to address the specific retirement challenges women face. It is imperative to develop retirement support systems that consider the gender, marital statuses, and retirement resources of older adults, and to give special attention to those who are vulnerable. This study provides valuable insights into the intricate interplay of gender, marital status, retirement motivation factors and retirement planning among older adults.
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We present a noise robust deep learning based aberration analysis method using 2-step phase shift measurement data. We first propose a realistic aberration pattern generation method to synthesize a sufficient amount of real-world-like aberration patterns for training a deep neural network by exploiting the asymptotic statistical distribution parameters of the real-world Zernike coefficients extracted from a finite number of experimentally measured real-world aberration patterns. As a result, we generate a real-world-like synthetic dataset of 200,000 different aberrations from 15 sets of real-world aberration patterns obtained by a Michelson interferometer under a variety of measurement conditions using the 4-step derivative fitting method together with the exploitation of the Gaussian density estimation. We then train the deep neural network with the real-world-like synthetic dataset, using two types of network architectures, GoogLeNet and ResNet101. By applying the proposed learning based 2-step aberration analysis method to the analysis of numerically generated aberrations formed under 100 different conditions, we verify that the proposed 2-step method can clearly outperform the existing 4-step iterative methods based on 4-step measurements, including the derivative fitting, transport of intensity equation (TIE), and robust TIE methods, in terms of noise robustness, root mean square error (RMSE), and inference time. By applying the proposed 2-step method to the analysis of the real-world aberrations experimentally obtained under a variety of measurement conditions, we also verify that the proposed 2-step method achieves compatible performance in terms of the RMSE between the reconstructed and measured aberration patterns, and also exhibits qualitative superiority in terms of reconstructing more realistic fringe patterns and phase distributions compared to the existing 4-step iterative methods. Since the proposed 2-step method can be extended to an even more general analysis of aberrations of any higher order, we expect that it will be able to provide a practical way for comprehensive aberration analysis and that further studies will extend its usefulness and improve its operational performance in terms of algorithm compactness, noise robustness, and computational speed.
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Various super-resolution (SR) kernels in the degradation model deteriorate the performance of the SR algorithms, showing unpleasant artifacts in the output images. Hence, SR kernel estimation has been studied to improve the SR performance in several ways for more than a decade. In particular, a conventional research named KernelGAN has recently been proposed. To estimate the SR kernel from a single image, KernelGAN introduces generative adversarial networks(GANs) that utilize the recurrence of similar structures across scales. Subsequently, an enhanced version of KernelGAN, named E-KernelGAN, was proposed to consider image sharpness and edge thickness. Although it is stable compared to the earlier method, it still encounters challenges in estimating sizable and anisotropic kernels because the structural information of an input image is not sufficiently considered. In this paper, we propose a kernel estimation algorithm called Total Variation Guided KernelGAN (TVG-KernelGAN), which efficiently enables networks to focus on the structural information of an input image. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm accurately and stably estimates kernels, particularly sizable and anisotropic kernels, both qualitatively and quantitatively. In addition, we compared the results of the non-blind SR methods, using SR kernel estimation techniques. The results indicate that the performance of the SR algorithms was improved using our proposed method.
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This study investigated the effects of pneumoperitoneum and the head-down tilt position on common carotid artery (CCA) blood flow in surgical patients. METHODS: This prospective observational study included 20 patients who underwent gynecological surgery. CCA blood flow was measured using Doppler ultrasound at four-time points: awake in the supine position [T1], 3 min after anesthesia induction in the supine position [T2], 3 min after pneumoperitoneum in the supine position [T3], and 3 min after pneumoperitoneum in the head-down tilt position [T4]. Hemodynamic and respiratory parameters were also recorded at each time point. Linear mixed-effect analyses were performed to compare CCA blood flow across the time points and assess its relationship with hemodynamic parameters. RESULTS: Compared with T1, CCA blood flow decreased significantly at T2 (345.4 [288.0-392.9] vs. 293.1 [253.0-342.6], P = 0.048). CCA blood flow were also significantly lower at T3 and T4 compared with T1 (345.4 [288.0-392.9] vs. 283.6 [258.8-307.6] and 287.1 [242.1-321.4], P = 0.005 and 0.016, respectively). CCA blood flow at T3 and T4 did not significantly differ from that at T2. Changes in CCA blood flow were significantly associated with changes in cardiac index and stroke volume index (P = 0.011 and 0.024, respectively). CONCLUSION: CCA blood flow was significantly decreased by anesthesia induction. Inducing pneumoperitoneum, with or without the head-down tilt position, did not further decrease CCA blood flow if the cardiac index remained unchanged. The cardiac index and stroke volume index were significantly associated with CCA blood flow. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04233177, January 18, 2020).
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Laparoscopia , Pneumoperitônio , Humanos , Decúbito Inclinado com Rebaixamento da Cabeça/fisiologia , Hemodinâmica/fisiologia , Artéria Carótida Primitiva , Anestesia GeralRESUMO
The outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic induced by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused millions of fatalities all over the world. Unquestionably, the effective and timely testing for infected individuals is the most imperative for the prevention of the ongoing pandemic. Herein, a new method was established for detecting SARS-CoV-2 based on the self-priming hairpin-utilized isothermal amplification of the G-rich sequence (SHIAG). In this strategy, the target RNA binding to the hairpin probe (HP) was uniquely devised to lead to the self-priming-mediated extension followed by the continuously repeated nicking and extension reactions, consequently generating abundant G-rich sequences from the intended reaction capable of producing fluorescence signals upon specifically interacting with thioflavin T (ThT). Based on the unique isothermal design concept, we successfully identified SARS-CoV-2 genomic RNA (gRNA) as low as 0.19 fM with excellent selectivity by applying only a single HP and further verified its practical diagnostic capability by reliably testing a total of 100 clinical specimens for COVID-19 with 100% clinical sensitivity and specificity. This study would provide notable insights into the design and evolution of new isothermal strategies for the sensitive and facile detection of SARS-CoV-2 under resource constraints.
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COVID-19 , SARS-CoV-2 , Humanos , SARS-CoV-2/genética , Técnicas de Diagnóstico Molecular/métodos , Técnicas de Amplificação de Ácido Nucleico/métodos , Sensibilidade e Especificidade , RNA Viral/genéticaRESUMO
Marine dinoflagellates Alexandriumare known to produce saxitoxin (STX) and cause paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) which can result in mortality in human. SxtA is considered a core gene for the biosynthesis of STX. However, its gene coding structure and evolutionary history have yet to be fully elucidated. Here, we determined the full-length sequences of sxtA cDNA and genomic coding regions from two toxic dinoflagellates, Alexandrium catenella (LIMS-PS-2645 and LIMS-PS-2647) andA. pacificum (LMBE-C4), characterised their domain structures, and resolved evolutionary events. The sxtA gene was encoded on the genome without introns, and was identical in length (4002 bp) between two A. catenella strains, but their sequences differed from A. pacificum (5031 bp). SxtA consists of four domains, sxtA1, sxtA2, sxtA3, and sxtA4; however, A. pacificum has an extra domain TauD near sxtA1. Each domain had >64.4% GC content, with the highest being 71.6% in sxtA3. Molecular divergence was found to be significantly higher in sxtA4 than in the other domains. Phylogenetic trees of sxtA and separate domains showed that bacteria diverged earliest, followed by non-toxic, toxic cyanobacteria, toxic dinoflagellates. While sxtA domains in Alexandrium were similar to the PKS-like structure with the conserved sxtA1, sxtA2, and sxtA3. PKS_KS may be replaced by sxtA4 in toxic Alexandrium. These suggest that sxtA in Alexandrium may have evolved by acquiring specific domains, whose modification and complexity markedly affect toxin biosynthesis.
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Cianobactérias , Dinoflagellida , Dinoflagellida/genética , Genômica , Humanos , Filogenia , Saxitoxina/genéticaRESUMO
Variegated expression of killer Ig-like receptors (KIR) in human NK cells is a stochastic process exclusive to subsets of mature NK cells and CD8+ T cells. Allele-specific KIR expression is maintained by DNA methylation within the proximal promoter regions. Because KIR genes are densely methylated in NK cell progenitors, there is an implied stage of human NK cell development in which DNA demethylation takes place to allow for active transcription. When and how this process occurs is unknown. In this study, we show that KIR proximal promoters are densely methylated in less mature CD56bright NK cells and are progressively demethylated in CD56dim NK cells as they mature and acquire KIR. We hypothesized that ten-eleven translocation (TET) enzymes, which oxidize 5mC on DNA could mediate KIR promoter demethylation. The catalytic efficiency of TET enzymes is known to be enhanced by ascorbic acid. We found that the addition of ascorbic acid to ex vivo culture of sorted CD56bright NK cells increased the frequency of KIR expression in a dose-dependent manner and facilitated demethylation of proximal promoters. A marked enrichment of the transcription factor Runx3 as well as TET2 and TET3 was observed within proximal KIR promoters in CD56bright NK cells cultured with ascorbic acid. Additionally, overexpression of TET3 and Runx3 promoted KIR expression in CD56bright NK cells and NK-92 cells. Our results show that KIR promoter demethylation can be induced in CD56bright, and this process is facilitated by ascorbic acid.
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Ácido Ascórbico/metabolismo , Células Matadoras Naturais/metabolismo , Receptores KIR/metabolismo , Antígeno CD56/metabolismo , Diferenciação Celular , Células Cultivadas , Subunidade alfa 3 de Fator de Ligação ao Core/genética , Subunidade alfa 3 de Fator de Ligação ao Core/metabolismo , Metilação de DNA , Proteínas de Ligação a DNA/genética , Proteínas de Ligação a DNA/metabolismo , Desmetilação , Dioxigenases/genética , Dioxigenases/metabolismo , Regulação da Expressão Gênica , Humanos , Células Matadoras Naturais/imunologia , Ativação Linfocitária , Regiões Promotoras Genéticas/genética , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas/genética , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas/metabolismo , Receptores KIR/genéticaRESUMO
Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) belong to a family of enzymes involved in diverse biological processes, including detoxification and protection against oxidative damage. Here, we determined the full-length sequence (915 bp) of a novel Phi class cytosolic glutathione S-transferase (GSTF) gene from the green algae Closterium ehrenbergii. We examined the gene structure and expression patterns in response to metals and endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). It was significantly upregulated by metals, but responded differently to EDCs. The highest up-regulation of CeGSTF was registered under 0.1 mg/L CuCl2 and 0.01 mg/L CuSO4 treatments. In a 72-h course experiment with treatment of 0.1 mg/L CuCl2 , CeGSTF was dramatically induced at 6 h, and then gradually decreased with increasing exposure time. This was consistent with the increase in both GST activity and ROS production in copper-treated cells. These results suggest that CeGSTF may be involved in detoxification mechanisms associated with oxidative stress in green algae.
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Closterium , Clonagem Molecular , Closterium/genética , Água Doce , Glutationa Transferase/genética , Glutationa Transferase/metabolismo , Estresse Oxidativo/genéticaRESUMO
Yap/Taz are well-established downstream effectors of the Hippo pathway, known to regulate organ size by directing proliferation and apoptosis. Although the functions of Yap/Taz have been extensively studied, little is known about their role in brain development. Here, through genetic ablation, we show that Yap/Taz are required for cerebellar morphogenesis. Yap/Taz deletion in neural progenitors causes defects in secondary fissure formation, leading to abnormal folia development. Although they seemed very likely to serve an important function in the development of cerebellar granule cell precursors, Yap/Taz are dispensable for their proliferation. Furthermore, Yap/Taz loss does not rescue the medulloblastoma phenotype caused by constitutively active Smoothened. Importantly, Yap/Taz are highly expressed in radial glia and play a crucial role in establishing the radial scaffold and cellular polarity of neural progenitors during embryogenesis. We found that Yap/Taz are necessary to establish and maintain junctional integrity of cerebellar neuroepithelium as prominent junction proteins are not maintained at the apical junction in the absence of Yap/Taz. Our study identifies a novel function of Yap/Taz in cerebellar foliation and finds that they are required to establish the radial glia scaffold and junctional stability.
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Proteínas Adaptadoras de Transdução de Sinal/metabolismo , Proteínas de Ciclo Celular/metabolismo , Cerebelo/embriologia , Organogênese , Transativadores/metabolismo , Animais , Proliferação de Células , Cerebelo/citologia , Cerebelo/metabolismo , Células Ependimogliais , Camundongos , Tamanho do Órgão , Células-Tronco/metabolismo , Proteínas de Sinalização YAPRESUMO
We investigate the angular distribution of luminescence dissymmetry of random lasing in the mixture of rhodamine 6G and titanium dioxide nanoparticles upon a biocompatible natural material substrate, i.e., the elytron of the scarab beetle Chrysina gloriosa. We look into both green and gold-colored areas of the elytron that exhibit distinctly different circular dichroism properties. The fabricated sample asymmetrically emits both left- and right-handed circularly polarized light at 570 nm when pumped at 532 nm, depending on the direction of emission and the angle of the pump incidence. We characterize the light via measuring the angular distribution of its luminescence dissymmetry factor (g lum), which reaches an unusually high maximal value of 0.90 or -0.50 at some specific angle depending on the handedness of its polarization. This random laser source can be used in numerous potential optoelectronic applications which require light emission of distributed luminescence dissymmetry or of high luminescence dissymmetry.
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Exoesqueleto , Dicroísmo Circular , Besouros , Lasers , Luminescência , Exoesqueleto/química , Exoesqueleto/ultraestrutura , Animais , Besouros/química , Besouros/ultraestrutura , Desenho de Equipamento , Microscopia Eletrônica de Varredura , Microscopia de Polarização/métodos , Nanopartículas , Imagem Óptica/métodos , Rodaminas , TitânioRESUMO
We present a novel method for modal decomposition of a composite beam guided by a large-mode-area fiber by means of direct far-field pattern measurements with a multi-variable optimization algorithm. For reconstructing far-field patterns, we use finite-number bases of Hermite Gaussian modes that can be converted from all the guided modes in the given fiber and exploit a stochastic parallel gradient descent (SPGD)-based multi-variable optimization algorithm equipped with the D4σ technique in order for completing the modal decomposition with compensating the centroid mismatch between the measured and reconstructed beams. We measure the beam intensity profiles at two different distances, which justifies the uniqueness of the solution obtained by the SPGD algorithm. We verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method both numerically and experimentally. We have found that the fractional error tolerance in terms of the beam intensity overlap could be maintained below 1 × 10-7 and 3.5 × 10-3 in the numerical and experimental demonstrations, respectively. As the modal decomposition is made uniquely and reliably, such a level of the error tolerance could be maintained even for a beam intensity profile measured at a farther distance.
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Toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium spp. produce saxitoxins (STXs), whose biosynthesis pathway is affected by temperature. However, the link between the regulation of the relevant genes and STXs' accumulation and temperature is insufficiently understood. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of temperature on cellular STXs and the expression of two core STX biosynthesis genes (sxtA4 and sxtG) in the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium catenella Alex03 isolated from Korean waters. We analyzed the growth rate, toxin profiles, and gene responses in cells exposed to different temperatures, including long-term adaptation (12, 16, and 20 °C) and cold and heat stresses. Temperature significantly affected the growth of A. catenella, with optimal growth (0.49 division/day) at 16 °C and the largest cell size (30.5 µm) at 12 °C. High concentration of STXs eq were detected in cells cultured at 16 °C (86.3 fmol/cell) and exposed to cold stress at 20â12 °C (96.6 fmol/cell) compared to those at 20 °C and exposed to heat stress. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) revealed significant gene expression changes of sxtA4 in cells cultured at 16 °C (1.8-fold) and cold shock at 20â16 °C (9.9-fold). In addition, sxtG was significantly induced in cells exposed to cold shocks (20â16 °C; 19.5-fold) and heat stress (12â20 °C; 25.6-fold). Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that low temperature (12 and 16 °C) and cold stress were positively related with STXs' production and gene expression levels. These results suggest that temperature may affect the toxicity and regulation of STX biosynthesis genes in dinoflagellates.
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Dinoflagellida/genética , Dinoflagellida/metabolismo , Biossíntese de Proteínas/genética , Proteínas de Protozoários/metabolismo , Saxitoxina/biossíntese , Saxitoxina/genética , Crescimento Celular , Proliferação de Células , Temperatura Baixa , Resposta ao Choque Frio , Dinoflagellida/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Regulação da Expressão Gênica , Análise de Componente Principal , Proteínas de Protozoários/genéticaRESUMO
The chloroacetanilides are among the most commonly used herbicides worldwide, which contaminate aquatic environments and affect aquatic phototrophs. Their sub-lethal toxicity has been evaluated using freshwater algae; however, the modes of cellular toxicity and levels of toxicity to marine organisms are not fully understood. In the present study, we assessed the cellular and molecular effects of chloroacetanilides on marine phototrophs using the dinoflagellate Prorocentrum minimum and the herbicide metazachlor (MZC). The MZC treatment led to a considerable reduction in cell number and pigment, and the EC50 of MZC was calculated to be 0.647 mg/L. The photosynthetic parameters, Fv/Fm and chlorophyll fluorescence significantly decreased with MZC exposure time in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, MZC significantly induced photosynthesis genes, including PmpsbA, PmpsaA, and PmatpB, and the antioxidant PmGST, but not PmKatG. These findings were well matched to reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in MZC-treated cells. Interestingly, we observed inflated vacuoles, undivided chloroplasts, and breakdown of thylakoid membranes in MZC-treated cells. These results support the hypothesis that MZC severely damages chloroplasts, resulting in dysfunction of the dinoflagellate photosynthesis and possibly marine phototrophs in the environment.
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Acetamidas/toxicidade , Dinoflagellida/fisiologia , Herbicidas/toxicidade , Fotossíntese/efeitos dos fármacos , Organismos Aquáticos/metabolismo , Clorofila/metabolismo , Cloroplastos/metabolismo , Dinoflagellida/metabolismo , Espécies Reativas de Oxigênio/metabolismo , Tilacoides/metabolismoRESUMO
We herein describe a portable glucose meter (PGM)-utilized label-free and washing-free method for the facile determination of telomerase activity that relies on the kinase-catalyzed cascade enzymatic reaction (KCER) that transduces the telomerase activity to the glucose level. In the sensor, the telomerase that elongates telomere sequences ((TTAGGG)n) from the 3'-terminus of telomerase substrate primer (TSP) consumes deoxynucleoside triphosphate (dNTP), which serves as a phosphate source for KCER promoted by hexokinase and pyruvate kinase. Thus, the presence of telomerase protects KCER from working effectively, resulting in the maintenance of an initial, high glucose level that is readily determined using hand-held PGM. With this strategy, the telomerase activities in various types of cell lines were successfully determined with high sensitivity. Furthermore, the ability of this method to screen candidate inhibitors for telomerase activity was also verified.
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Técnicas Biossensoriais , Telomerase , Linhagem Celular , Glucose , Telomerase/metabolismo , TelômeroRESUMO
BACKGROUND: The Optiscope™ can be used for intubation with minimal neck motion. We retrospectively investigated radiographic predictors of difficult intubation using the Optiscope™ by analyzing preoperative radiographic images. METHODS: One hundred eighty-four patients who were intubated with the Optiscope™ under manual in-line cervical stabilization for cervical spine surgery were enrolled. Radiographic indices were measured on preoperative cervical spine lateral X-ray and magnetic resonance imaging images. Difficult intubation was defined as failure or time consumption more than 90 s on the first attempt. To identify significant predictors of difficult intubation using the Optiscope™ and evaluate their diagnostic value, multivariable logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic analyses were used. RESULTS: Fourty-seven patients showed difficult intubation. There was no significant difference in radiographic indices between the difficult and easy intubation groups, but higher body mass index (BMI) (26.5 [3.0] vs. 24.6 [3.5] kg/m2, P = 0.001), shorter sternomental distance (SMD) (122.0 [104.0 to 150.0] vs. 150.0 [130.0 to 170.0] mm, P = 0.001), shorter interincisor gap (40.0 [35.0 to 45.0] vs. 43.0 [40.0 to 50.0] mm, P = 0.006), and higher incidence of excessive oral secretions (10.6% vs. 2.9%, P = 0.049) were observed in patients with difficult intubation. In multivariable analysis, BMI (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]; 1.15 [1.03 to 1.28], P = 0.011) and SMD (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]; 0.98 [0.97 to 1.00], P = 0.008) were associated with difficult intubation with the Optiscope™. In receiver operating characterstic analysis, the area under the curve for body mass index was 0.68 (95% confidence interval; 0.60 to 0.77, P < 0.001) and that for sternomental distance was 0.66 (95% confience interval; 0.57 to 0.75, P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of difficult intubation using the Optiscope™ under manual in-line cervical stabilization was 25.5% in cervical spine surgery patients. No significant predictor of difficult intubation with the Optiscope™ was identified among the measured radiographic indices. Although high BMI and short SMD were predictive of difficult intubation with the Optiscope™, their discrimination power was weak.
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Vértebras Cervicais/diagnóstico por imagem , Vértebras Cervicais/cirurgia , Intubação Intratraqueal/instrumentação , Intubação Intratraqueal/métodos , Imageamento por Ressonância Magnética/métodos , Radiografia/métodos , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Estudos RetrospectivosRESUMO
In the present study, we characterized the potential toxin genes for polyketide synthase (PKS) and saxitoxin (STX) biosynthesis using the transcriptomes of two non-STX producing dinoflagellates Amphidinium carterae and Prorocentrum micans. RNA sequencing revealed 94 and 166 PKS contigs in A. carterae and P. micans, respectively. We first detected type III PKS, which was closely related to bacteria. In addition, dozens of homologs of 20 STX biosynthesis genes were identified. Interestingly, the core STX-synthesizing genes sxtA and sxtB were only found in P. micans, whereas sxtD was detected in A. carterae alone. Bioinformatic analysis showed that the first two core genes (sxtA and sxtG) had a low sequence similarity (37.0-67.6%) and different domain organization compared to those of other toxigenic dinoflagellates, such as Alexandrium pacificum. These might result in the breakdown of the initial reactions in STX production and ultimately the loss of the ability to synthesize the toxins in both dinoflagellates. Our findings suggest that toxin-related PKS and sxt genes are commonly found in non-STX producing dinoflagellates. In addition to their involvement in the synthesis of toxins, our result indicates that genes may also have other molecular metabolic functions.
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Dinoflagellida/genética , Evolução Molecular , Policetídeo Sintases/genética , Saxitoxina/biossíntese , Dinoflagellida/enzimologia , Dinoflagellida/metabolismo , Deleção de Genes , Filogenia , Análise de Sequência de RNA , TranscriptomaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: The TFA-1 adhesive forehead sensor is a newly developed pulse oximeter for the measurement of the plethysmographic variability index (PVI) at the forehead, and for the rapid detection of changes in oxygen saturation during low perfusion. OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the ability of the TFA-1 sensor to predict fluid responsiveness in children under general anaesthesia. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Single tertiary care children's hospital. PATIENTS: Thirty-seven children aged 1 to 5 years under general anaesthesia and requiring invasive arterial pressure monitoring. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The baseline PVI of TFA-1 and finger sensors, respiratory variation of aorta blood flow peak velocity (ΔVpeak) and stroke volume index (SVI) obtained using transthoracic echocardiography were assessed. After fluid loading of 10âmlâkg crystalloids over 10âmin, SVI was reassessed. Responders were defined as those with an increase in SVI greater than 15% from the baseline. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to evaluate the predictive ability of the PVI of TFA-1 and finger sensors and ΔVpeak for fluid responsiveness. RESULTS: Seventeen (56.6%) patients responded to volume expansion. Before fluid loading, the PVI of TFA-1 and finger sensors and ΔVpeak (meanâ±âSD) of the responders were 11.2â±â4.4, 11.4â±â5.1 and 14.8â±â3.9%, respectively, and those of the nonresponders were 7.4â±â3.9, 8.1â±â3.6 and 11.0â±â3.3%, respectively. ROC curve analysis indicated that the PVI of TFA-1 and finger sensors and ΔVpeak could predict fluid responsiveness. The areas under the curve were 0.8 [Pâ=â0.00; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.60 to 0.91], 0.7 (Pâ=â0.02; 95% CI 0.53 to 0.87) and 0.8 (Pâ=â0.00; 95% CI 0.59 to 0.91), respectively. The cut-off values for the PVI of TFA-1 and finger sensors and ΔVpeak were 6.0, 9.0 and 10.6%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The PVI of TFA-1 forehead sensor is a good alternative, but is not superior to the finger sensor and ΔVpeak in evaluating fluid responsiveness in mechanically ventilated children under general anaesthesia. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: www.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT03132480.