Trajectory tracking nonlinear H∞ controller for wheeled mobile robots with disturbances observer.

Wheeled Mobile Robots (WMRs) are systems with multiple industrial and civilian applications. Trajectory tracking is essential in many applications, such as surveillance, monitoring, and autonomous driving. However, in practical applications, a WMR is always affected by kinematic disturbances, state estimation error, and measurement noise, which may diminish the system's performance. Hence, this work proposes a novel observer-based H∞ controller that is robust against matched and unmatched disturbances. The proposed methodology compensates for disturbances through a disturbance observer, transforming the closed-loop system into a new one affected by uniformly bounded disturbances. Then, an H∞ controller is designed to make the WMR track a desired reference signal. A formal stability proof demonstrates the feasibility of the new proposal. Also, feedback and finite-time controllers are used to assess the novel controller. Numerical simulations and experimental results with a scaled autonomous car-like robot demonstrate the novel controller's efficiency and outstanding performance, despite disturbances when compared against finite-time and feedback controllers.

Stem Cell Therapy for Erectile Dysfunction: A Step towards a Future Treatment.

Background: The improvement of absent or partial response in the medical treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED) has led to the development of minimally invasive new treatment modalities in the field of regenerative medicine. Methods: A literature review on stem cell therapy for the treatment of ED was performed. We searched for the terms "erectile dysfunction" and "stem cell therapy" in PubMed and Clinicaltrials.gov. Literature searching was conducted in English and included articles from 2010 to 2022. Results: New treatment modalities for ED involving stem cell therapy are not only conceived with a curative intent but also aim to avoid unnecessary adverse effects. Several sources of stem cells have been described, each with unique characteristics and potential applications, and different delivery methods have been explored. A limited number of interventional studies over the past recent years have provided evidence of a safety profile in their use and promising results for the treatment of ED, although there are not enough studies to generate an appropriate protocol, dose or cell lineage, or to determine a mechanism of action. Conclusions: Stem cell therapy is a novel treatment for ED with potential future applications. However, most urological societies agree that further research is required to conclusively prove its potential benefit.

Recidivant infective lithiasis: Is it possible to defeat them? / Litiasis infectivas recidivantes. ¿Es posible vencerlas?

Acidifying treatment and control of urinary pH may be an effective strategy to address recurrent lithiasic disease secondary to infective calculi. We present the case of a 39-year-old man with bilateral urolithiasis that led to episodes of complicated Reno ureteral colic.After undergoing multiple treatments by retrograde endourological surgery, he presented recurrence and progression of lithiasis disease, finally requiring percutaneous approach for treatment of a coralliform stone, after which he was free of lithiasis. It was then decided to start treatment with an acidifying oral supplement and home pH control by means of an electronic medical device as a complement to the surgeries he underwent, thus achieving stability of the disease, with absence of urinary tract infection or lithiasis recurrence.The patient, with poor adherence to previous treatments, presented in this case a correct follow-up of the treatment, as well as a high level of satisfaction with it.

El tratamiento acidificante y el control del pH urinario pueden constituir una estrategia eficaz para abordar la enfermedad litiásica recurrente secundaria a cálculos infectivos. Presentamos el caso de un varón de 39 años con urolitiasis bilaterales que le condicionaron episodios de cólicos renoureterales complicados.Tras ser sometido a múltiples tratamientos mediante cirugía endourológica retrógrada, presentó recidiva y progresión de enfermedad litiásica, precisando finalmente abordaje percutáneo para tratamiento de un cálculo coraliforme, tras lo cual queda libre de litiasis. Se decide entonces iniciar tratamiento con suplemento oral acidificante y control domiciliario de pH mediante dispositivo médico electrónico como complemento a las cirugías a las que fue sometido, logrando así estabilidad de enfermedad, con ausencia de cuadros de infección urinaria ni recidiva litiásica.El paciente, con mala adherencia a tratamientos previos, presentó en este caso un correcto seguimiento del tratamiento, así como elevado nivel de satisfacción con el mismo.

Litiasis infectivas recidivantes. ¿es posible vencerlas? / Recurrent infectious lithiasis. is it possible to beat them?

El tratamiento acidificante y el control del pHurinario pueden constituir una estrategia eficaz para abor-dar la enfermedad litiásica recurrente secundaria a cálcu-los infectivos. Presentamos el caso de un varón de 39 añoscon urolitiasis bilaterales que le condicionaron episodiosde cólicos renoureterales complicados. Tras ser sometidoa múltiples tratamientos mediante cirugía endourológicaretrógrada, presentó recidiva y progresión de enfermedadlitiásica, precisando finalmente abordaje percutáneo paratratamiento de un cálculo coraliforme, tras lo cual quedalibre de litiasis. Se decide entonces iniciar tratamiento consuplemento oral acidificante y control domiciliario de pHmediante dispositivo médico electrónico como comple-mento a las cirugías a las que fue sometido, logrando asíestabilidad de enfermedad, con ausencia de cuadros deinfección urinaria ni recidiva litiásica. El paciente, con mala adherencia a tratamientos previos,presentó en este caso un correcto seguimiento del tratamien-to, así como elevado nivel de satisfacción con el mismo.(AU)

Acidifying treatment and control of urinarypH may be an effective strategy to address recurrent lithia-sic disease secondary to infective calculi. We present thecase of a 39-year-old man with bilateral urolithiasis thatled to episodes of complicated Reno ureteral colic. Afterundergoing multiple treatments by retrograde endourolog-ical surgery, he presented recurrence and progression oflithiasis disease, finally requiring percutaneous approachfor treatment of a coralliform stone, after which he wasfree of lithiasis. It was then decided to start treatment withan acidifying oral supplement and home pH control bymeans of an electronic medical device as a complement tothe surgeries he underwent, thus achieving stability of thedisease, with absence of urinary tract infection or lithiasisrecurrence.The patient, with poor adherence to previous treatments,presented in this case a correct follow-up of the treatment,as well as a high level of satisfaction with it.(AU)

Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia and Autoimmune Disorders in a Hispanic Female.

Frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA) is a cicatricial alopecia characterized by hairline recession. Multiple autoimmune pathologies have been reported in patients with FFA. Despite the fact that FFA etiology remains unknown, there has been described an association with autoimmune disorders probably caused by an altered activity of cytotoxic CD8 T lymphocytes. Moreover, other autoimmune pathologies develop TH1 and TH17 response. Genetics could be responsible, in part, for the role of multiple simultaneous autoimmune disorders. Herein, we describe a case of a female patient with vitiligo, lichen sclerosus, and autoimmune hypothyroidism who developed a pruritic band-like recession of the frontal hairline. More research is needed in this area since autoimmune events in these patients may not be a mere coincidence.

Triplex radiometric, photoacoustic, and ultrasonic imaging based on single-pulse excitation.

In this Letter, we propose a novel triplex-parameter detection method to realize simultaneous radiometric, photoacoustic, and ultrasonic imaging based on single-pulse excitation. The optical attenuation, optical absorption, and acoustic impedance properties can be obtained simultaneously by analyzing the photoacoustic signals and the ultrasonic echo signals. To test the feasibility and accuracy of this method, agar phantoms with different absorption coefficients and elastic coefficients were measured. Then, this method was experimentally verified by imaging a leaf skeleton piece embedded in an agar cylinder. Furthermore, pilot experiments were performed by triplex imaging of pig ear tissue ex vivo to characterize the cartilage and surrounding tissue. Experimental results demonstrated that this technique has future potentials for visualizing and providing the functional and structural information of biological tissues.

Renal Replacement Therapy Preferences Survey: Is Allo-Hemodialysis an Acceptable Option for Patient Caregivers and Health Care Professionals?

End-stage kidney disease (ESKD) is a worldwide unsolved problem. Access to renal replacement therapies (RRT) is still a challenge in some developed countries and even more so in developing countries. Allo-hemodialysis (alloHD) is a recently proposed, still hypothetical, alternative RRT where the blood of a healthy subject ("buddy") flows countercurrent to the patient's blood through the dialyzer. Solutes and fluid are transferred to the buddy and then cleared by his/her healthy kidneys, making alloHD essentially a procedure where the buddy "donates" kidney function intermittently to the patient. Its drastically reduced complexity makes -alloHD particularly attractive for low-resource settings. The acceptance of alloHD by patients, caregivers, and health care professionals (HCP) is unknown. In this cross-sectional study, we surveyed the preferences and acceptance of alloHD in 3 groups: caregivers related to ESKD patients, nonrelated caregivers (nrCG), and HCP. Four areas were explored: RRT preferences, kidney organ donation for transplant acceptance, -alloHD acceptance as a potential RRT, and alloHD technique acceptance. Hemodialysis was the preferred form of RRT. Kidney donation acceptance was similar in all groups. Intermittent kidney function donation (i.e., alloHD) was mainly accepted by related and nrCG but less accepted by HCP (87, 90, and 60% respectively, p < 0.01). New RRT alternatives such as alloHD are expected to be better received and accepted once animal, and clinical studies have demonstrated their feasibility, safety, and benefits. New RRT strategies are required primarily in most vulnerable populations and should be explored.

Improving the production of podophyllotoxin in hairy roots of Hyptis suaveolens induced from regenerated plantlets.

Ten Hyptis suaveolens hairy root lines were established by infecting nodal explants with K599+pGus-GFP+ and ATCC15834+pTDT strains from Agrobacterium rhizogenes. Genetic transformation was confirmed by epifluorescence and plagiotropic hairy root growth in absence of growth regulators. Cytotoxicity was determined using the sulforhodamine B method, and the production of podophyllotoxin (PTOX) was measured by high performance thin layer chromatography scanning. Through these methodologies, HsTD10 was identified as the hairy root line with the highest cytotoxicity and PTOX production, which was corroborated by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and micrOTOF-Q II. A suspension culture of HsTD10 was established in which PTOX and carbohydrate consumption during growth kinetics were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography. Procedures to increase the production and retrieval of PTOX in the HsTD10 line included selection of culture medium, addition of thiamine, and modification of the PTOX extraction method. The best combination of these variables was MS medium at 75% of its components with the addition of 2 mg L-1 of thiamine, extraction with methanol-dichloromethane, and sonication at 40 ± 5°C. During kinetics, growth-associated PTOX accumulation was observed. The specific growth rate (µ) was 0.11 d-1. The highest concentration of PTOX obtained with HsTD10 (5.6 mg g-1 DW) was 100 times higher than that reported for roots of wild plants and 56 times higher than that for in vitro nontransformed roots of H. suaveolens.

Nucleolus structural integrity during the first meiotic prophase in rat spermatocytes.

A typical nucleolus structure is shaped by three components. A meshwork of fine fibers forming the fibrillar center (FC) is surrounded by densely packed fibers forming the dense fibrillar component (DFC). Meanwhile, wrapping the FC and DFC is the granular component (GC). During the mitotic prophase, the nucleolus undergoes disassembling of its components. On the contrary, throughout the first meiotic prophase that occurs in the cells of the germ line, small nucleoli are assembled into one nucleolus by the end of the prophase. These nucleoli are transcriptionally active, suggesting that they are fully functional. Electron microscopy analysis has suggested that these nucleoli display their three main components but a typical organization has not been observed. Here, by immunolabeling and electron microscopy, we show that the nucleolus has its three main components. The GC is interlaced with the DFC and is not as well defined as previously thought during leptotene and zygotene stage.

Dermoscopic findings of umbilical granuloma.

Dermoscopic findings in umbilical granuloma are vascular polymorphism comprised of linear irregular and arborizing vessels with structureless areas distributed over a milky-red background. The increase of angiogenesis and neovascularization is represented by the linear irregular and arborizing vessels. Structureless areas over an irregularly milky-red background are originated by the proliferation of vascular endothelial cells and fibroblasts, with capillary and granulation tissue formation.