Mental health index of the elderly population in Medellín (Colombia)-2021: a factorial analysis.

Introduction: There are several risk factors associated with developing mental disorders among people over 60 years of age. Mental health encompasses multiple domains or capacities, which can comprise the psychological wellbeing of older people. Therefore, resilient coping, self-compassion, self-esteem, hopelessness, quality of life, and depression are considered the characteristics and adaptive mechanisms that bring together the main risk and protective factors for imbalance in mental wellbeing. Objective: This study aimed to establish the demographic, social, and family factors, as well as the clinical characteristics and lifestyle habits that influence the mental health of the elderly people in the city of Medellín, in the year 2021, to build a mental health index. Methodology: This study adopts a quantitative approach, employs retrospective temporality, and utilizes secondary sources. A cross-sectional survey was carried out with the SABAM Project (health and mental wellbeing of older adults from five cities in Colombia in 2021 by its Spanish acronym) database (secondary source), which is part of the research group "Public Health Observatory" of CES University (Medellín, Colombia). The database comprised 500 records of people aged over 60 years from the city of Medellín in 2021. While constructing the index, a principal component analysis was used, along with the Varimax method for factor analysis rotation. Results: The median age of the general population was 67 years (IQR 63-72); for men, the median age was 66 years (IQR 63-71) and for women, the median age was 67 years (IQR 63-72). An association was found between low socioeconomic levels, alcohol consumption, and the level of higher education (university-postgraduate) with low levels of the Mental Health Index in people over 60 years of age in Medellín during the year 2021. Conclusion: A quantitative model was developed to predict either a positive or negative prognosis in the mental wellbeing of the population over 60 years of age in the city of Medellín. The model was also used for the development of a sociodemographic profile highlighting the impact on mental health among people over 60 years of age with limited economic resources.

Antibacterial Effects of Silver Diamine Fluoride with and without Potassium Iodide against Streptococcus mutans.

Introduction: Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) is a topical treatment for carious lesions and a primary preventative for newly exposed high-risk surfaces such as fissures and roots in the first molars. Using potassium iodide (KI) after applying SDF has been recommended as a way of reducing the severity of black staining, as well as preserving its antibacterial effect useful in deep caries. Objective: The objective of this research was to compare the antibacterial effect of SDF, with and without KI, on Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) and dental biofilm. Methods: The antibacterial effects of SDF, KI, and the combination of both were measured using three different techniques (inhibition halo, minimum inhibitory effect [MIE], and colony-forming unit [CFU], testing). Results: The results were then subjected to statistical analysis. Analyzed by means of the Kruskal-Wallis statistical test, the inhibition halos yielded a value of P = 0.3309. Using the MIE test, only the SDF treatment produced an antibacterial effect, at 10%, compared to the KI group, with P = 0.001. Finally, the CFU test revealed a total absence of colonies for all three reagents. All three substances analyzed achieved total inhibition of S. mutans. SDF is effective even in its minimal commercial concentration. Its antibacterial capacity decreases with the addition of KI. Conclusions: The three substances analyzed at their maximum concentrations exhibited an antibacterial effect against S. mutans, resulting in total inhibition.

Intrinsic Water Transport in Moisture-Capturing Hydrogels.

Moisture-capturing hydrogels have emerged as attractive sorbent materials capable of converting ambient humidity into liquid water. Recent works have demonstrated exceptional water capture capabilities of hydrogels while simultaneously exploring different strategies to accelerate water capture and release. However, on the material level, an understanding of the intrinsic transport properties of moisture-capturing hydrogels is currently missing, which hinders their rational design. In this work, we combine absorption and desorption experiments of macroscopic hydrogel samples in pure vapor with models of water diffusion in the hydrogels to demonstrate the first measurements of the intrinsic water diffusion coefficient in hydrogel-salt composites. Based on these insights, we pattern hydrogels with micropores to significantly decrease the required absorption and desorption times by 19% and 72%, respectively, while reducing the total water capacity of the hydrogel by only 4%. Thereby, we provide an effective strategy toward hydrogel material optimization, with a particular significance in pure-vapor environments.

Ribonucleotide reductase inhibition improves the symptoms of a Caenorhabditis elegans model of Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease is the main cause of aging-associated dementia, for which there is no effective treatment. In this work, we reanalyze the information of a previous genome wide association study, using a new pipeline design to identify novel potential drugs. With this approach, ribonucleoside-diphosphate reductase gene (RRM2B) emerged as a candidate target and its inhibitor, 2', 2'-difluoro 2'deoxycytidine (gemcitabine), as a potential pharmaceutical drug against Alzheimer's disease. We functionally verified the effect of inhibiting the RRM2B homolog, rnr-2, in an Alzheimer's model of Caenorhabditis elegans, which accumulates human Aß1-42 peptide to an irreversible paralysis. RNA interference against rnr-2 and also treatment with 200 ng/ml of gemcitabine, showed an improvement of the phenotype. Gemcitabine treatment increased the intracellular ATP level 3.03 times, which may point to its mechanism of action. Gemcitabine has been extensively used in humans for cancer treatment but at higher concentrations. The 200 ng/ml concentration did not exert a significant effect over cell cycle, or affected cell viability when assayed in the microglia N13 cell line. Thus, the inhibitory drug of the RRM2B activity could be of potential use to treat Alzheimer's disease and particularly gemcitabine might be considered as a promising candidate to be repurposed for its treatment.

Extreme Water Uptake of Hygroscopic Hydrogels through Maximized Swelling-Induced Salt Loading.

Hygroscopic hydrogels are emerging as scalable and low-cost sorbents for atmospheric water harvesting, dehumidification, passive cooling, and thermal energy storage. However, devices using these materials still exhibit insufficient performance, partly due to the limited water vapor uptake of the hydrogels. Here, the swelling dynamics of hydrogels in aqueous lithiumchloride solutions, the implications on hydrogel salt loading, and the resulting vapor uptake of the synthesized hydrogel-salt composites are characterized. By tuning the salt concentration of the swelling solutions and the cross-linking properties of the gels, hygroscopic hydrogels with extremely high salt loadings are synthesized, which enable unprecedented water uptakes of 1.79 and 3.86 gg-1 at relative humidity (RH) of 30% and 70%, respectively. At 30% RH, this exceeds previously reported water uptakes of metal-organic frameworks by over 100% and of hydrogels by 15%, bringing the uptake within 93% of the fundamental limit of hygroscopic salts while avoiding leakage problems common in salt solutions. By modeling the salt-vapor equilibria, the maximum leakage-free RH is elucidated as a function of hydrogel uptake and swelling ratio. These insights guide the design of hydrogels with exceptional hygroscopicity that enable sorption-based devices to tackle water scarcity and the global energy crisis.

Quality Assurance Considerations in Radiopharmaceutical Therapy Dosimetry Using PLANETDose: An International Atomic Energy Agency Study.

Implementation of radiopharmaceutical therapy dosimetry varies depending on the clinical application, dosimetry protocol, software, and ultimately the operator. Assessing clinical dosimetry accuracy and precision is therefore a challenging task. This work emphasizes some pitfalls encountered during a structured analysis, performed on a single-patient dataset consisting of SPECT/CT images by various participants using a standard protocol and clinically approved commercial software. Methods: The clinical dataset consisted of the dosimetric study of a patient administered with [177Lu]Lu-DOTATATE at Tygerberg Hospital, South Africa, as a part of International Atomic Energy Agency-coordinated research project E23005. SPECT/CT images were acquired at 5 time points postinjection. Patient and calibration images were reconstructed on a workstation, and a calibration factor of 122.6 Bq/count was derived independently and provided to the participants. A standard dosimetric protocol was defined, and PLANETDose (version 3.1.1) software was installed at 9 centers to perform the dosimetry of 3 treatment cycles. The protocol included rigid image registration, segmentation (semimanual for organs, activity threshold for tumors), and dose voxel kernel convolution of activity followed by absorbed dose (AD) rate integration to obtain the ADs. Iterations of the protocol were performed by participants individually and within collective training, the results of which were analyzed for dosimetric variability, as well as for quality assurance and error analysis. Intermediary checkpoints were developed to understand possible sources of variation and to differentiate user error from legitimate user variability. Results: Initial dosimetric results for organs (liver and kidneys) and lesions showed considerable interoperator variability. Not only was the generation of intermediate checkpoints such as total counts, volumes, and activity required, but also activity-to-count ratio, activity concentration, and AD rate-to-activity concentration ratio to determine the source of variability. Conclusion: When the same patient dataset was analyzed using the same dosimetry procedure and software, significant disparities were observed in the results despite multiple sessions of training and feedback. Variations due to human error could be minimized or avoided by performing intensive training sessions, establishing intermediate checkpoints, conducting sanity checks, and cross-validating results across physicists or with standardized datasets. This finding promotes the development of quality assurance in clinical dosimetry.

Vertical transmission of maternal DNA through extracellular vesicles associates with altered embryo bioenergetics during the periconception period.

The transmission of DNA through extracellular vesicles (EVs) represents a novel genetic material transfer mechanism that may impact genome evolution and tumorigenesis. We aimed to investigate the potential for vertical DNA transmission within maternal endometrial EVs to the pre-implantation embryo and describe any effect on embryo bioenergetics. We discovered that the human endometrium secretes all three general subtypes of EV - apoptotic bodies (ABs), microvesicles (MVs), and exosomes (EXOs) - into the human endometrial fluid (EF) within the uterine cavity. EVs become uniformly secreted into the EF during the menstrual cycle, with the proportion of different EV populations remaining constant; however, MVs contain significantly higher levels of mitochondrial (mt)DNA than ABs or EXOs. During the window of implantation, MVs contain an eleven-fold higher level of mtDNA when compared to cells-of-origin within the receptive endometrium, which possesses a lower mtDNA content and displays the upregulated expression of mitophagy-related genes. Furthermore, we demonstrate the internalization of EV-derived nuclear-encoded (n)DNA/mtDNA by trophoblast cells of murine embryos, which associates with a reduction in mitochondrial respiration and ATP production. These findings suggest that the maternal endometrium suffers a reduction in mtDNA content during the preconceptional period, that nDNA/mtDNA become packaged into secreted EVs that the embryo uptakes, and that the transfer of DNA to the embryo within EVs occurs alongside the modulation of bioenergetics during implantation.

Current Insights in the Repeat Breeder Cow Syndrome.

Cows can have difficulties becoming pregnant, and in certain cases, these reproductive failures do not have an evident cause. Furthermore, when these failures are repeated three or more times with estrous cycles of normal duration and in the absence of evident clinical signs, it is considered repeat breeder cow (RBC) syndrome. A substantive incidence of RBC syndrome has been reported all over the world, which severely affects the farm economy. This paper reviews those studies particularly focused on RBC syndrome from 2000 to 2023 but also includes consolidated information until this date. Hormonal imbalances, undetectable oviductal or uterine defects, or poor oocyte or embryo quality have been reported as causes of RBC syndrome, while subclinical endometritis has been considered a relevant causal agent. However, it is unresolved why this condition is recurrent in certain animals, despite the implementation of corrective management actions or treatments. Recent studies evaluate the putative role of certain genes, factors, hormones, or proteins in the pathogenesis of RBC syndrome. Numerous risk factors contribute to the appearance of this syndrome, and some of them could be mitigated to partially prevent this infertility, while others cannot be changed. Due to the complexity of this syndrome, it is important to increase knowledge about the mechanisms involved, develop new diagnostic tools to differentiate causal agents, and implement new treatments to restore fertility. There is consensus about the huge repercussions of this syndrome on farm profitability, but further studies are now needed to describe its economic impact.

Targeted Glutamate Supply Boosts Insulin Concentrations, Ovarian Activity, and Ovulation Rate in Yearling Goats during the Anestrous Season.

The neuroendocrine regulation of the seasonal reproductive axis requires the integration of internal and external signals to ensure synchronized physiological and behavioral responses. Seasonal reproductive changes contribute to intermittent production, which poses challenges for optimizing goat product yields. Consequently, a significant objective in seasonal reproduction research is to attain continuous reproduction and enhance profitability in goat farming. Glutamate plays a crucial role as a modulator in several reproductive and metabolic processes. Hence, the aim of this study was to evaluate the potential impact of exogenous glutamate administration on serum insulin concentration and ovarian function during the out-of-season period in yearling goats. During the anestrous season, animals were randomly located in individual pens to form two experimental groups: (1) glutamate (n = 10, live weight (LW) = 29.1 ± 1.02 kg, body condition score (BCS) = 3.4 ± 0.2 units) and (2) control (n = 10; LW = 29.2 ± 1.07 kg, BCS = 3.5 ± 0.2), with no differences (p < 0.05) regarding LW and BCS. Then, goats were estrus-synchronized, and blood sampling was carried out for insulin quantification. Ovaries were ultrasonographically scanned to assess ovulation rate (OR), number of antral follicles (AFs), and total ovarian activity (TOA = OR + AF). The research outcomes support our working hypothesis. Certainly, our study confirms that those yearling goats treated with exogenous glutamate displayed the largest (p < 0.05) insulin concentrations across time as well as an augmented (p < 0.05) out-of-season ovarian activity.

Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation is an effective treatment option for small renal masses, comparable to partial nephrectomy.

OBJECTIVES: The standard therapy for small renal masses (SRMs) remains partial nephrectomy (PN), which is associated with relatively high morbidity and complication rate. Therefore, percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (PRFA) emerges as an alternative therapy. This study aimed to compare the efficacy, safety, and oncological outcomes of PRFA versus PN. METHODS: A multicenter non-inferiority study with retrospective analysis of 291 patients with SRMs (N0M0), who underwent PN or PRFA (2:1), recruited prospectively from two hospitals in the Andalusian Public Health System, Spain, between 2014 and 2021. Comparisons of treatment features were evaluated using the t test, Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney U test, chi-square test, Fisher test, and Cochran-Armitage trend test. Kaplan-Meier curves depicted overall survival (OS), local recurrence-free survival (LRFS), and metastasis-free survival (MFS) rates in the overall study population. RESULTS: A total of 291 consecutive patients were identified; 111 and 180 patients underwent PRFA and PN, respectively. Median follow-up time was 38 and 48 months, and mean hospitalization days were 1.04 and 3.57 days, respectively. The variables underpinned with high surgical risk were significantly increased in PRFA compared to those in PN (mean age was 64.56 and 57.47 years, the solitary kidney presence was 12.6% and 5.6%, ASA score ≥ 3 was 36% and 14.5%, respectively). The rest of oncological outcomes were comparable amongst PRFA and PN. Patients undergoing PRFA did not improve OS, LRFS, and MFS compared to those undergoing PN. Limitations comprise retrospective design and limited statistical power. CONCLUSION: PRFA for SMRs in high-risk patients is non-inferior in terms of oncological outcomes and safety compared to PN. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: Our study has a direct clinical application as it proves that radiofrequency ablation is an effective and uncomplicated therapeutic option for patients with small renal masses. KEY POINTS: •There are non-inferiority results in overall survival, local recurrence-free survival, and metastasis-free survival between PRFA and PN. •Our two-center study showed that PRFA is non-inferior to PN in oncological outcomes. •Contrast-enhanced power ultrasound-guided PRFA provides an effective therapy for T1 renal tumors.

Colostrum Quality Assessment in Dairy Goats: Use of an On-Farm Optical Refractometer.

Failure of passive immunity transfer is one of the main causes of increased susceptibility to infectious agents in newborn kids. To ensure successful transfer of passive immunity, kids need to be fed high-quality colostrum, containing an adequate concentration of IgG. This work evaluated the quality of colostrum obtained in the first 3 days postpartum from Malagueña dairy goats. The IgG concentration in colostrum was measured using an ELISA as a reference method, and it was estimated by optical refractometer. Colostrum composition in terms of fat and protein was also determined. The mean concentration of IgG was 36.6 ± 2.3 mg/mL, 22.4 ± 1.5 mg/mL and 8.4 ± 1.0 mg/mL on days 1, 2 and 3 after parturition, respectively. Brix values obtained using the optical refractometer were 23.2%, 18.6% and 14.1% for days 1, 2 and 3, respectively. In this population, 89% of goats produced high-quality colostrum with IgG concentrations of >20 mg/mL on the day of parturition, but this percentage declined dramatically over the following 2 days. The quality of the fresh colostrum estimated with the optical refractometer was positively correlated with those obtained using ELISA (r = 0.607, p = 0.001). This study highlights the importance of feeding first-day colostrum to newborn kids and demonstrates that the optical Brix refractometer is suitable for the on-farm estimation of IgG content in colostrum.

Unusual Temperature Dependence of Water Sorption in Semicrystalline Hydrogels.

Water vapor sorption is a ubiquitous phenomenon in nature and plays an important role in various applications, including humidity regulation, energy storage, thermal management, and water harvesting. In particular, capturing moisture at elevated temperatures is highly desirable to prevent dehydration and to enlarge the tunability of water uptake. However, owing to the thermodynamic limit of conventional materials, sorbents inevitably tend to capture less water vapor at higher temperatures, impeding their broad applications. Here, an inverse temperature dependence of water sorption in poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogels, where their water uptake can be doubled with increasing temperature from 25 to 50 °C, is reported. With mechanistic modeling of water-polymer interactions, this unusual water sorption is attributed to the first-order phase transformation of PEG structures, and the key parameters for a more generalized strategy in materials development are identified. This work elucidates a new regime of water sorption with an unusual temperature dependence, enabling a promising engineering space for harnessing moisture and heat.

IoT Based System for Heart Monitoring and Arrhythmia Detection Using Machine Learning.

Internet of Things (IoT) technologies allow building a digital representation of people, objects, or physical phenomena to be available on the Internet. Thus, stakeholders can access this information from remote places or computational systems could analyze this data to find patterns, make decisions, or execute actions. For instance, a doctor could diagnose patients by analyzing the received data from an IoT system even when patients are located in a remote place. This article proposes an IoT system for monitoring electrocardiogram (ECG) signal and processing heart data in order to generate an alert when an arrhythmia is present. This system involves a Polar H10 heart sensor, machine-learning models to classify heart events, and communication technology to share and store patient's information. In the first place, the architecture of the IoT monitoring system and the communication between the components are described by discussing the designing criteria. Second, the experimentation process performs the training and the assessment of three classification algorithms, random forest, convolutional neural network, and k-nearest neighbors. The results show that k-nearest neighbor has the best accuracy percentage classifying the arrhythmias under study (premature ventricular contraction 94%, fusion of ventricular beat 81%, and supraventricular premature beat 82%); also, it is able to discern normal and unclassifiable beats with 93% and 97%, respectively.

Capillary Transfer of Self-Assembled Colloidal Crystals.

Colloidal self-assembly has attracted significant interest in numerous applications including optics, electrochemistry, thermofluidics, and biomolecule templating. To meet the requirements of these applications, numerous fabrication methods have been developed. However, these are limited to narrow ranges of feature sizes, are incompatible with many substrates, and/or have low scalability, significantly limiting the use of colloidal self-assembly. In this work, we study the capillary transfer of colloidal crystals and demonstrate that this approach overcomes these limitations. Enabled by capillary transfer, we fabricate 2D colloidal crystals with nano-to-micro feature sizes spanning 2 orders of magnitude and on typically challenging substrates including those that are hydrophobic, rough, curved, or structured with microchannels. We developed and systemically validated a capillary peeling model, elucidating the underlying transfer physics. Due to its high versatility, good quality, and simplicity, this approach can expand the possibilities of colloidal self-assembly and enhance the performance of applications using colloidal crystals.

La antifragilidad: Una mirada positiva del envejecimiento

Este artículo pretende explorar el concepto de antifragilidad en el adulto mayor, dado el cambio demográfico en el mundo, con evidencia del aumento de personas mayores, que exige a los profesionales vinculados a su atención implementar modelos de intervención acordes con sus necesidades, relacionadas con su capacidad funcional y promoción de una cultura de antifragilidad. La construcción teórica de lo que significa ser adulto mayor antifrágil, en una sociedad que asimila el envejecimiento con fragilidad, enfermedad y discapacidad, es una oportunidad para presentar una mirada positiva de la salud en la vejez, a partir de las adaptaciones al estrés en diferentes dimensiones que influencian la vida de este grupo poblacional, en el que el capital físico, psicológico y social se integran e influencian, en un proceso que se relaciona con la antifragilidad y el envejecer como un continuo de la vida, con ganancias y pérdidas; el estudio de esta relación permitirá contar con políticas inclusivas adecuadas en cada etapa de la vida.

This article intends to explore the concept of anti-fragility in the elderly, given the demographic change in the world, with evidence of the increase in the number of elderly people, which requires professionals linked to their care, to implement intervention models in accordance with their needs, related to their functional capacity and promotion of a culture of antifragility. The theoretical construction of what it means to be an anti-fragile older adult, in a society that assimilates aging with frailty, illness and disability, is an opportunity to present a positive view of health in old age, based on the adaptations to stress in different dimensions that influence the life of this population group, in which physical, psychological and social capital are integrated and influenced, in a process that is related to anti-fragility and aging as a continuum of life, with gains and losses; the study of this relationship will make it possible to have appropriate inclusive policies at each stage of life.

Ultra-Rapid Freezing Using Droplets Immersed into Liquid Nitrogen in Bull Sperm: Evaluation of Two Cryoprotective Disaccharides and Two Warming Temperatures.

The present study analyzes the effects of different disaccharide concentrations and two thawing temperatures on the characteristics of ultrarapid frozen (URF) bovine sperm, compared with conventional slow-frozen (CF) sperm. For URF sperm, samples were diluted in media comprising 2% bovine serum albumin (BSA) and various nonpermeable cryoprotectants. Five groups were compared: control (without cryoprotectant), sucrose 0.15 M, sucrose 0.3 M, trehalose 0.15 M, and trehalose 0.3 M. In addition, the influence of warming temperatures, 37°C and 65°C, was analyzed. The aspect of different diluents (by drops) immersed in liquid nitrogen was also evaluated. Sperm quality was assessed by measuring motility, viability, acrosome status, and membrane lipid peroxidation (LPO). Moreover, the cryoresistance rate (CR) was determined. The drops immersed in liquid nitrogen showed that crystallization occurred, but not vitrification. CF sperm exhibited significantly higher scores for total motility (TM) and progressive motility (PM), viability, and acrosome integrity, in contrast with URF samples. Cryoprotectants for URF sperm showed a significant (p ≤ 0.05) influence on the TM and PM, viability, acrosome integrity, and CR, but not on LPO. Sperm viability was reduced after ultrarapid freezing, and the control samples were observed to have significantly lower values than those treated with disaccharides. Samples supplemented with 0.3 M sucrose exhibited higher LPO when they were thawed at 37°C. In short, a limited number of spermatozoa were able to maintain their motility and other functional attributes after ultrarapid freezing, but disaccharides showed a moderate protective effect. Samples with trehalose and sucrose at 0.15 and 0.3 M, respectively, showed higher sperm quality than samples containing only BSA. In sum, the function of spermatozoa was moderately maintained when disaccharides were used for ultrarapid freezing, although motility was significantly reduced. In addition, thawing temperatures did not modify the sperm values, suggesting that the easier procedure, that is, 37°C for 30 seconds, can be used.

Periovulatory Hormonal Profiles after Estrus Induction and Conception Rate by Fixed-Time AI in Payoya Goats during the Anestrous Season.

Sexual activity in domestic goats is positively influenced by reducing the photoperiod. Various protocols have therefore been developed in goats for the induction and synchronization of estrus during those months in which their sexual activity is reduced. The present observational study evaluates the periovulatory hormonal profile in Payoya goats (n = 24), during a non-favorable photoperiod (i.e., spring), being treated for estrus induction. The treatment comprised the vaginal insertion of sponges impregnated with progestogen (fluorogestone acetate, FGA), together with cloprostenol and equine chorionic gonadotrophin (eCG), 48 h before the end of the treatment. When the treatment ended, the plasma concentrations of the LH, FSH, progesterone and estradiol were determined. The goats were inseminated 46 h after the sponge withdrawal, and a pregnancy diagnosis was carried out 40-45 days after the insemination. Various parameters were monitored, such as the peaks of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and estradiol, and their respective intervals, in reference to the time of the sponge withdrawal. The conception rate was 62.5%, and the kidding rate was 50%. The results record the hormonal release pattern after the estrus synchronization treatment based on the FGA, and the differences between the pregnant and non-pregnant goats. The findings suggest that the LH peak produced after the estrus synchronization treatment, both in terms of the amplitude and the time of increment, is involved in the reproductive failure detected.

Goats as Valuable Animal Model to Test the Targeted Glutamate Supplementation upon Antral Follicle Number, Ovulation Rate, and LH-Pulsatility.

The potential effect of intravenous administration of glutamate on the ovarian activity and the LH secretion pattern, considering the anestrous yearling goat as an animal model, were assessed. In late April, yearling goats (n = 20) were randomly assigned to either (1) Glutamate supplemented (GLUT; n = 10, Live Weight (LW) = 29.6 ± 1.02 kg, Body Condition (BCS) = 3.4 ± 0.2 units; i.v. supplemented with 7 mg GLUT kg−1 LW) or (2) Non-supplemented (CONT; n = 10; LW = 29.2 ± 1.07 kg, BCS = 3.5 ± 0.2 units; i.v. saline). The oats were estrus-synchronized; blood sampling (6 h × 15 min) was carried out for LH quantification. Response variables included pulsatility (PULSE), time to first pulse (TTFP), amplitude (AMPL), nadir (NAD), and area under the curve (AUC) of LH. Ovaries were ultra-sonographically scanned to assess ovulation rate (OR), number of antral follicles (AF), and total ovarian activity (TOA = OR + AF). LH-PULSE was quantified with the Munro algorithm; significant treatment x time interactions were evaluated across time. The variables LW and BCS did not differ (p > 0.05) between the experimental groups. Nevertheless, OR (1.77 vs. 0.87 ± 0.20 units), TOA (4.11 vs. 1.87 ± 0.47 units) and LH-PULSE (5.0 vs. 2.2 pulses 6 h-1) favored (p < 0.05) to the GLUT group. Our results reveal that targeted glutamate supplementation, the main central nervous system neurotransmitter, arose as an interesting strategy to enhance the hypothalamic−hypophyseal−ovarian response considering the anestrous-yearling goat as an animal model, with thought-provoking while promising translational applications.

Three-Tier Hierarchical Structures for Extreme Pool Boiling Heat Transfer Performance.

Boiling is an effective energy-transfer process with substantial utility in energy applications. Boiling performance is described mainly by the heat-transfer coefficient (HTC) and critical heat flux (CHF). Recent efforts for the simultaneous enhancement of HTC and CHF have been limited by an intrinsic trade-off between them-HTC enhancement requires high nucleation-site density, which can increase bubble coalescence resulting in limited CHF enhancement. In this work, this trade-off is overcome by designing three-tier hierarchical structures. The bubble coalescence is minimized to enhance the CHF by defining nucleation sites with microcavities interspersed within hemi-wicking structures. Meanwhile, the reduced nucleation-site density is compensated for by incorporating nanostructures that promote evaporation for HTC enhancement. The hierarchical structures demonstrate the simultaneous enhancement of HTC and CHF up to 389% and 138%, respectively, compared to a smooth surface. This extreme boiling performance can lead to significant energy savings in a variety of boiling applications.

The Brainstem-Vermis and Brainstem-Tentorium Angles in the Fetus: A Study of Their Reproducibility by Fetal Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Their Evolution Along the Gestation.

Aim: To assess the reproducibility of brainstem-vermis (BV) and brainstem-tentorium (BT) angles measured by fetal Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) during second half of pregnancy in normal and abnormal fetuses. Secondly, to assess reproducibility of two alternative methodologies to measure the brainstem-tentorium angle (BT1 and BT2) proposed by our group that could be more reliable in fetuses with posterior fossa fluid collection (PFFC) anomalies. Finally, to describe the evolution of BV and BT angles along gestation in normal fetuses. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of BV and BT angles obtained by MRI performed at our center, in 22 fetuses with PFFC and 8 fetuses without PFFC to calculate both angles' reproducibility and the correlation between them and the gestational age. Results: We found good interobserver reproducibility for the BV, BT1 and BT2 angles (Intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.98; 0.89 and 0.88 for each of these angles, with p < 0.001). In patients with PFFC the BT angle could not always be measured. BT angle presented a positive relationship with gestational age (p = 0.002) but BV angle stayed stable. The measurements of BV, BT1, and BT2 angles can be reliably performed by MRI with good interobserver reproducibility. Conclusion: BV angle stays stable during pregnancy, whereas BT angle tends to augment with gestational age.