Neuroimaging characterization of multiple sclerosis lesions in pediatric patients: an exploratory radiomics approach.

Introduction: Multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic inflammatory immune-mediated disease of the central nervous system (CNS), is a common condition in young adults, but it can also affect children. The aim of this study was to construct radiomic models of lesions based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI, T2-weighted-Fluid-Attenuated Inversion Recovery), to understand the correlation between extracted radiomic features, brain and lesion volumetry, demographic, clinical and laboratorial data. Methods: The neuroimaging data extracted from eleven scans of pediatric MS patients were analyzed. A total of 60 radiomic features based on MR T2-FLAIR images were extracted and used to calculate gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM). The principal component analysis and ROC analysis were performed to select the radiomic features, respectively. The realized classification task by the logistic regression models was performed according to these radiomic features. Results: Ten most relevant features were selected from data extracted. The logistic regression applied to T2-FLAIR radiomic features revealed significant predictor for multiple sclerosis (MS) lesion detection. Only the variable "contrast" was statistically significant, indicating that only this variable played a significant role in the model. This approach enhances the classification of lesions from normal tissue. Discussion and conclusion: Our exploratory results suggest that the radiomic models based on MR imaging (T2-FLAIR) may have a potential contribution to characterization of brain tissues and classification of lesions in pediatric MS.

Validation of the open biological negative image set for a Portuguese population: Comparing Japanese and Portuguese samples and an exploration of low-order visual properties of the stimuli.

Recently, Shirai and Watanabe Royal Society Open Science, 9(1), 211128 (2022) developed OBNIS (Open Biological Negative Image Set), a comprehensive database containing images (primarily animals but also fruits, mushrooms, and vegetables) that visually elicit disgust, fear, or neither. OBNIS was initially validated for a Japanese population. In this article, we validated the color version of OBNIS for a Portuguese population. In study 1, the methodology of the original article was used. This allowed direct comparisons between the Portuguese and Japanese populations. Aside from a few emotional classification mismatches between disgust, fear, or neither-related images, we found that arousal and valence relate distinctively in both populations. In contrast to the Japanese sample, the Portuguese reported increased arousal for more positive valenced stimuli, suggesting that OBNIS images elicit positive emotions in the Portuguese population. These results showed important cross-cultural differences regarding OBNIS. In study 2, a methodological change was introduced: instead of the three classification options used originally (fear, disgust, or neither), six basic emotions were used (fear, disgust, sadness, surprise, anger, happiness), and a "neither" option, to confirm whether some of the originally "neither-related" images are associated with positive emotions (happiness). Additionally, the low-order visual properties of images (luminosity, contrast, chromatic complexity, and spatial frequency distribution) were explored due to their important role in emotion-related research. A fourth image group associated with happiness was found in the Portuguese sample. Moreover, image groups present differences regarding the low-order visual characteristics, which are correlated with arousal and valence ratings, highlighting the importance of controlling such characteristics in emotion-related research.

Investigating Inattentional Blindness Through the Lens of Fear Chemosignals.

Inattentional blindness is a phenomenon wherein people fail to perceive obvious stimuli within their vision, sometimes leading to dramatic consequences. Research on the effects of fear chemosignals suggests that they facilitate receivers' sensory acquisition. We aimed to examine the interplay between these phenomena, investigating whether exposure to fear chemosignals (vs. rest body odors) can reduce the inattentional-blindness handicap. Utilizing a virtual-reality aquarium, we asked participants to count how many morsels a school of fish consumed while two unexpected stimuli swam by. We predicted that participants exposed to fear chemosignals (N = 131) would detect unexpected stimuli significantly more often than participants exposed to rest body odors (N = 125). All participants were adult Portuguese university students aged 18 to 40 years. The results confirmed our hypothesis, χ2(1) = 6.10, p = .014, revealing that exposure to fear chemosignals significantly increased the detection of unexpected stimuli by about 10%. The implications of our findings open a novel avenue for reducing the adverse consequences of inattentional blindness.

Mass production of lumenogenic human embryoid bodies and functional cardiospheres using in-air-generated microcapsules.

Organoids are engineered 3D miniature tissues that are defined by their organ-like structures, which drive a fundamental understanding of human development. However, current organoid generation methods are associated with low production throughputs and poor control over size and function including due to organoid merging, which limits their clinical and industrial translation. Here, we present a microfluidic platform for the mass production of lumenogenic embryoid bodies and functional cardiospheres. Specifically, we apply triple-jet in-air microfluidics for the ultra-high-throughput generation of hollow, thin-shelled, hydrogel microcapsules that can act as spheroid-forming bioreactors in a cytocompatible, oil-free, surfactant-free, and size-controlled manner. Uniquely, we show that microcapsules generated by in-air microfluidics provide a lumenogenic microenvironment with near 100% efficient cavitation of spheroids. We demonstrate that upon chemical stimulation, human pluripotent stem cell-derived spheroids undergo cardiomyogenic differentiation, effectively resulting in the mass production of homogeneous and functional cardiospheres that are responsive to external electrical stimulation. These findings drive clinical and industrial adaption of stem cell technology in tissue engineering and drug testing.

Microfluidic Generation of Thin-Shelled Polyethylene Glycol-Tyramine Microgels for Non-Invasive Delivery of Immunoprotected ß-Cells.

Transplantation of microencapsulated pancreatic cells is emerging as a promising therapy to replenish ß-cell mass lost from auto-immune nature of type I diabetes mellitus (T1DM). This strategy intends to use micrometer-sized microgels to provide immunoprotection to transplanted cells to avoid chronic application of immunosuppression. Clinical application of encapsulation has remained elusive due to often limited production throughputs and body's immunological reactions to implanted materials. This article presents a high-throughput fabrication of monodisperse, non-immunogenic, non-degradable, immunoprotective, semi-permeable, enzymatically-crosslinkable polyethylene glycol-tyramine (PEG-TA) microgels for ß-cell microencapsulation. Monodisperse ß-cell laden microgels of ≈120 µm, with a shell thickness of 20 µm are produced using an outside-in crosslinking strategy. Microencapsulated ß-cells rapidly self-assemble into islet-sized spheroids. Immunoprotection of the microencapsulated is demonstrated by inability of FITC-IgG antibodies to diffuse into cell-laden microgels and NK-cell inability to kill microencapsulated ß-cells. Multiplexed ELISA analysis on live blood immune reactivity confirms limited immunogenicity. Microencapsulated MIN6ß1 spheroids remain glucose responsive for 28 days in vitro, and able to restore normoglycemia 5 days post-implantation in diabetic mice without notable amounts of cell death. In short, PEG-TA microgels effectively protect implanted cells from the host's immune system while being viable and functional, validating this strategy for the treatment of T1DM.

Bioluminescence imaging on-chip platforms for non-invasive high-content bioimaging.

Incorporating non-invasive biosensing features in organ-on-chip models is of paramount importance for a wider implementation of these advanced in vitro microfluidic platforms. Optical biosensors, based on Bioluminescence Imaging (BLI), enable continuous, non-invasive, and in-situ imaging of cells, tissues or miniaturized organs without the drawbacks of conventional fluorescence imaging. Here, we report the first-of-its-kind integration and optimization of BLI in microfluidic chips, for non-invasive imaging of multiple biological readouts. The cell line HEK293T-GFP was engineered to express NanoLuc® luciferase under the control of a constitutive promoter and were cultured on-chip in 3D, in standard ECM-like hydrogels, to assess optimal cell detection conditions. Using real-time in-vitro dual-color microscopy, Bioluminescence (BL) and fluorescence (FL) were detectable using distinct imaging setups. Detection of the bioluminescent signals were observed at single cell resolution on-chip 20 min post-addition of Furimazine substrate and under perfusion. All hydrogels enabled BLI with higher signal-to-noise ratios as compared to fluorescence. For instance, agarose gels showed a ∼5-fold greater BL signal over background after injection of the substrate as compared to the FL signal. The use of BLI with microfluidic chip technologies opens up the potential for simultaneous in situ detection with continuous monitoring of multicolor cell reporters. Moreover, this can be achieved in a non-invasive manner. BL has great promise as a highly desirable biosensor for studying organ-on-chip platforms.

Comparing fear and anxiety chemosignals: Do they modulate facial muscle activity and facilitate identifying facial expressions?

Fear and anxiety are the most frequently studied emotional states in chemosignal research. Despite differences between these two emotional states, findings from research using fear and anxiety body odors (BOs) are often treated as part of a similar phenomenon. In this article, we examine possible similarities and differences between participants exposed to fear and anxiety BOs on 2 dependent variables commonly used in chemosignals' research: (1) the activation of facial muscles in displays of fear expressions (i.e. the medial frontalis and the corrugator supercilii); and (2) the time required to discriminate between negative emotional expressions (fear, anger, and disgust) and neutral ones. Our results show that fear (vs. rest) and anxiety (vs. exercise) BOs activate the medial frontalis, suggesting that both have a similar impact on receivers' facial muscles. However, we could not replicate previous findings regarding the influence of fear BOs in discriminating negative emotional faces from neutral ones. Two additional replication attempts failed to replicate the earlier results, indicating that the results reported in the literature with this specific paradigm should be interpreted cautiously. Suggestions for future research examining possible differences between fear and anxiety BOs are advanced.

Disentangling the Role of the SnO Layer on the Pyro-Phototronic Effect in ZnO-Based Self-Powered Photodetectors.

Self-powered photodetectors (PDs) have been recognized as one of the developing trends of next-generation optoelectronic devices. Herein, it is shown that by introducing a thin layer of SnO film between the Si substrate and the ZnO film, the self-powered photodetector Al/Si/SnO/ZnO/ITO exhibits a stable and uniform violet sensing ability with high photoresponsivity and fast response. The SnO layer introduces a built-in electrostatic field to highly enhance the photocurrent by over 1000%. By analyzing energy diagrams of the p-n junction, the underlying physical mechanism of the self-powered violet PDs is carefully illustrated. A high photo-responsivity (R) of 93 mA W-1 accompanied by a detectivity (D*) of 3.1 × 1010 Jones are observed under self-driven conditions, when the device is exposed to 405 nm excitation laser wavelength, with a laser power density of 36 mW cm-2 and at a chopper frequency of 400 Hz. The Si/SnO/ZnO/ITO device shows an enhancement of 3067% in responsivity when compared to the Al/Si/ZnO/ITO. The photodetector holds an ultra-fast response of ≈ 2 µs, which is among the best self-powered photodetectors reported in the literature based on ZnO.

A Survey on Wearable Sensors for Mental Health Monitoring.

Mental illness, whether it is medically diagnosed or undiagnosed, affects a large proportion of the population. It is one of the causes of extensive disability, and f not properly treated, it can lead to severe emotional, behavioral, and physical health problems. In most mental health research studies, the focus is on treatment, but fewer resources are focused on technical solutions to mental health issues. The present paper carried out a systematic review of available literature using PRISMA guidelines to address various monitoring solutions in mental health through the use of wearable sensors. Wearable sensors can offer several advantages over traditional methods of mental health assessment, including convenience, cost-effectiveness, and the ability to capture data in real-world settings. Their ability to collect data related to anxiety and stress levels, as well as panic attacks, is discussed. The available sensors on the market are described, as well as their success in providing data that can be correlated with the aforementioned health issues. The current wearable landscape is quite dynamic, and the current offerings have enough quality to deliver meaningful data targeted for machine learning algorithms. The results indicate that mental health monitoring is feasible.

Discrepancy in Reporting of Perioperative Complications: A Retrospective Observational Study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the discrepancy between perioperative complications, prospectively recorded during a cohort study versus retrospectively from health records. BACKGROUND: Perioperative adverse events are relevant for patient outcome, but incomplete reporting is common. METHODS: Two physicians independently recorded all intraoperative adverse events according to ClassIntra and all postoperative complications according to the Clavien-Dindo classification based on all available health records. These retrospective assessments were compared with the number and severity of those prospectively assessed in the same patients during their inclusion in 1 center of a prospective multicenter cohort study. RESULTS: Interrater agreement between both physicians for retrospective recording was high [intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.89 (95% CI, 0.86, 0.91) for intraoperative and 0.88 (95% CI, 0.85, 0.90) for postoperative complications]. In 320 patients, the incidence rate was higher retrospectively than prospectively for any intraoperative complication (incidence rate ratio: 1.79; 95% CI, 1.50, 2.13) and for any postoperative complication (incidence rate ratio: 2.21; 95% CI, 1.90, 2.56). In 71 patients, the severity of the most severe intraoperative complication was higher in the retrospective than in the prospective data collection, whereas in 69 the grading was lower. In 106 patients, the severity of the most severe postoperative complication was higher in the retrospective than in the prospective data collection, whereas in 19 the grading was lower. CONCLUSIONS: There is a noticeable discrepancy in the number and severity of reported perioperative complications between these 2 data collection methods. On the basis of the double-blinded assessment of 2 independent raters, our study renders prospective underreporting more likely than retrospective overreporting.

Nickel Allergy After a Negative Test Result Following Nuss Procedure for Pectus Excavatum: a Case Report.

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Preoperative Metal Patch Testing and Titanium Bar Use Criteria in Nuss Procedure: A 56-Patients' Cohort Study.

INTRODUCTION: Nuss procedure is the main reason for metal implants use by pediatric and thoracic surgeons. There is an ongoing debate on how to avoid allergic complications. Herein we describe our 8-year experience with systematic preoperative metal patch testing and our selective titanium bar use in Nuss procedure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a single center retrospective observational cohort study of patients who underwent the Nuss procedure from 2013 to 2020. Preoperative metal patch testing was done in all cases. Criteria for titanium bar utilization were: a positive test for a major component of the stainless-steel bar; or a positive metal patch test and a positive history of atopy, food or metal allergy, or previous allergic reaction to an implant or device. RESULTS: In total, 56 patients were included. Most were male (91.1%) with a median age of 15.0 (13.0-22.0) years old. 19.6% had a positive preoperative metal patch test and 54.5% of these had no personal history of atopy. Stainless-steel bars were used in 27.3% of those patients and titanium bars were used in 72.7%. One patient had a documented minor allergy reaction. None of the 56 patients required early bar removal. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that routine preoperative allergy testing and a judicious use of titanium bar are safe and avoid metal allergic complications.

Scalable fabrication, compartmentalization and applications of living microtissues.

Living microtissues are used in a multitude of applications as they more closely resemble native tissue physiology, as compared to 2D cultures. Microtissues are typically composed of a combination of cells and materials in varying combinations, which are dictated by the applications' design requirements. Their applications range wide, from fundamental biological research such as differentiation studies to industrial applications such as cruelty-free meat production. However, their translation to industrial and clinical settings has been hindered due to the lack of scalability of microtissue production techniques. Continuous microfluidic processes provide an opportunity to overcome this limitation as they offer higher throughput production rates as compared to traditional batch techniques, while maintaining reproducible control over microtissue composition and size. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the current approaches to engineer microtissues with a focus on the advantages of, and need for, the use of continuous processes to produce microtissues in large quantities. Finally, an outlook is provided that outlines the required developments to enable large-scale microtissue fabrication using continuous processes.

Flexible Neural Probe Fabrication Enhanced with a Low-Temperature Cured Polyimide and Platinum Electrodeposition.

Polyimide is an emerging and very interesting material for substrate and passivation of neural probes. However, the standard curing temperature of polyimide (350 °C) is critical for the microelectrodes and contact pads of the neural probe, due to the thermal oxidation of the metals during the passivation process of the neural probe. Here, the fabrication process of a flexible neural probe, enhanced with a photosensitive and low-temperature cured polyimide, is presented. Annealing tests were performed with metallic films deposited on polyimide, which led to the reduction of the curing temperature to 250 °C, with no significant irregularities in the metallic sample annealed at that temperature and an effective polyimide curing. The use of a lower curing temperature reduces the thermal oxidation of the metals during the polyimide curing process to passivate the neural probe. Additionally, in this fabrication process, the microelectrodes of the neural probe were coated with electrodeposited platinum (Pt), only after the passivation process, and its electrochemical performance was accessed. At 1 kHz, the impedance of the microelectrodes before Pt electrodeposition was approximately 1.2 MΩ, and after Pt electrodeposition, it was approximately 350 kΩ. Pt electrodeposition changed the equivalent circuit of the microelectrodes and reduced their impedance, which will be crucial for future in-vivo tests to acquire the electrical activity of the neurons with the fabricated neural probe.

Aseptic Pustulosis of the Folds Successfully Treated with Methotrexate.

An otherwise healthy 47-year-old woman presented with confluent pustular lesions on the scalp for 5 months and asymptomatic pustular lesions on the trunk and extremities for 2 weeks. She did not have systemic clinical manifestations and was treated with oral antifungals and antibiotics (amoxicillin, and clavulanic acid and flucloxacillin), with no effect. The lesions were unrelated to her menstrual cycle, and she had no history of dermatosis, including acne, psoriasis, or folliculitis. (SKINmed. 2022;20:466-468).