Lipid turnover through lipophagy in the newly identified extremophilic green microalga Chlamydomonas urium.

Autophagy is a central degradative pathway highly conserved among eukaryotes, including microalgae, which remains unexplored in extremophilic organisms. In this study, we described and characterized autophagy in the newly identified extremophilic green microalga Chlamydomonas urium, which was isolated from an acidic environment. The nuclear genome of C. urium was sequenced, assembled and annotated in order to identify autophagy-related genes. Transmission electron microscopy, immunoblotting, metabolomic and photosynthetic analyses were performed to investigate autophagy in this extremophilic microalga. The analysis of the C. urium genome revealed the conservation of core autophagy-related genes. We investigated the role of autophagy in C. urium by blocking autophagic flux with the vacuolar ATPase inhibitor concanamycin A. Our results indicated that inhibition of autophagic flux in this microalga resulted in a pronounced accumulation of triacylglycerols and lipid droplets (LDs). Metabolomic and photosynthetic analyses indicated that C. urium cells with impaired vacuolar function maintained an active metabolism. Such effects were not observed in the neutrophilic microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Inhibition of autophagic flux in C. urium uncovered an active recycling of LDs through lipophagy, a selective autophagy pathway for lipid turnover. This study provided the metabolic basis by which extremophilic algae are able to catabolize lipids in the vacuole.

Bone anatomic variations of the parasellar region and its technical implications in para clinoid and posterior communicating segment aneurysms microsurgical clipping - Technical note.

Background: Microsurgical treatment of paraclinoid aneurysms is a complex task that generally requires anterior clinoid process (ACP) removal to obtain adequate surgical exposure. This procedure poses a considerable technical difficulty due to the association of the ACP to critical neurovascular structures. Furthermore, anatomical variations in the parasellar region, such as the caroticoclinoid foramen (CCF) or an interclinoid bridge (ICB), may impose additional challenges and increase surgical complications. The present study aims to briefly review some anatomic variations in the parasellar region and describe a step-by-step surgical technique for a hybrid anterior clinoidectomy based on the senior author's experience. Methods: We present two cases with bone variations on the parasellar region in patients with a paraclinoid aneurysm and another with a posterior communicating segment aneurysm treated by microsurgical clipping at our hospital. Results: We focused on safely dealing with these variations during surgery, without further complications, and with good postoperative results. Patients were discharged with no significant deficit. Postoperative control, computed tomography angiography showed complete exclusion of aneurysms. Conclusion: Although anatomical variations in the parasellar region can complicate surgical clipping of these aneurysms, it is essential to ensure the best possible surgical outcome to conduct thorough preoperative and radiological evaluations.

Fluorescein videoangiography (FL-VAG) as a predictor of cerebral bypass patency.

Background: The fluorescein videoangiography (FL-VAG) has become a valuable adjunct tool in vascular neurosurgery. This work describes using the FL-VAG during bypass surgery and proposes a classification method for evaluating surgical results. Methods: We analyzed 26 patients with 50 cerebral bypasses from September 2018 to September 2022. We used a three grades classification method based on the pass of intravenous fluorescein through the anastomosis. Grade 1 represents the synchronous and total filling of the "T" shape ("green T″) formed by the donor and recipient vessel, Grade 2, the asynchronous filling of the anastomosis (incomplete/asynchronous "green T″), and Grade 3, a non-patent anastomosis (absence of "green T″). Results: Of the 26 patients, 8 underwent one bypass, 14 underwent double bypass, 2 underwent three bypasses, and 2 underwent four bypasses in two different interventions. The type of bypass was end-to-side anastomosis in 47 (94%) cases, internal maxillary artery to middle cerebral artery bypass with a radial artery graft (IMax-MCA anastomosis) in 2 (4%), and PICA-VA transposition in one (2%). We made 24 (48%) bypasses on the right side and 26 (52%) on the left side. After the initial surgery, thirty-nine (78%) bypasses were considered as Grade 1, 5 (10%) as Grade 2, and 6 (12%) as Grade 3. After intraoperative bypass patency assessment (IBPA), 45 (90%) of the bypasses were considered Grade 1 and remained patent on CTA. Conclusions: Using FL-VAG and a three-tier classification method is a reliable tool to predict bypass patency. It is safe, low-risk, and available worldwide.

ASACO: Automatic and Serial Analysis of CO-expression to discover gene modifiers with potential use in drug repurposing.

Massive gene expression analyses are widely used to find differentially expressed genes under specific conditions. The results of these experiments are often available in public databases that are undergoing a growth similar to that of molecular sequence databases in the past. This now allows novel secondary computational tools to emerge that use such information to gain new knowledge. If several genes have a similar expression profile across heterogeneous transcriptomics experiments, they could be functionally related. These associations are usually useful for the annotation of uncharacterized genes. In addition, the search for genes with opposite expression profiles is useful for finding negative regulators and proposing inhibitory compounds in drug repurposing projects. Here we present a new web application, Automatic and Serial Analysis of CO-expression (ASACO), which has the potential to discover positive and negative correlator genes to a given query gene, based on thousands of public transcriptomics experiments. In addition, examples of use are presented, comparing with previous contrasted knowledge. The results obtained propose ASACO as a useful tool to improve knowledge about genes associated with human diseases and noncoding genes. ASACO is available at http://www.bioinfocabd.upo.es/asaco/.

Prototype of Low-Cost Microvascular Clips for Laboratory Use.

BACKGROUND: Vascular neurosurgical procedures require temporary or permanent surgical clips to treat cerebral aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, or bypass surgery. In this scenario, surgical clips should have specific characteristics such as high-quality material, proper design, closing force, and biocompatibility. Due to these characteristics, the price of these clips does not allow their availability at the experimental surgery laboratory worldwide. METHODS: We describe here the technique for manufacturing handcrafted clips of low cost, using dental stainless steel or titanium wire of 0.18 mm, 0.20 mm, or 0.22 mm in diameter. We must complete six steps to obtain the clip using our hands and small electrician needle nose pliers for wire molding. RESULTS: These clips have a closing force of 30-60 gr/cm2 (depending on the wire diameter). They can be used in the experimental surgery laboratory to clip arteries or veins during vascular microsurgery procedures. Also, they can be used as temporary clips with confidence in low-flow bypass (v.gr. superficial temporal artery to middle cerebral artery or occipital artery to posterior inferior cerebellar artery anastomoses). CONCLUSIONS: Making practical low-cost clips for use in laboratory procedures or during low-flow anastomosis as temporary clips is possible. The main advantages are the low cost and the worldwide availability of the basic materials. The main disadvantage is the learning curve to get the ability to master the manufacturing of these clips.

The most exposed regions of SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins are subject to strong positive selection and gene overlap may locally modify this behavior.

The SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) pandemic that emerged in 2019 has been an unprecedented event in international science, as it has been possible to sequence millions of genomes, tracking their evolution very closely. This has enabled various types of secondary analyses of these genomes, including the measurement of their sequence selection pressure. In this work, we have been able to measure the selective pressure of all the described SARS-CoV-2 genes, even analyzed by sequence regions, and we show how this type of analysis allows us to separate the genes between those subject to positive selection (usually those that code for surface proteins or those exposed to the host immune system) and those subject to negative selection because they require greater conservation of their structure and function. We have also seen that when another gene with an overlapping reading frame appears within a gene sequence, the overlapping sequence between the two genes evolves under a stronger purifying selection than the average of the non-overlapping regions of the main gene. We propose this type of analysis as a useful tool for locating and analyzing all the genes of a viral genome when an adequate number of sequences are available.IMPORTANCEWe have analyzed the selection pressure of all severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 genes by means of the nonsynonymous (Ka) to synonymous (Ks) substitution rate. We found that protein-coding genes are exposed to strong positive selection, especially in the regions of interaction with other molecules (host receptor and genome of the virus itself). However, overlapping coding regions are more protected and show negative selection. This suggests that this measure could be used to study viral gene function as well as overlapping genes.

Microvascular decompression for hemifacial spasm: Complications after 292 procedures without neurophysiological monitoring.

Background: Hemifacial spasm (HFS) is characterized by involuntary, progressive, and intermittent spasms in the upper and lower facial muscles. Due to the high success rate, microvascular decompression (MVD) is the treatment of choice, and intraoperative neuromonitoring (INM) is considered useful for achieving safe surgery. Still, most centers do not have this technology. Methods: We analyzed 294 patients with HFS treated with MVD without INM. We only included patients with a neurovascular etiology while excluding other causes, such as tumors. As part of the postoperative evaluation, we assessed preoperative magnetic resonance imaging and pure-tone audiometry. Results: The main complication was peripheral facial paralysis in 50 patients, followed by hypoacusis in 22 patients and deafness in 17 patients, associated with a failed surgical outcome (P = 0.0002). The anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA) was an offending vessel, and the involvement of more than one vessel was significantly associated with the development of facial nerve palsy (P = 0.01). AICA was also associated with hearing impairment (P = 0.04). Over 90% of immediate complications improve in the follow-up (6 months), and one patient did not show a cure for initial HFS. Conclusion: MVD is the method with the highest long-term cure rates for treating HFS; however, we must inquire into the multiple factors of the patient and the surgeon to predict surgical outcomes. INM is not a must during MVD for HFS. We recommend its use depending on the availability and mainly on the surgeon's skills, for surgeons.

Classification of Alzheimer's disease stages from magnetic resonance images using deep learning.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive type of dementia characterized by loss of memory and other cognitive abilities, including speech. Since AD is a progressive disease, detection in the early stages is essential for the appropriate care of the patient throughout its development, going from asymptomatic to a stage known as mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and then progressing to dementia and severe dementia; is worth mentioning that everyone suffers from cognitive impairment to some degree as we age, but the relevant task here is to identify which people are most likely to develop AD. Along with cognitive tests, evaluation of the brain morphology is the primary tool for AD diagnosis, where atrophy and loss of volume of the frontotemporal lobe are common features in patients who suffer from the disease. Regarding medical imaging techniques, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans are one of the methods used by specialists to assess brain morphology. Recently, with the rise of deep learning (DL) and its successful implementation in medical imaging applications, it is of growing interest in the research community to develop computer-aided diagnosis systems that can help physicians to detect this disease, especially in the early stages where macroscopic changes are not so easily identified. This article presents a DL-based approach to classifying MRI scans in the different stages of AD, using a curated set of images from Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative and Open Access Series of Imaging Studies databases. Our methodology involves image pre-processing using FreeSurfer, spatial data-augmentation operations, such as rotation, flip, and random zoom during training, and state-of-the-art 3D convolutional neural networks such as EfficientNet, DenseNet, and a custom siamese network, as well as the relatively new approach of vision transformer architecture. With this approach, the best detection percentage among all four architectures was around 89% for AD vs. Control, 80% for Late MCI vs. Control, 66% for MCI vs. Control, and 67% for Early MCI vs. Control.

Paraclinoid aneurysms clipping through an extradural sphenoid ridge keyhole approach.

BACKGROUND: Paraclinoid aneurysms represent a challenge for neurosurgeons due to the anatomical complexity of this region. Then, innovative techniques such as the extradural sphenoid ridge approach are suitable for a safe microsurgical clipping. METHOD: A description of the surgical technique was made by the senior author, a vascular neurosurgeon experienced with the use of this approach in the management of paraclinoid aneurysms exemplified through a clinical case. CONCLUSION: Microsurgical clipping through an extradural sphenoid ridge keyhole approach for small and midsize paraclinoid aneurysms is an excellent treatment modality with good clinical and surgical results.

Limitation of fenestrated clips during clipping of middle cerebral artery aneurysm: Technical note.

Background: The middle cerebral artery (MCA) is a common site of cerebral aneurysms and 82.6% occur at the bifurcation. When surgery is selected as a therapeutic option, it intends to clip the neck completely because if some remnant occurs, there exists the possibility of regrowth and bleeding in the short- or long-term. Methods: We analyzed one drawback of the fenestrated clips of Yasargil and Sugita types to occlude the neck totally at a specific point formed by the union of the fenestra with the blades, creating a triangular space where the aneurysm can protrude, giving place to a remnant that can lead to a future recurrence and rebleeding. We show two cases of ruptured MCA aneurysms in which a cross-clipping technique occluded a broad base and dysmorphic aneurysm using straight fenestrated clips. Results: In both cases (one using a Yasargil clip and the other with a Sugita clip), a small remnant was visualized when fluorescein videoangiography (FL-VAG) was used. In both cases, the small remnant was clipped with a 3 mm straight miniclip. Conclusion: We should be aware of this drawback when clipping aneurysms using fenestrated clips to ensure a complete obliteration of the aneurysm's neck.

Trajectories of Cancer Care in Latin America: A Scope Review: Trayectorias de atención al cáncer en América Latina. Una revisión de alcance.

OBJECTIVES: In recent decades there has been a development of research on cancer care trajectories in Latin America; however, the diversity of theoretical-methodological uses of this approach can be confusing and difficult for the academic and professional community to use. To analyze studies that have been carried out in Latin America on cancer care trajectories to propose a typology of the approaches developed and synthesize key findings. METHODS: A scope review of studies published in journals indexed in PubMed, LILACS, and SciELO databases in the period 2006-2021 was conducted. RESULTS: 22 articles were analyzed. A typology of descriptive, evaluative, and interpretative approaches was proposed. From the key findings, the following were identified: the importance of pleasure and the feeling of power in the development of risky practices; the role of popular explanatory models for the identification of abnormality and the search for attention; the interaction of various personal, interpersonal, organizational, and structural barriers that limited timely diagnosis and continuity of treatment; the sequential or parallel use of different forms of care, public and private; and the importance of social support networks. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed typology clarifies the different uses of the approach. The informative synthesis evidences problematic knots regarding multiple barriers to access and allows us to propose as priorities in future research the study of types of cancer, stages, and populations that have been scarcely addressed, as well as the diversification of methodological approaches.

Lhermitte-Duclos disease: A rare case of cerebellar tumor with successful surgical treatment.

Background: Lhermitte-Duclos disease (LDD) or dysplastic gangliocytoma of the posterior fossa is a slow-growing and extremely rare mass lesion that involves the Purkinje neurons and the granular layer of the cerebellum. It is characterized by specific neuroradiological features and secondary hydrocephalus. However, documentation of surgical experience is scarce. Case Description: A 54-year-old man with LDD manifesting as progressive headache is presented with vertigo and cerebellar ataxia. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a right cerebellar mass lesion with the characteristic "tiger-striped appearance." We decided to perform partial resection with reduction of tumor volume improving symptomatology as a result of the mass effect in the posterior fossa. Conclusion: Surgical resection is a good alternative for the management of LDD, especially when neurological compromise exists due to mass effect.

Exploring the Origin of the Thermal Sensitivity of Near-Infrared-II Emitting Rare Earth Nanoparticles.

Rare-earth doped nanoparticles (RENPs) are attracting increasing interest in materials science due to their optical, magnetic, and chemical properties. RENPs can emit and absorb radiation in the second biological window (NIR-II, 1000-1400 nm) making them ideal optical probes for photoluminescence (PL) in vivo imaging. Their narrow emission bands and long PL lifetimes enable autofluorescence-free multiplexed imaging. Furthermore, the strong temperature dependence of the PL properties of some of these RENPs makes remote thermal imaging possible. This is the case of neodymium and ytterbium co-doped NPs that have been used as thermal reporters for in vivo diagnosis of, for instance, inflammatory processes. However, the lack of knowledge about how the chemical composition and architecture of these NPs influence their thermal sensitivity impedes further optimization. To shed light on this, we have systematically studied their emission intensity, PL decay time curves, absolute PL quantum yield, and thermal sensitivity as a function of the core chemical composition and size, active-shell, and outer-inert-shell thicknesses. The results revealed the crucial contribution of each of these factors in optimizing the NP thermal sensitivity. An optimal active shell thickness of around 2 nm and an outer inert shell of 3.5 nm maximize the PL lifetime and the thermal response of the NPs due to the competition between the temperature-dependent back energy transfer, the surface quenching effects, and the confinement of active ions in a thin layer. These findings pave the way for a rational design of RENPs with optimal thermal sensitivity.

Citrobacter koseri: A rare cause of an epidural spinal abscess.

Background: Citrobacter koseri, a Gram-negative organism, rarely causes an epidural spinal abscess. Case Description: A 50-year-old male presented with mild paraparesis attributed to an magnetic resonance (MR)-documented spinal epidural abscess (SEA) at the T10-level. Following surgical debridement, cultures grew C. koseri, a rare Gram-negative organism. The abscess was subsequently managed with a prolonged course of antibiotics resulting in complete symptom and MR-documented radiological resolution. Conclusion: A 50-year-old male presented with a T10 SEA attributed to a rare Gram-negative organism, C. koseri. The abscess was appropriately managed with surgical decompression/debridement, followed by prolonged antibiotic therapy.

Analysis of bacterial pangenomes reduces CRISPR dark matter and reveals strong association between membranome and CRISPR-Cas systems.

CRISPR-Cas systems are prokaryotic acquired immunity mechanisms, which are found in 40% of bacterial genomes. They prevent viral infections through small DNA fragments called spacers. However, the vast majority of these spacers have not yet been associated with the virus they recognize, and it has been named CRISPR dark matter. By analyzing the spacers of tens of thousands of genomes from six bacterial species, we have been able to reduce the CRISPR dark matter from 80% to as low as 15% in some of the species. In addition, we have observed that, when a genome presents CRISPR-Cas systems, this is accompanied by particular sets of membrane proteins. Our results suggest that when bacteria present membrane proteins that make it compete better in its environment and these proteins are, in turn, receptors for specific phages, they would be forced to acquire CRISPR-Cas.

Effects in air-exposed corn silage of medium chain fatty acids on select spoilage microbes, zoonotic pathogens, and in vitro rumen fermentation.

Medium chain fatty acid (MCFA) treatment (0.75% C6, hexanoic; C8, octanoic; C10, decanoic; or equal proportion mixtures of C6:C8:C10:C12 or C8:C10/g; C12 = dodecanoic acid) of aerobically-exposed corn silage on spoilage and pathogenic microbes and rumen fermentation were evaluated in vitro. After 24 h aerobic incubation (37 °C), microbial enumeration revealed 3 log10 colony-forming units (CFU)/g fewer (P = 0.03) wild-type yeast and molds in C8:C10-treated silage than controls. Compared with controls, wild-type enterococci decreased (P < 0.01) in all treatments except the C6:C8:C10:C12 mixture; lactic acid bacteria were decreased (P < 0.01) in all treatments except C6 and the C6:C8:C10:C12 mixture. Total aerobes and inoculated Staphylococcus aureus or Listeria monocytogenes were unaffected by treatment (P > 0.05). Anaerobic incubation (24 h at 39 °C) of ruminal fluid (10 mL) with 0.02 g overnight air-exposed MCFA-treated corn silage revealed higher hydrogen accumulations (P = 0.03) with the C8:C10 mixture than controls. Methane, acetate, propionate, butyrate, or estimates of fermented hexose were unaffected. Acetate:propionate ratios were higher (P < 0.01) and fermentation efficiencies were marginally lower (P < 0.01) with C8- or C8:C10-treated silage than controls. Further research is warranted to optimize treatments to target unwanted microbes without adversely affecting beneficial microbes.

Cov-caldas: A new COVID-19 chest X-Ray dataset from state of Caldas-Colombia.

The emergence of COVID-19 as a global pandemic forced researchers worldwide in various disciplines to investigate and propose efficient strategies and/or technologies to prevent COVID-19 from further spreading. One of the main challenges to be overcome is the fast and efficient detection of COVID-19 using deep learning approaches and medical images such as Chest Computed Tomography (CT) and Chest X-ray images. In order to contribute to this challenge, a new dataset was collected in collaboration with "S.E.S Hospital Universitario de Caldas" ( https://hospitaldecaldas.com/ ) from Colombia and organized following the Medical Imaging Data Structure (MIDS) format. The dataset contains 7,307 chest X-ray images divided into 3,077 and 4,230 COVID-19 positive and negative images. Images were subjected to a selection and anonymization process to allow the scientific community to use them freely. Finally, different convolutional neural networks were used to perform technical validation. This dataset contributes to the scientific community by tackling significant limitations regarding data quality and availability for the detection of COVID-19.

Ruptured aneurysm associated with a twig-like middle cerebral artery: An illustrative case report.

Background: Anomalies of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) are rare; among the different types of anomalies, the aplastic or twig-like (Ap/T) MCA is extremely rare and has been reported under various names, including aplastic, unfused, or rete type anomaly. The occurrence of a brain aneurysm associated with this anatomic variant is an even rare event, and probably their development and rupture are related to hemodynamic stress of the tinny wall of vessels forming the network. Case Description: We present a 43-year-old male patient with an explosive and persistent right orbitofrontal headache. A computed tomography showed a right frontobasal hematoma with intraventricular disruption. Magnetic resonance angiography showed a right MCA aneurysm and what seems to be a MCA trunk stenosis. Cerebral digital subtraction angiography demonstrated a plexiform arterial network and one aneurysm arising from the network. The patient was successfully treated by surgical clipping to evacuate the hematoma and to prevent further intracranial hemorrhages. Conclusion: The Ap/T-MCA may be associated with hemodynamic stress with a significant effect through the tinny wall of the vessels causing hemorrhage or leading to the formation and rupture of cerebral aneurysms. Based on a correct diagnosis of the anomaly, treatment can be completed successfully through different standard methods.

Effect of Select Tannin Sources on Pathogen Control and Microbial Nitrogen Metabolism in Composted Poultry Litter Intended for Use as a Ruminant Crude Protein Feedstuff.

Poultry litter is a good crude protein supplement for ruminants but must be treated to kill pathogens before feeding. Composting effectively kills pathogens but risks loss of ammonia due to uric acid degradation. The objectives of this study were to test the ability of tannins to reduce pathogens and preserve uric acid during poultry litter composting. In two experiments, poultry litter was mixed with phosphate buffer and distributed to 50-ml tubes (three tubes/treatment per sample day) amended with 1 ml buffer alone or buffer containing pine bark, quebracho, chestnut, or mimosa tannins. Treatments achieved 0.63% (wt/wt) quebracho, chestnut, or mimosa tannins in experiment 1, or 4.5% pine bark or 9% quebracho, chestnut, or mimosa tannins in experiment 2. Tubes were inoculated with a novobiocin- and nalidixic acid-resistant Salmonella typhimurium, closed with caps, and incubated at successive 3-day increments at 22, 37, and 42°C, respectively. In experiment 1, bacterial counts in contents collected on days 0, 6, and 9 revealed a treatment by day effect (p < 0.03), with the Salmonella challenge being 1.3 log10 CFU/g higher in quebracho-treated composts than in untreated controls after 6 days of composting. After 9 days of composting, Salmonella, wildtype Escherichia coli, and total aerobes in untreated and all tannin-treated composts were decreased by about 2.0 log10 CFU/g compared to day 0 numbers (3.06, 3.75, and 7.77 log10 CFU/g, respectively). Urea and ammonia concentrations tended (p < 0.10) to be increased in chestnut-treated composts compared to controls and concentrations of uric acid, urea, and ammonia were higher (p < 0.05) after 9 days of composting than on day 0. Despite higher tannin application in experiment 2, antibacterial effects of treatment or day of composting were not observed (p > 0.05). However, treatment by time of composting interactions was observed (p < 0.05), with quebracho- and chestnut-treated composts accumulating more uric acid after 24 h and 9 days of composting and chestnut-, mimosa- or quebracho-treated composts accumulating less ammonia than untreated composts. Results demonstrate that composting may effectively control pathogens and that tannin treatment can help preserve the crude protein quality of composting poultry litter.

Fire-Shaped Nozzles to Produce a Stress Peak for Deformability Studies.

Fire-shaped nozzles can be used to study the deformability of microcapsules, particles, or cells traveling in a flow. Though their geometry depends on the dimensions of the original glass capillary and the heating conditions, they all produce a strain rate peak approximately at the section where the diameter is 1.5 times the minimum. The intensity of this peak and the time from its position to the neck can be easily estimated from the flow rate and three geometrical parameters, without the need for any simulation. In the convergent region of these nozzles, it is possible to observe the evolution of the deformation. It is necessary to use a sufficiently long nozzle to produce the maximum deformation before the neck.