Search

The importance of the smear method for the detection of precancerous changes in the larynx was reported earlier. Now we studied the immediate effect of radiation on the epithelium of the larynx. The possibility to differentiate alterations which are due to radiation from malignant lesions is most important. The characteristic cellular changes in irradiated patients are described in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Volatile anaesthetics such as sevoflurane attenuate inflammatory processes, thereby impacting patient outcome significantly. Their inhalative administration is, however, strictly limited to controlled environments such as operating theatres, and thus an intravenously injectable immunomodulatory drug would offer distinct advantages. As protective effects of volatile anaesthetics have been associated with the presence of trifluorinated carbon groups in their basic structure, in this study we investigated the water-soluble sevoflurane metabolite hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFIP) as a potential immunomodulatory drug in a rat model of endotoxic shock. Male Wistar rats were subjected to intravenous lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and thereafter were treated with HFIP. Plasma and tissue inflammatory mediators, neutrophil invasion, tissue damage and haemodynamic stability were the dedicated end-points. In an endotoxin-induced endothelial cell injury model, underlying mechanisms were elucidated using gene expression and gene reporter analyses. HFIP reduced the systemic inflammatory response significantly and decreased endotoxin-induced tissue damage. Additionally, the LPS-provoked drop in blood pressure of animals was resolved by HFIP treatment. Pathway analysis revealed that the observed attenuation of the inflammatory process was associated with reduced nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κΒ) activation and suppression of its dependent transcripts. Taken together, intravenous administration of HFIP exerts promising immunomodulatory effects in endotoxaemic rats. The possibility of intravenous administration would overcome limitations of volatile anaesthetics, and thus HFIP might therefore represent an interesting future drug candidate for states of severe inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this multicenter study was to compare the long-term impact of a preparative regimen with either BUBU or TBI on health status and quality of life (QoL) in childhood acute leukemia survivors treated with hematopoietic SCT (HSCT). Two-hundred and forty patients were included. Sixty-six had received BU, while 174 had received TBI. Median follow-up from HSCT was 10.1 years. Multivariate analyses were performed to assess the occurrence of late effects according to treatment. QoL was assessed in 130 adults using SF-36 questionnaires. Patients developed fewer late complications after BU (2.35 vs 3.01, P=0.03) while the risk to present with at least one complication was equivalent in both groups (87.9% after BU and 93.1% after TBI, P=0.66). Detailed multivariate analyses revealed a lower risk of height growth failure (OR=0.2), cataract (OR=0.1) and iron overload (OR=0.2) after BU, and an increased risk of overweight (OR=3.9) and alopecia (OR=11.2). SF-36 mental and physical composite scores were similar in both treatment groups and proved significantly lower than French norms. Late effects induced by BU might differ from those experienced after TBI. Although less frequent, they are still of considerable importance and may affect patients' QoL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Steel slags from high-alloyed tool steel production were used in a full scale cover construction of a municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill. In order to study the long-term stability of the steel slags within the final cover, a laboratory experiment was performed. The effect on the ageing process, due to i.e. carbonation, exerted by five different factors resembling both the material characteristics and the environmental conditions is investigated. Leaching behaviour, acid neutralization capacity and mineralogy (evaluated by means of X-ray diffraction, XRD, and thermogravimetry/differential thermal analysis, TG/DTA) are tested after different periods of ageing under different conditions. Samples aged for 3 and 10months were evaluated in this paper. Multivariate data analysis was used for data evaluation. The results indicate that among the investigated factors, ageing time and carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere were able to exert the most relevant effect. However, further investigations are required in order to clarify the role of the temperature. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Shared latent space projection of multisource Earth observation data • Cross-modal generative approaches with limited cross-domain training samples • Covariance based shared latent space projection without cross-domain correspondence • Latent graph generation and graph convolutions to address modality and domain bias • End-to-end trainable graph generation and convolution network Multiple and heterogenous Earth observation (EO) platforms are broadly used for a wide array of applications, and the integration of these diverse modalities facilitates better extraction of information than using them individually. The detection capability of the multispectral unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and satellite imagery can be significantly improved by fusing with ground hyperspectral data. However, variability in spatial and spectral resolution can affect the efficiency of such dataset's fusion. In this study, to address the modality bias, the input data was projected to a shared latent space using cross-modal generative approaches or guided unsupervised transformation. The proposed adversarial networks and variational encoder-based strategies used bi-directional transformations to model the cross-domain correlation without using cross-domain correspondence. It may be noted that an interpolation-based convolution was adopted instead of the normal convolution for learning the features of the point spectral data (ground spectra). The proposed generative adversarial network-based approach employed dynamic time wrapping based layers along with a cyclic consistency constraint to use the minimal number of unlabeled samples, having cross-domain correlation, to compute a cross-modal generative latent space. The proposed variational encoder-based transformation also addressed the cross-modal resolution differences and limited availability of cross-domain samples by using a mixture of expert-based strategy, cross-domain constraints, and adversarial learning. In addition, the latent space was modelled to be composed of modality independent and modality dependent spaces, thereby further reducing the requirement of training samples and addressing the cross-modality biases. An unsupervised covariance guided transformation was also proposed to transform the labelled samples without using cross-domain correlation prior. The proposed latent space transformation approaches resolved the requirement of cross-domain samples which has been a critical issue with the fusion of multi-modal Earth observation data. This study also proposed a latent graph generation and graph convolutional approach to predict the labels resolving the domain discrepancy and cross-modality biases. Based on the experiments over different standard benchmark airborne datasets and real-world UAV datasets, the developed approaches outperformed the prominent hyperspectral panchromatic sharpening, image fusion, and domain adaptation approaches. By using specific constraints and regularizations, the network developed was less sensitive to network parameters, unlike in similar implementations. The proposed approach illustrated improved generalizability in comparison with the prominent existing approaches. In addition to the fusion-based classification of the multispectral and hyperspectral datasets, the proposed approach was extended to the classification of hyperspectral airborne datasets where the latent graph generation and convolution were employed to resolve the domain bias with a small number of training samples. Overall, the developed transformations and architectures will be useful for the semantic interpretation and analysis of multimodal data and are applicable to signal processing, manifold learning, video analysis, data mining, and time series analysis, to name a few. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green walls in urban environments can be both an aesthetic feature and be of practical use in greywater treatment. This study evaluates the effect of different loading rates (4.5 l/d, 9 l/d, and 18 l/d) on the efficiency of treating actual greywater from a city district in a pilot-scale green wall with five different filter materials as substrates (biochar, pumice, hemp fiber, spent coffee grounds (SCG), and composted fiber soil (CFS)). Three cool climate plant species, Carex nigra, Juncus compressus, and Myosotis scorpioides , were chosen for the green wall. The following parameters were evaluated: biological oxygen demand (BOD), fractions of organic carbon, nutrients, indicator bacteria, surfactants, and salt. Three of the five materials investigated – biochar, pumice, and CFS - showed promising treatment efficiencies. The respective overall reduction efficiencies of BOD, total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) were 99%, 75%, and 57% for biochar; 96%, 58%, and 61% for pumice; and 99%, 82% and 85% for CFS. BOD was stable in the biochar filter material with effluent concentrations of 2 mg/l across all investigated loading rates. However, higher loading rates had a significantly negative effect on hemp and pumice for BOD. Interestingly, the highest loading rate (18 l/d) flowing over pumice removed the highest levels of TN (80%) and TP (86%). Biochar was the most effective material in removing indicator bacteria, with a 2.2–4.0 Log 10 reduction for E. coli and enterococci. SCG was the least efficient material, giving a higher BOD in the effluent than in the influent. Therefore, this study presents the potential of natural and waste-derived filter materials to treat greywater effectively and the results can contribute to the future development of nature-based greywater treatment and management practices in urban areas. • Higher HLRs affected the BOD reduction by hemp and pumice, unlike biochar. • All filter materials except spent coffee grounds reduced >82% of BOD at different HLRs. • High nitrogen (80%) and phosphorus (86%) removal by pumice at the highest HLR. • Composted fiber soil had higher treatment performance than spent coffee grounds. • Effective E. coli and enterococci removal achieved by biochar at the lower HLRs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impact ionization of high-velocity cosmic dust particles has been used as a basic principle for dust detectors in space for many decades. It has provided optimum means to gain insight into the dust environment in the solar system. The Ulysses Dust Detector System provided for the first time impact ionization-based detection of interstellar dust (ISD) in the solar system and discovered surprisingly heavy ISD particles with sizes up to a few microns. Studies based on astronomical observations of the local interstellar medium, on the other hand, suggested a much smaller upper limit of around 0.25 ​μm (silica) or 1 ​μm (graphite) for the size distribution of ISD particles. Therefore, it has been suggested that low-density fluffy dust particles may mimic the impact signals of heavier compact particles. In this work, we discuss a series of impact experiments that have been performed at the Heidelberg dust accelerator facility with the Cosmic Dust Analyzer flight spare unit, to compare the high-velocity impact ionization properties of compact and hollow silicate particles, and carbon aerogel particles with each other and with literature data. The experiments indicate differences in the collected total amount of impact charges and how quickly the charges are collected, between impacts from compact particles and their non-compact counterparts. The results of this first study suggest that fluffy particles generate less ions upon impact than their compact counterparts, opposite to the suggested explanation for the heavy ISD particles. Data from the performed impact experiments indicate that a secondary process (e.g. secondary impacts from ejecta or more target material ionization) could be the main cause for the observed differences. These results imply that the previously detected heavy ISD particles may be real. We identify the key problems with the performed dust experiments and advise that future impact ionization instruments should additionally be calibrated with improved low-density fluffy dust particles that better represent the properties of cosmic dust particles. • Shows new results for impact ionization experiments with non-compact dust particles. • Secondary ionization processes may depend on particle structure and density. • Impact ejecta and target ionization are candidates for relevant secondary processes. • Large and porous in situ interstellar dust particles might likely be real. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inducers of neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation are heterogeneous and consequently, there is no specific pathway or signature molecule indispensable for NET formation. But certain events such as histone modification, chromatin decondensation, nuclear envelope breakdown, and NET release are ubiquitous. During NET formation, neutrophils drastically rearrange their cytoplasmic, granular and nuclear content. Yet, the exact mechanism for decoding each step during NET formation still remains elusive. Here, we investigated the mechanism of nuclear envelope breakdown during NET formation. Immunofluorescence microscopic evaluation revealed a gradual disintegration of outer nuclear membrane protein nesprin-1 and alterations in nuclear morphology during NET formation. MALDI-TOF analysis of NETs that had been generated by various inducers detected the accumulation of nesprin-1 fragments. This suggests that nesprin-1 degradation occurs before NET release. In the presence of a calpain-1, inhibitor nesprin-1 degradation was decreased in calcium driven NET formation. Microscopic evaluation confirmed that the disintegration of the lamin B receptor (LBR) and the collapse of the actin cytoskeleton occurs in early and later phases of NET release, respectively. We conclude that the calpain-1 degrades nesprin-1, orchestrates the weakening of the nuclear membrane, contributes to LBR disintegration, and promoting DNA release and finally, NETs formation., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Eight on-site greywater treatment facilities of four different types (A, B, C and D) were investigated. Three were commercially available package plants (A-C) and one was a conventional sand filter (D). The treatment unit of Type A consisted of a geotextile-fitted trickling filter and a sand filter bottom layer, the Type B consisted of packs of fibrous mineral wool filter materials, and the Type C consisted of a fine-meshed plastic filter. The treatment systems were assessed in terms of their removal efficiency for organic matter (e.g. BOD, COD, TOC), nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), surfactants, indicator bacteria (E. coli and enterococci) as well as microplastics. Systems A and D effectively reduced organic matter by >96% BOD, >94% COD and >90% TOC. Their effluent BOD was <29 mg/l. The BOD reduction in the treatment facilities of types B and C was in the range of 70-95%. Removal of anionic surfactants was >90% with effluent concentration <1 mg/l in all facilities. In general, the treatment systems were ineffective in removing E. coli and enterococci; the most efficient was the sand filter (type D), achieving 1.4-3.8 log 10 for E. coli and 2.3-3.3 log 10 for enterococci. Due to the high E. coli in the effluents, all the on-site systems were classified as Poor (score: 0-44) according to the water quality index (WQI) assessment. In two of the studied facilities, nine microplastic polymers were targeted (i.e. PVC, PS, PET, PE, PC, NG, PMMA, PP and PA6) and analyzed using the thermal extraction desorption gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TED-GCMS) technique. PVC, PS, PET and PA6 were commonly detected in the influent and effluent. The effluent quality from type A and D systems was found to comply with the European Commission's guideline for the reuse of reclaimed water except for the indicator bacteria concentration., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the top 10 causes of death worldwide and still poses a serious challenge to public health. Recent attention to neutrophils has uncovered unexplored areas demanding further investigation. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine neutrophil activation and circulatory neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation in various types of TB. Sera from TB patients (n = 91) and healthy controls (NHD; n = 38) were analyzed for NE-DNA and MPO-DNA complexes, cell-free DNA (cfDNA), and protease activity (elastase). We show that these NET parameters were increased in TB sera. Importantly, NET formation and NE activity were elevated in TB patients with extensive tissue damage when compared to those with minor damage and in patients with relapse, compared to new cases. We discuss the importance of balancing NET formation to prevent tissue damage or even relapse and argue to analyze circulating NET parameters to monitor the risk of disease relapse. To investigate the tissues for NETs and to find the source of the circulating NET degradation products, we collected sections of granulomas in lung and lymph node biopsies. Samples from other diseases with granulomas, including sarcoidosis (SARC) and apical periodontitis (AP), served as controls. Whereas NET formation characterizes the caseating granulomas, both caseating and non-caseating granulomas harbor DNA with unusual conformation. As TB is associated with hypercoagulation and thromboembolism, we further imaged the pulmonary vessels of TB patients and detected vascular occlusions with neutrophil aggregates. This highlights the dual role of neutrophils in the pathology of TB., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

In light of the changing climate that jeopardizes future food security, genomic selection is emerging as a valuable tool for breeders to enhance genetic gains and introduce high-yielding varieties. However, predicting grain yield is challenging due to the genetic and physiological complexities involved and the effect of genetic-by-environment interactions on prediction accuracy. We utilized a chained model approach to address these challenges, breaking down the complex prediction task into simpler steps. A diversity panel with a narrow phenological range was phenotyped across three Mediterranean environments for various morpho-physiological and yield-related traits. The results indicated that a multi-environment model outperformed a single-environment model in prediction accuracy for most traits. However, prediction accuracy for grain yield was not improved. Thus, in an attempt to ameliorate the grain yield prediction accuracy, we integrated a spectral estimation of spike number, being a major wheat yield component, with genomic data. A machine learning approach was used for spike number estimation from canopy hyperspectral reflectance captured by an unmanned aerial vehicle. The spectral-based estimated spike number was utilized as a secondary trait in a multi-trait genomic selection, significantly improving grain yield prediction accuracy. Moreover, the ability to predict the spike number based on data from previous seasons implies that it could be applied to new trials at various scales, even in small plot sizes. Overall, we demonstrate here that incorporating a novel spectral-genomic chain-model workflow, which utilizes spectral-based phenotypes as a secondary trait, improves the predictive accuracy of wheat grain yield., (© 2024 The Author(s). Physiologia Plantarum published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Scandinavian Plant Physiology Society.)

Sesame (Sesamum indicum) is an important oilseed crop with rising demand owing to its nutritional and health benefits. There is an urgent need to develop and integrate new genomic-based breeding strategies to meet these future demands. While genomic resources have advanced genetic research in sesame, the implementation of high-throughput phenotyping and genetic analysis of longitudinal traits remains limited. Here, we combined high-throughput phenotyping and random regression models to investigate the dynamics of plant height, leaf area index, and five spectral vegetation indices throughout the sesame growing seasons in a diversity panel. Modeling the temporal phenotypic and additive genetic trajectories revealed distinct patterns corresponding to the sesame growth cycle. We also conducted longitudinal genomic prediction and association mapping of plant height using various models and cross-validation schemes. Moderate prediction accuracy was obtained when predicting new genotypes at each time point, and moderate to high values were obtained when forecasting future phenotypes. Association mapping revealed three genomic regions in linkage groups 6, 8, and 11, conferring trait variation over time and growth rate. Furthermore, we leveraged correlations between the temporal trait and seed-yield and applied multi-trait genomic prediction. We obtained an improvement over single-trait analysis, especially when phenotypes from earlier time points were used, highlighting the potential of using a high-throughput phenotyping platform as a selection tool. Our results shed light on the genetic control of longitudinal traits in sesame and underscore the potential of high-throughput phenotyping to detect a wide range of traits and genotypes that can inform sesame breeding efforts to enhance yield., (© 2024 The Author(s). The Plant Genome published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Crop Science Society of America.)

Cell replacement in aganglionic intestines is a promising, yet merely experimental tool for the therapy of congenital dysganglionosis of the enteric nervous system like Hirschsprung disease. While the injection of single cells or neurospheres to a defined and very restricted location is trivial, the translation to the clinical application, where large aganglionic or hypoganglionic areas need to be colonized (hundreds of square centimetres), afford a homogeneous distribution of multiple neurospheres all over the affected tissue areas. Reaching the entire aganglionic area in vivo is critical for the restoration of peristaltic function. The latter mainly depends on an intact nervous system that extends throughout the organ. Intra-arterial injection is a common method in cell therapy and may be the key to delivering cells or neurospheres into the capillary bed of the colon with area-wide distribution. We describe an experimental method for monitoring the distribution of a defined number of neurospheres into porcine recta ex vivo, immediately after intra-arterial injection. We designed this method to localize grafting sites of single neurospheres in precise biopsies which can further be examined in explant cultures. The isolated perfused porcine rectum allowed us to continuously monitor the perfusion pressure. A blockage of too many capillaries would lead to an ischaemic situation and an increase of perfusion pressure. Since we could demonstrate that the area-wide delivery of neurospheres did not alter the overall vascular resistance, we showed that the delivery does not significantly impair the local circulation., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press.)

Allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) is the only current intervention that has the ability to modify the immune response toward a tolerogenic state. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of AIT in horses with allergic diseases in a systematic manner. Three databases were searched to identify articles reporting clinical outcomes and adverse events associated with AIT. The articles were evaluated for beneficial responses to AIT, defined as a ≥50% reduction in clinical signs, and clinical remission. Horses with respiratory diseases, urticaria, and pruritic dermatitis receiving insect monotherapy or multi-allergen AIT were included. All adverse events were graded, and analytical and confounding biases were assessed. The results showed that multi-allergen AIT had a beneficial response in 75% of horses with respiratory diseases, 88% with urticaria, and 56% with pruritic dermatitis. However, horses treated solely with insect AIT for pruritic dermatitis had a lower response rate (36%). Self-limiting local reactions were the most common adverse events, with systemic reactions grade II accounting for 11% of reported events. Analytical and confounding biases were identified as major limitations in the available studies. Further research is needed to address these biases and provide stronger evidence on the efficacy and safety of AIT in horses with allergic diseases.

Package plants (PP) are implemented around the world to provide on-site sanitation in areas not connected to a sewage network. The efficiency of PP has not been comprehensively studied at full scale, and the limited number of available studies have shown that their performance varies greatly. Their performance under cold climate conditions and the occurrence of micropollutants in PP effluents have not been sufficiently explored. PP are exposed to environmental factors such as low temperature, especially in cold regions with low winter temperatures and deep frost penetration, that can adversely influence the biochemical processes. The aim of this study was to investigate the treatment efficiency and possible effects of cold temperatures on PP performance, with focus on traditional contaminants (organics, solids, nutrients and indicator bacteria) and an additional assessment of micropollutants on two PP. Eleven PP hosting different treatment processes were monitored. Removal of biological oxygen demand (BOD) was high in all plants (>91%). Six out of the 11 PP provided good phosphorus removal (>71%). Small degrees of nitrification were observed in almost all the facilities, despite the low temperatures, while denitrification was only observed in two plants which achieved the highest nitrification rates (>51%) and had sludge recirculation. No strong correlation between wastewater temperature and BOD, nutrients and indicator bacteria concentration in the effluents was found. The high data variability and the effects of other process parameters as well as snow-melt water infiltration are suggested as possible reasons for the lack of correlation. However, weak negative relations between effluent concentrations and wastewater temperatures were detected in specific plants, indicating that temperature does have effects. When managed adequately, package plants can provide high BOD and phosphorus removal, but nitrogen and bacteria removal remain challenging, especially at low temperatures. Pharmaceutical compounds were detected in the effluents at concentrations within or above ranges reported for large treatment plants while phthalate ester concentrations were below commonly reported effluent concentrations., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Water scarcity is the primary environmental constraint affecting wheat growth and production and is increasingly exacerbated due to climatic fluctuation, which jeopardizes future food security. Most breeding efforts to improve wheat yields under drought have focused on above-ground traits. Root traits are closely associated with various drought adaptability mechanisms, but the genetic variation underlying these traits remains untapped, even though it holds tremendous potential for improving crop resilience. Here, we examined this potential by re-introducing ancestral alleles from wild emmer wheat (Triticum turgidum ssp. dicoccoides) and studied their impact on root architecture diversity under terminal drought stress. We applied an active sensing electrical resistivity tomography approach to compare a wild emmer introgression line (IL20) and its drought-sensitive recurrent parent (Svevo) under field conditions. IL20 exhibited greater root elongation under drought, which resulted in higher root water uptake from deeper soil layers. This advantage initiated at the pseudo-stem stage and increased during the transition to the reproductive stage. The increased water uptake promoted higher gas exchange rates and enhanced grain yield under drought. Overall, we show that this presumably 'lost' drought-induced mechanism of deeper rooting profile can serve as a breeding target to improve wheat productiveness under changing climate., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Atopic dogs often are managed with allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) and concurrent dosages of ciclosporin (CSA) or oclacitinib to alleviate their clinical signs. Both drugs might affect proper tolerance induction by inhibiting regulatory T-cell (Treg) induction., Hypothesis/objectives: We evaluated Treg cell numbers and serum interleukin (IL)-10 and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β)1 levels in dogs diagnosed with atopic dermatitis (AD) and successfully treated with either CSA or oclacitinib for nine or more months., Animals: We included 15 dogs receiving oclacitinib, 14 dogs treated with CSA, 15 healthy dogs, 13 dogs with untreated moderate-to-severe AD and 15 atopic dogs controlled with AIT., Materials and Methods: Peripheral blood CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ T-cell percentages were determined using flow cytometry. Serum concentrations of IL-10 and TGF-β1 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay., Results: The percentage of Treg cells in the CSA group was significantly lower in comparison with the healthy group (p = 0.0003), the nontreated AD group (p = 0.0056) or the AIT group (p = 0.0186). There was no significant difference in Treg cell percentages between the CSA and oclacitinib groups, nor between the oclacitinib and the healthy, nontreated AD or AIT-treated dogs. No significant differences were detected in IL-10 and TGF-β1 serum concentrations between the five groups., Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: Lower Treg cell percentages in the CSA-treated dogs suggest an impact of this drug on this cell population; however, it does not necessarily mean that it diminishes tolerance. Functionality and cytokine production may be more important than the number of Treg cells. Further studies evaluating the treatment outcome of dogs receiving AIT and concurrent drugs are needed to show clinical relevance., (© 2022 ESVD and ACVD.)

Synthetic stormwater was tested to determine the ageing effects on dissolved metal concentrations and used in a column experiment to determine efficiency of four different filter materials (milkweed, bark, peat, polypropylene) in removing total and dissolved metals. Synthetic stormwater was created by adding metal salts, oil and collected stormwater sediment to tap water. Two ageing experiments were performed to determine the change of synthetic stormwater quality over time. One experiment lasted for 11 days and another focused on rapid concentration changes one day after preparation. The one-day ageing experiment showed rapid decrease in dissolved concentration of certain metals, specifically Cu. To consider this change, correction coefficients for each metal were developed and used to estimate the average dissolved metal concentration in the synthetic stormwater during the experiment to determine filter treatment efficiency. During the 11-day experiment on metal concentrations, no noticeable quality changes were observed for at least six days after the preparation of synthetic stormwater. Furthermore, a column experiment was run with duplicate filter columns. Inflow and outflow samples were analysed for total and dissolved metals, turbidity, particle size distribution, and pH. High removal of total metal concentrations was noticed in all tested filter media (58-94%). Dissolved metal concentration removal varied among different filter media. In general, columns with bark and peat media were able to treat dissolved metals better than polypropylene and milkweed. The level of treatment of dissolved metals between the different filter media columns were bark > peat > milkweed > polypropylene.

Objectives: This paper presents a randomized controlled trial on assimilative integration, which is aimed at integrating elements from other orientations within one approach to enrich its conceptual and practical repertoire. Elements from Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) were integrated into a form of cognitive behavior therapy: Psychological Therapy (PT). In one treatment condition, EFT was added to PT (+EFT) with the intent to enhance therapists' working with emotions. In the other condition, concepts and interventions based on the socialpsychological self-regulation approach were added to PT (+SR). Our assumption was that the +EFT would lead to greater and deeper change, particularly in the follow-up assessments., Method: Patients (n = 104) with anxiety, depression, or adjustment disorders were randomized to the two conditions and treated by 38 therapists who self-selected between the conditions. Primary outcome was symptom severity at 12-month follow-up; secondary outcomes included several measures such as interpersonal problems and quality of life. Variables were assessed at baseline, after 8 and 16 sessions, at posttreatment, and at 6- and 12-month follow-up., Results: Contrary to our hypothesis, no significant between-group effects were found., Conclusion: The findings first suggest the difficulty of topping an already very effective approach to psychotherapy. Alternative interpretations were that the EFT training, while corresponding to regular practice in AI, was not sufficient to make a difference in outcome, or that while profiting from the enhancement of abilities for working with emotions, this was outbalanced by negative effects of difficulties related to the implementation of the new elements., (© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Clinical Psychology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Vascular occlusions in patients with coronavirus diseases 2019 (COVID-19) have been frequently reported in severe outcomes mainly due to a dysregulation of neutrophils mediating neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation. Lung specimens from patients with COVID-19 have previously shown a dynamic morphology, categorized into three types of pleomorphic occurrence based on histological findings in this study. These vascular occlusions in lung specimens were also detected using native endogenous fluorescence or NEF in a label-free method. The three types of vascular occlusions exhibit morphology of DNA rich neutrophil elastase (NE) poor (type I), NE rich DNA poor (type II), and DNA and NE rich (type III) cohort of eleven patients with six males and five females. Age and gender have been presented in this study as influencing variables linking the occurrence of several occlusions with pleomorphic contents within a patient specimen and amongst them. This study reports the categorization of pleomorphic occlusions in patients with COVID-19 and the detection of these occlusions in a label-free method utilizing NEF.

Remote detection and monitoring of the vegetation responses to stress became relevant for sustainable agriculture. Ongoing developments in optical remote sensing technologies have provided tools to increase our understanding of stress-related physiological processes. Therefore, this study aimed to provide an overview of the main spectral technologies and retrieval approaches for detecting crop stress in agriculture. Firstly, we present integrated views on: i) biotic and abiotic stress factors, the phases of stress, and respective plant responses, and ii) the affected traits, appropriate spectral domains and corresponding methods for measuring traits remotely. Secondly, representative results of a systematic literature analysis are highlighted, identifying the current status and possible future trends in stress detection and monitoring. Distinct plant responses occurring under shortterm, medium-term or severe chronic stress exposure can be captured with remote sensing due to specific light interaction processes, such as absorption and scattering manifested in the reflected radiance, i.e. visible (VIS), near infrared (NIR), shortwave infrared, and emitted radiance, i.e. solar-induced fluorescence and thermal infrared (TIR). From the analysis of 96 research papers, the following trends can be observed: increasing usage of satellite and unmanned aerial vehicle data in parallel with a shift in methods from simpler parametric approaches towards more advanced physically-based and hybrid models. Most study designs were largely driven by sensor availability and practical economic reasons, leading to the common usage of VIS-NIR-TIR sensor combinations. The majority of reviewed studies compared stress proxies calculated from single-source sensor domains rather than using data in a synergistic way. We identified new ways forward as guidance for improved synergistic usage of spectral domains for stress detection: (1) combined acquisition of data from multiple sensors for analysing multiple stress responses simultaneously (holistic view); (2) simultaneous retrieval of plant traits combining multi-domain radiative transfer models and machine learning methods; (3) assimilation of estimated plant traits from distinct spectral domains into integrated crop growth models. As a future outlook, we recommend combining multiple remote sensing data streams into crop model assimilation schemes to build up Digital Twins of agroecosystems, which may provide the most efficient way to detect the diversity of environmental and biotic stresses and thus enable respective management decisions., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Colorectal surgery has developed rapidly in the recent decades. Nevertheless, colorectal anastomotic leakage continues to appear postoperatively in unpleasant rates and leads to life-threatening conditions. The development of valid complication-preventing methods is inefficient in many aspects as we are still lacking knowledge about the basics of the process of anastomotic wound healing in the gastrointestinal tract. Without the proper understanding of the crucial mechanisms, research for prevention of anastomotic leakage is predestined to be unsuccessful. This review article discusses known pathophysiological mechanisms together with the most lately found processes to be further studied. The aim of the article is to facilitate the orientation in the topic, support the better understanding of known mechanisms and suggest promising possibilities and directions for further research., Competing Interests: The authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest, or non-financial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript., (Copyright © 2022 Rosendorf, Klicova, Herrmann, Anthis, Cervenkova, Palek, Treska and Liska.)

In collaboration with the American College of Veterinary Pathologists.

Background: Junctional epidermolysis bullosa (JEB) is a group of congenital blistering skin diseases characterized by clefting through the lamina lucida of the basement membrane zone., Objectives: To characterize the clinical and morphological features of a congenital mechanobullous disease in a litter of puppies with severe upper respiratory involvement, and to identify an associated genetic variant., Animals: Five of eight puppies in an Australian cattle dog cross-bred litter showed signs of skin fragility. Three were stillborn and one died at one month of age. The two surviving puppies were presented with blistering skin disease and severe respiratory distress. Additionally, one unaffected sibling was examined and blood was obtained for genetic testing., Methods and Materials: Post-mortem examination, histopathological evaluation and electron microscopy were performed. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) of one affected puppy was compared to a database of 522 dogs of 55 different breeds for variant analysis. Sanger sequencing of one additional affected and one unaffected sibling confirmed the variant., Results: Clinically, severe mucocutaneous ulcers occurred in frictional areas with claw sloughing. Histopathological results revealed subepidermal clefts and electron microscopy confirmed the split in the lamina lucida. Post-mortem examination documented extensive pharyngeal and laryngeal lesions with granulation tissue and fibrinous exudate obscuring the airway. Moderate tracheal hypoplasia contributed. The WGS revealed a novel missense variant in the laminin α3-chain XP&#95;537297.2p(Asp2867Val), with an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance., Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: A novel variant in LAMA3 caused a generalized and severe phenotype of JEB with an unique clinical presentation of upper airway obstruction., (© 2021 the European Society of Veterinary Dermatology and the American College of Veterinary Dermatology.)

Purpose: Obstructive Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) is one of the leading causes of evaporative dry eye disease. Meibomian glands at the eyelid secrete lipids that prevent evaporation of the aqueous tear film. The pathogenesis of obstructive MGD is incompletely understood to date. Herein, we aim to investigate the pathogenesis of obstructive MGD using murine and human samples with various forms of ocular surface inflammation., Method: The presence of Neutrophil extracellular Traps (NETs) was detected with immunofluorescence analysis of ocular surface discharge and biopsy samples from patients with blepharitis. Tear fluid from patients with MGD and blepharitis were evaluated for the presence of inflammatory mediators using bead based immunoassay. Murine model of allergic eye disease (AED) was performed to investigate the role of NETs in MG occlusion., Results: we show that the ocular discharge from patients with blepharitis contains aggregated neutrophil extracellular traps (aggNETs). Furthermore, the ducts of human Meibomian glands affected by blepharitis were largely congested by aggNETs. Tear fluid from patients with MGD showed elevated neutrophil chemoattractants (C5a, IL6, IL8 and IL18). C5a and IL8 correlated with the degree of deficiency of tear fluid. In the murine model of allergic eye disease (AED), aggNETs accumulated in the MG leading to occlusion of their ducts and the retrograde pent-up of the fluid followed by acinar atrophy. Constraining aggNET formation by genetic or pharmacological inhibition of peptidyl arginine deiminase type 4 (PADI4) effectively reduced MG damage., Conclusion: We conclude that aggNETs occlude MG causing MGD after ocular surface inflammation., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is considered to be a systemic disease in people shown to have an association with epilepsy. However, so far, no data about the association of epilepsy and atopy have been reported in dogs., Objectives: Given the homology between human and canine AD, and the increased incidence of epilepsy in atopic people, we investigated the association between AD and seizure-associated activity in a small canine population., Animals: We included 34 atopic dogs and 34 breed- and age range-matched nonatopic dogs., Methods and Materials: We investigated the association between canine AD and signs of seizures in a retrospective, breed- and age range-matched, case-controlled study. Dog owners were interviewed using a standardized questionnaire. The presence or absence of signs of seizure activity and possible comorbidities were questioned., Results: Seven of the 34 atopic dogs also suffered from seizure activity. By contrast, only one dog affected with seizure signs could be identified among the 34 nonatopic dogs. Atopic dermatitis was associated with a higher frequency of seizure activity (McNemar test, P = 0.035; one-sided) and atopic dogs had a higher odds ratio to develop seizures [(95% CI) 7 (0.9-56.9)] compared to the age- and breed-matched nonatopic control group. No other comorbidities were detected., Conclusion and Clinical Importance: In our small retrospective study, we observed an increased prevalence of seizure activity in the atopic dog population. Further larger and prospective studies are needed to confirm these results., (© 2020 the European Society of Veterinary Dermatology and the American College of Veterinary Dermatology.)

Wet chemistry analysis of agricultural plant materials such as leaves is widely performed to quantify key chemical components to understand plant physiological status. Visible and near-infrared (Vis-NIR) spectroscopy is an interesting tool to replace the wet chemistry analysis, often labour intensive and time-consuming. Hence, this study accesses the potential of Vis-NIR spectroscopy to predict nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) concentration in bell pepper leaves. In the chemometrics perspective, the study aims to identify key Vis-NIR wavelengths that are most correlated to the N and K, and hence, improves the predictive performance for N and K in bell pepper leaves. For wavelengths selection, six different wavelength selection techniques were used. The performances of several wavelength selection techniques were compared to identify the best technique. As a baseline comparison, the partial least-square (PLS) regression analysis was used. The results showed that the Vis-NIR spectroscopy has the potential to predict N and K in pepper leaves with root mean squared error of prediction (RMSEP) of 0.28 and 0.44%, respectively. The wavelength selection in general improved the predictive performance of models for both K and N compared to the PLS regression. With wavelength selection, the RMSEP's were decreased by 19% and 15% for N and K, respectively, compared to the PLS regression. The results from the study can support the development of protocols for non-destructive prediction of key plant chemical components such as K and N without wet chemistry analysis., (Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Allergen immunotherapy (AIT) is the only intervention believed to change the course of atopic diseases. As dogs appear to have fewer severe adverse events (AEs) compared to people receiving AIT, a prolonged dose-escalation induction phase might not be needed., Objectives: To report the incidence and characteristics of AEs induced by a fast-escalation subcutaneous immunotherapy (f-SCIT) protocol compared to a conventional (c-SCIT) regimen., Animals: One hundred dogs treated with either f- SCIT (Centre 1, 50 dogs) or c-SCIT (Centre 2, 50 dogs)., Methods and Materials: A case-control study retrospectively evaluating AEs during the induction of AIT. We determined the incidence and type of AEs in each SCIT group; we also assessed factors such as self-limitation and the need for AE-associated protocol changes., Results: Twelve of 100 dogs (12%) developed a SCIT-attributable AE during the induction phase, with one dog having a local and 11 having systemic reactions (nine Grade I, two Grade II, none of grades III or IV). Dogs treated with the f-SCIT had a significantly higher rate of AEs (11 of 50; 22%) compared to those receiving the c-SCIT (one of 50; 2%). Most of the AEs (10 of 11; 91%) in the f-SCIT group were mild and self-limiting., Conclusions and Clinical Importance: The induction phase of f-SCIT is simpler, and the maintenance phase is reached faster than that of the c-SCIT. Despite its higher rate of AEs than with the c-SCIT regimen, the majority of f-SCIT-associated AEs were mild and self-limiting. Whether or not this f-SCIT protocol leads to a faster time-to-efficacy needs to be determined., (© 2020 ESVD and ACVD.)