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Four mortar samples were collected from a submerged Roman well-cistern (1st c. CE) in the Northern part of the Lagoon of Venice, recently investigated during underwater surveys promoted by the team of maritime archaeology of the University Ca' Foscari of Venice. Samples were preliminary described following a standardized protocol of analytical techniques, including Polarized Light Optical Microscopy (PLM), Quantitative Phase Analysis-X-Ray Powder Diffraction (QPA-XRPD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) coupled with Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS). Archaeometric analyses allowed the samples to be identified as lime-based mortars enriched with ceramic fragments and sand-sized particles compatible with local alluvial deposits. Moreover, pyroclastic aggregates, inconsistent with the local geology, were added to the mortars as natural pozzolans, strongly reacted with the lime binder. Their provenance was determined through geochemical analysis by using SEM-EDS (Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy) and LA-ICP-MS (Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry). The analysis targeted the inner regions of certain coarse clasts (having a grain-size ranging from approximately 450 μm to 2-3 mm), where fresh volcanic glass, unaltered by reactions, was still preserved, allowing the original geochemistry of the clasts to be delineated. The resulting fingerprints were then compared with the geochemical distribution of the pyroclastic products of the major Italian Plio-Quaternary magmatic districts. The lithological source of the analysed tephra appears to be petrochemically congruent with the Phlegraean Fields volcanic district. However, most of the volcanic clasts, especially the finer ones (< 450 μm) and shards, showed significant alteration as a result of pozzolanic reactions with the binder. The strongly alkaline anoxic underwater environment of the Venetian lagoon likely fostered the reaction kinetics, as the matrices showed a relevant development of M-A-S-H hydrates replacing the pristine Ca-bearing phases of the binder. On the other hand, the carbonation of the lime was almost null. The uniform mixture of local sands, ceramic fragments, and imported volcanic rocks, combined with brackish water, appears to have fostered pozzolanic and para-pozzolanic reactions in underwater conditions. This evidence shows, once again, how Vitruvius' recommendations on the use of Phlegraean pozzolans (Vitr. De Arch. 5.12.2) to enhance the physical and mechanical properties of seawater concretes were firmly rooted in the advanced engineering knowledge of the ancient world.

Environmental pollutants, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), act as endocrine disruptors and impair various physiological processes. PCB 126 is associated with steatohepatitis, fibrosis, cirrhosis, and other hepatic injuries. These disorders can be regulated by microRNAs (miRNAs). Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the role of miRNAs in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease associated with exposure to PCB 126. Adult male C57BL/6 mice were exposed to PCB 126 (5 μmol/kg of body weight) for 10 weeks. The PCB group showed lipid accumulation in the liver in the presence of macro- and microvesicular steatosis and fibrosis with increased inflammatory and profibrotic gene expression, consistent with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). PCB exposure also upregulated miR-155 and miR-34a, which induce the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and inflammation in the liver and reduce the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α, which, in turn, impairs lipid oxidation and hepatic steatosis. Therefore, the present study showed that PCB 126 induced NASH via potential mechanisms involving miR-155 and miR-34a, which may contribute to the development of new diagnostic markers and therapeutic strategies.

IntroductionDelays in prehospital care attributable to the call-taking process can often be traced back to miscommunication, including uncertainty around the call location. Geolocation applications have the potential to streamline the call-taking process by accurately identifying the caller's location.ObjectiveTo develop and validate an application to geolocate emergency calls and compare the response time of calls made via the application with those of conventional calls made to the Brazilian Medical Emergency System (Serviço de Atendimento Médico de Urgência-SAMU).MethodsThis study was conducted in two stages. First, a geolocating application for SAMU emergency calls (CHAMU192) was developed using a mixed methods approach based on design thinking and subsequently validated using the System Usability Scale (SUS). In the second stage, sending time of the geolocation information of the app was compared with the time taken to process information through conventional calls. For this, a hypothetical case control study was conducted with SAMU in the Maringá, Paraná, Brazil. A control group of 350 audio recordings of emergency calls from 2019 was compared to a set of test calls made through the CHAMU192 app. The CHAMU192 group consisted of 201 test calls in Maringá. In test calls, the location was obtained by GPS and sent to the SAMU communication system. Comparative analysis between groups was performed using the Mann-Whitney test.ResultsCHAMU192 had a SUS score of 90, corresponding to a "best imaginable" usability rating. The control group had a median response time of 35.67 seconds (26.00-48.12). The response time of the CHAMU192 group was 0.20 (0.15-0.24).ConclusionThe use of the CHAMU192 app by emergency medical services could significantly reduce response time. The results demonstrate the potential of app improving the quality and patient outcomes related to the prehospital emergency care services.

Four mortar samples were collected from a submerged Roman well-cistern (1st c. CE) in the Northern part of the Lagoon of Venice, recently investigated during underwater surveys promoted by the team of maritime archaeology of the University Ca' Foscari of Venice. Samples were preliminary described following a standardized protocol of analytical techniques, including Polarized Light Optical Microscopy (PLM), Quantitative Phase Analysis—X-Ray Powder Diffraction (QPA-XRPD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) coupled with Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS). Archaeometric analyses allowed the samples to be identified as lime-based mortars enriched with ceramic fragments and sand-sized particles compatible with local alluvial deposits. Moreover, pyroclastic aggregates, inconsistent with the local geology, were added to the mortars as natural pozzolans, strongly reacted with the lime binder. Their provenance was determined through geochemical analysis by using SEM-EDS (Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy) and LA-ICP-MS (Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry). The analysis targeted the inner regions of certain coarse clasts (having a grain-size ranging from approximately 450 μm to 2–3 mm), where fresh volcanic glass, unaltered by reactions, was still preserved, allowing the original geochemistry of the clasts to be delineated. The resulting fingerprints were then compared with the geochemical distribution of the pyroclastic products of the major Italian Plio-Quaternary magmatic districts. The lithological source of the analysed tephra appears to be petrochemically congruent with the Phlegraean Fields volcanic district. However, most of the volcanic clasts, especially the finer ones (< 450 μm) and shards, showed significant alteration as a result of pozzolanic reactions with the binder. The strongly alkaline anoxic underwater environment of the Venetian lagoon likely fostered the reaction kinetics, as the matrices showed a relevant development of M-A-S-H hydrates replacing the pristine Ca-bearing phases of the binder. On the other hand, the carbonation of the lime was almost null. The uniform mixture of local sands, ceramic fragments, and imported volcanic rocks, combined with brackish water, appears to have fostered pozzolanic and para-pozzolanic reactions in underwater conditions. This evidence shows, once again, how Vitruvius' recommendations on the use of Phlegraean pozzolans (Vitr. De Arch. 5.12.2) to enhance the physical and mechanical properties of seawater concretes were firmly rooted in the advanced engineering knowledge of the ancient world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthracological analyses of charcoal samples retrieved from Pit 16 of Perdigões (Reguengos de Monsaraz, Portugal), a secondary deposition of cremated human remains dated back to the middle of the 3rd millennium BC, enabled the identification of 7 different taxa: Olea europaea, Quercus spp. (evergreen), Pinus pinaster, Fraxinus cf. angustifolia, Arbutus unedo, Cistus sp. and Fabaceae. All taxa are characteristic of both deciduous and evergreen Mediterranean vegetation, and this data might indicate that the gathering of woods employed for the human cremation/s occurred either on site, or in its vicinity. However, considering both the large distribution of the identified taxa and data about human mobility, it is not possible to conclusively determine the origin of the wood used in the cremation(s). Chemometric analysis were carried out to estimate the absolute burning temperature of woods employed for the human cremation/s. An in-lab charcoal reference collection was created by burning sound wood samples of the three main taxa identified from Pit 16, Olea europaea var. sylvestris, Quercus suber (evergreen type) and Pinus pinaster, at temperatures between 350 and 600 °C. The archaeological charcoal samples and the charcoal reference collection were chemically characterized by using mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy in the 1800-400 cm-1 range, and Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression method was used to build calibration models to predict the absolute combustion temperature of the archaeological woods. Results showed successful PLS forecasting of burn temperature for each taxon (significant (P

Given the scarcity of studies relating fire to deforestation in the Atlantic Forest and great economic and ecological importances of this biome, this work aimed to investigate this relationship in the Atlantic Forest of the State of São Paulo, trying to answer whether deforestation is related to fire events in up to three years, if there are regions most affected by this relationship and what land use and land cover predominates after fire and deforestation in these areas. The study was carried out in Evergreen Forest and Semideciduous Seasonal, along the time series from 2000 to 2019 using the MapBiomas Project database to survey deforested and burned sites with moderate to high severity fires. Burning positively influenced deforestation in EGF in eight of 19 years studied (2001, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2009, 2013 and 2015), while only for three years in the SSF. Burning followed by deforestation corresponded to only 3.2% of the total deforestation, located mainly in the eastern region of the state with the highest density in the EGF. Most of these areas have been converted to agriculture. This study provides the first indication that, generally, fire is not a driver of deforestation in the southeast Atlantic Forest.

Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is a non-invasive approach to measure the maximum oxygen uptake (

Objective To assess secular trends in body image dissatisfaction and associated factors among adolescents over a 10-year period (2007-2017/2018). Methods The sample included 1,479 (2007, n = 531; 2017/2018, n = 948) high school adolescents of both sexes, aged 14 to 18 years, of schools in a city in southern Brazil, in 2007 and 2017/2018. Data were collected on sex, age, physical activity (IPAQ, short form), anthropometric measurements (body weight, height, and triceps and subscapular skinfolds), and body image dissatisfaction (figure rating scale). The variables were compared with Independent samples t-test and Mann–Whitney U-test. The associations between sex and other variables were examined with chi-square test, and the factors associated with body image were identified with multinomial logistic regression. Results Most adolescents were dissatisfied with their body image in 2007 (65,2%) and 2017/2018 (71,1%). The prevalence of body dissatisfaction increased by 9.2% over the 10-year period, particularly dissatisfaction with thinness (21.3%). After stratification by sex, in 2017/2018 sample, dissatisfaction with overweight was 46.1% greater in boys, and dissatisfaction with thinness was 66.9% greater in girls. Factors found to be significantly associated with body image dissatisfaction were physical activity level, and body adiposity. Conclusions There was a secular trend toward increased body image dissatisfaction in both sexes. Future efforts should go beyond scientific production, in public and private environments aimed at increasing awareness of health issues related to body care in the physical, psychological, and environmental domains.

Environmental pollutants, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), act as endocrine disruptors and impair various physiological processes. PCB 126 is associated with steatohepatitis, fibrosis, cirrhosis, and other hepatic injuries. These disorders can be regulated by microRNAs (miRNAs). Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the role of miRNAs in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease associated with exposure to PCB 126. Adult male C57BL/6 mice were exposed to PCB 126 (5 μmol/kg of body weight) for 10 weeks. The PCB group showed lipid accumulation in the liver in the presence of macro- and microvesicular steatosis and fibrosis with increased inflammatory and profibrotic gene expression, consistent with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). PCB exposure also upregulated miR-155 and miR-34a, which induce the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and inflammation in the liver and reduce the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α, which, in turn, impairs lipid oxidation and hepatic steatosis. Therefore, the present study showed that PCB 126 induced NASH via potential mechanisms involving miR-155 and miR-34a, which may contribute to the development of new diagnostic markers and therapeutic strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Closed-loop brain stimulation refers to capturing neurophysiological measures such as electroencephalography (EEG), quickly identifying neural events of interest, and producing auditory, magnetic or electrical stimulation so as to interact with brain processes precisely. It is a promising new method for fundamental neuroscience and perhaps for clinical applications such as restoring degraded memory function; however, existing tools are expensive, cumbersome, and offer limited experimental flexibility. In this article, we propose the Portiloop, a deep learning-based, portable and low-cost closed-loop stimulation system able to target specific brain oscillations. We first document open-hardware implementations that can be constructed from commercially available components. We also provide a fast, lightweight neural network model and an exploration algorithm that automatically optimizes the model hyperparameters to the desired brain oscillation. Finally, we validate the technology on a challenging test case of real-time sleep spindle detection, with results comparable to off-line expert performance on the Massive Online Data Annotation spindle dataset (MODA; group consensus). Software and plans are available to the community as an open science initiative to encourage further development and advance closed-loop neuroscience research [https://github.com/Portiloop].

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to assess the incidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) of the lower limbs, using serial compression ultrasound (CUS) surveillance, in acutely ill patients with COVID-19 pneumonia admitted to a non-ICU setting.MethodsMulticenter, prospective study of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia admitted to Internal Medicine units. All patients were screened for DVT of the lower limbs with serial CUS. Anticoagulation was defined as: low dose (enoxaparin 20-40 mg/day or fondaparinux 1.5-2.5 mg/day); intermediate dose (enoxaparin 60-80 mg/day); high dose (enoxaparin 120-160 mg or fondaparinux 5-10 mg/day or oral anticoagulation). The primary end-point of the study was the diagnosis of DVT by CUS.ResultsOver a two-month period, 227 consecutive patients with moderate-severe COVID-19 pneumonia were enrolled. The incidence of DVT was 13.7% (6.2% proximal, 7.5% distal), mostly asymptomatic. All patients received anticoagulation (enoxaparin 95.6%) at the following doses: low 57.3%, intermediate 22.9%, high 19.8%. Patients with and without DVT had similar characteristics, and no difference in anticoagulant regimen was observed. DVT patients were older (mean 77±9.6 vs 71±13.1 years; p = 0.042) and had higher peak D-dimer levels (5403 vs 1723 ng/mL; p = 0.004). At ROC analysis peak D-dimer level >2000 ng/mL (AUC 0.703; 95% CI 0.572-0.834; p = 0.004) was the most accurate cut-off value able to predict DVT (RR 3.74; 95%CI 1.27-10, p = 0.016).ConclusionsThe incidence of DVT in acutely ill patients with COVID-19 pneumonia is relevant. A surveillance protocol by serial CUS of the lower limbs is useful to timely identify DVT that would go otherwise largely undetected.

Visual-spatial abilities are usually neglected in academic settings, even though several studies have shown that their predictive power in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics domains exceeds that of math and verbal ability. This neglect means that many spatially talented youths are not identified and nurtured, at a great cost to society. In the present work, we aim to identify behavioral and electrophysiological markers associated with visual spatial-ability in intellectually gifted adolescents (N = 15) compared to age-matched controls (N = 15). The participants performed a classic three-dimensional mental rotation task developed by Shepard and Metzler (1971) [33] while event-related potentials were measured in both frontal and parietal regions of interest. While response time was similar in the two groups, gifted subjects performed the test with greater accuracy. There was no indication of interhemispheric asymmetry of ERPs over parietal regions in both groups, although interhemispheric differences were observed in the frontal lobes. Moreover, intelligence quotient and working memory measures predicted variance in ERP's amplitude in the right parietal and frontal hemispheres. We conclude that while gifted adolescents do not display a different pattern of electroencephalographic activity over the parietal cortex while performing the mental rotation task, their performance is correlated with the amplitude of ERPs in the frontal cortex during the execution of this task.

BackgroundThe recent literature reports promising results from using intelligent systems to support decision making in healthcare operations. Using these systems may lead to improved diagnostic and treatment protocols and to predict hospital bed demand. Predicting hospital bed demand in emergency department (ED) attendances could help resource allocation and reduce pressure on busy hospitals. However, there is still limited knowledge on whether intelligent systems can operate as fully autonomous, user-independent systems.ObjectiveCompare the performance of a computer-based algorithm and humans in predicting hospital bed demand (admissions and discharges) based on the initial SOAP (Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan) records of the ED.MethodsThis was a retrospective cohort study that compared the performance of humans and machines in predicting hospital bed demand from an ED. It considered electronic medical records (EMR) of 9030 patients (230 used as a testing set, and hence evaluated both by humans and by an algorithm, and 8800 used as a training set exclusively by the algorithm) who visited the ED of a tertiary care and teaching public hospital located in Porto Alegre, Brazil between January and December 2014. The machine role was played by Support Vector Machine Classifier and the human prediction was performed by four ED physicians. Predictions were compared in terms of sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC).ResultsAll graders achieved similar accuracies. The accuracy by AUROC for the testing set was 0.82 [95% confidence interval (CI) of 0.77-0.87], 0.80 (95% CI: 0.75-0.85), 0.76 (95% CI: 0.71-0.81) for novice physicians, machine, experienced physicians, respectively. Processing time per test EMR was 0.00812±0.0009 seconds. In contrast, novice physicians took on average 156.80 seconds per test EMR, while experienced physicians took on average 56.40 seconds per test EMR.ConclusionsOur data indicated that the system could predict patient admission or discharge states with 80% accuracy, which was similar the performance of novice and experienced physicians. These results suggested that the algorithm could operate as an autonomous and independent system to complete this task.

BackgroundVery elderly critically ill patients (ie, those older than 75 or 80 years) are an increasing population in intensive care units. However, patients with cancer have encompassed only a minority in epidemiological studies of very old critically-ill patients. We aimed to describe clinical characteristics and identify factors associated with hospital mortality in a cohort of patients aged 80 or older with cancer admitted to intensive care units (ICUs).MethodsThis was a retrospective cohort study in 94 ICUs in Brazil. We included patients aged 80 years or older with active cancer who had an unplanned admission. We performed a mixed effect logistic regression model to identify variables independently associated with hospital mortality.ResultsOf 4604 included patients, 1807 (39.2%) died in hospital. Solid metastatic (OR = 2.46; CI 95%, 2.01-3.00), hematological cancer (OR = 2.32; CI 95%, 1.75-3.09), moderate/severe performance status impairment (OR = 1.59; CI 95%, 1.33-1.90) and use of vasopressors (OR = 4.74; CI 95%, 3.88-5.79), mechanical ventilation (OR = 1.54; CI 95%, 1.25-1.89) and renal replacement (OR = 1.81; CI 95%, 1.29-2.55) therapy were independently associated with increased hospital mortality. Emergency surgical admissions were associated with lower mortality compared to medical admissions (OR = 0.71; CI 95%, 0.52-0.96).ConclusionsHospital mortality rate in very elderly critically ill patients with cancer with unplanned ICU admissions are lower than expected a priori. Cancer characteristics, performance status impairment and acute organ dysfunctions are associated with increased mortality.

Given the scarcity of studies relating fire to deforestation in the Atlantic Forest and great economic and ecological importances of this biome, this work aimed to investigate this relationship in the Atlantic Forest of the State of São Paulo, trying to answer whether deforestation is related to fire events in up to three years, if there are regions most affected by this relationship and what land use and land cover predominates after fire and deforestation in these areas. The study was carried out in Evergreen Forest and Semideciduous Seasonal, along the time series from 2000 to 2019 using the MapBiomas Project database to survey deforested and burned sites with moderate to high severity fires. Burning positively influenced deforestation in EGF in eight of 19 years studied (2001, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2009, 2013 and 2015), while only for three years in the SSF. Burning followed by deforestation corresponded to only 3.2% of the total deforestation, located mainly in the eastern region of the state with the highest density in the EGF. Most of these areas have been converted to agriculture. This study provides the first indication that, generally, fire is not a driver of deforestation in the southeast Atlantic Forest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Staphylococcus aureus ica-independent biofilms are multifactorial in nature, and various bacterial proteins have been associated with biofilm development, including fibronectin-binding proteins A and B, protein A, surface protein SasG, proteases, and some autolysins. The role of extracellular DNA (eDNA) has also been demonstrated in some S. aureus biofilms. Here, we constructed a Tn551 library, and the screening identified two genes that affected biofilm formation, lrgB and yycI. The repressive effect of both genes on the development of biofilm was also confirmed in knockout strains constructed by allelic recombination. In contrast, the superexpression of either lrgB or yycI by a cadmium-inducible promoter led to a decrease in biofilm accumulation. Indeed, a significant increase in the cell-lysis dependent eDNA release was detected when lrgB or yycI were inactivated, explaining the enhanced biofilm formed by these mutants. In fact, lrgB and yycI genes belong to distinct operons that repress bacterial autolysis through very different mechanisms. LrgB is associated with the synthesis of phage holin/anti-holin analogues, while YycI participates in the activation/repression of the two-component system YycGF (WalKR). Our in vivo data suggest that autolysins activation lead to increased bacterial virulence in the foreign body animal model since a higher number of attached cells was recovered from the implanted catheters inoculated with lrgB or yycI knockout mutants.

Müller glia (MG), the sole glial cells generated by retinal progenitors, have emerged as a viable cellular target for therapeutic regeneration in degenerative blinding diseases, as they possess dormant stem cell properties. However, the mammalian MG does not display the neurogenic potential of their lower vertebrate counterparts, precluding their practical clinical use. The answer to this barrier may be found in two interlinked processes underlying the neurogenic potential, i.e., the activation of the dormant stem cell properties of MG and their differentiation along the neuronal lineage. Here, we have focused on the former and examined Notch signaling-mediated activation of MG. We demonstrate that one of the targets of Notch signaling is the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor (CKI), p27Kip1, which is highly expressed in quiescent MG. Notch signaling facilitates the activation of MG by inhibiting p27Kip1 expression. This is likely achieved through the Notch- p27Kip1 and Notch-Skp2-p27Kip1 axes, the former inhibiting the expression of p27Kip1 transcripts and the latter levels of p27Kip1 proteins by Skp2-mediated proteasomal degradation. Thus, Notch signaling may facilitate re-entry of MG into the cell cycle by inhibiting p27Kip1 expression both transcriptionally and post-translationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Müller glia (MG), the sole glial cells generated by retinal progenitors, have emerged as a viable cellular target for therapeutic regeneration in degenerative blinding diseases, as they possess dormant stem cell properties. However, the mammalian MG does not display the neurogenic potential of their lower vertebrate counterparts, precluding their practical clinical use. The answer to this barrier may be found in two interlinked processes underlying the neurogenic potential, i.e., the activation of the dormant stem cell properties of MG and their differentiation along the neuronal lineage. Here, we have focused on the former and examined Notch signaling-mediated activation of MG. We demonstrate that one of the targets of Notch signaling is the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor (CKI), p27Kip1, which is highly expressed in quiescent MG. Notch signaling facilitates the activation of MG by inhibiting p27Kip1 expression. This is likely achieved through the Notch- p27Kip1 and Notch-Skp2-p27Kip1 axes, the former inhibiting the expression of p27Kip1 transcripts and the latter levels of p27Kip1 proteins by Skp2-mediated proteasomal degradation. Thus, Notch signaling may facilitate re-entry of MG into the cell cycle by inhibiting p27Kip1 expression both transcriptionally and post-translationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]