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This research introduces a novel framework for enhancing soybean cultivation in North America by categorizing growing environments into distinct ecological and maturity-based zones. Using an integrated analysis of long-term climatic data and records of soybean varietal trials, this research generates a zonal environmental characterization which captures major components of the growing environment which affect the range of adaptation of soybean varieties. These findings have immediate applications for optimizing multi-environment soybean trials. This characterization allows breeders to assess the environmental representation of a multi-environmental trial of soybean varieties, and to strategize the distribution of testing and the placement of test sites accordingly. This application is demonstrated with a historical scenario of a soybean multi-environment trial, using two resource allocation models: one targeted towards improving the general adaptation of soybean varieties, which focuses on widely cultivated areas, and one targeted towards specific adaptation, which captures diverse environmental conditions. Ultimately, the study aims to improve the efficiency and impact of soybean breeding programs, leading to the development of cultivars resilient to variable and changing climates.

BackgroundIt is known that acute cor pulmonale (ACP) worsens the prognosis of non-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) acute respiratory distress syndrome (NC-ARDS). The ACP risk score evaluates the risk of ACP occurrence in mechanically ventilated patients with NC-ARDS. There is less data on the risk factors and prognosis of ACP induced by COVID-19-related pneumonia.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of ACP, assessed by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and clinical factors associated with ACP in a cohort of patients with COVID-19-related pneumonia.Materials and methodsBetween February 2020 and June 2021, patients admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) at Amiens University Hospital for COVID-19-related pneumonia were assessed by TTE within 48 h of admission. ACP was defined as a right ventricle/left ventricle area ratio of >0.6 associated with septal dyskinesia. The primary outcome was mortality at 30 days.ResultsAmong 146 patients included, 36% (n = 52/156) developed ACP of which 38% (n = 20/52) were non-intubated patients. The classical risk factors of ACP (found in NC-ARDS) such as PaCO2 >48 mmHg, driving pressure >18 mmHg, and PaO2/FiO2 < 150 mmHg were not associated with ACP (all P-values > 0.1). The primary outcome occurred in 32 (22%) patients. More patients died in the ACP group (n = 20/52 (38%) vs. n = 12/94 (13%), P = 0.001). ACP [hazards ratio (HR) = 3.35, 95%CI [1.56–7.18], P = 0.002] and age >65 years (HR = 2.92, 95%CI [1.50–5.66], P = 0.002) were independent risk factors of 30-day mortality.ConclusionACP was a frequent complication in ICU patients admitted for COVID-19-related pneumonia. The 30-day-mortality was 38% in these patients. In COVID-19-related pneumonia, the classical risk factors of ACP did not seem relevant. These results need confirmation in further studies.

In the past decade, the focus of bottom-up synthetic biology has shifted from the design of complex artificial cell architectures to the design of interactions between artificial cells mediated by physical and chemical cues. Engineering communication between artificial cells is crucial for the realization of coordinated dynamic behaviours in artificial cell populations, which would have implications for biotechnology, advanced colloidal materials and regenerative medicine. In this review, we focus our discussion on molecular communication between artificial cells. We cover basic concepts such as the importance of compartmentalization, the metabolic machinery driving signaling across cell boundaries and the different modes of communication used. The various studies in artificial cell signaling have been classified based on the distance between sender and receiver cells, just like in biology into autocrine, juxtacrine, paracrine and endocrine signaling. Emerging tools available for the design of dynamic and adaptive signaling are highlighted and some recent advances of signaling-enabled collective behaviours, such as quorum sensing, travelling pulses and predator-prey behaviour, are also discussed.

Little is known about the impact of giant cell arteritis (GCA) and its treatment on patient-reported physical, mental, and psychic quality of life (QoL). In this monocentric study, a questionnaire was sent to the 100 last patients diagnosed with GCA and followed-up in a single tertiary center. Their physical, mental and psychic status were self-assessed via close-ended questions, the 12-item short form survey (SF-12) and the 15-item geriatric depression scale (GDS). We aimed to identify parameters that were significantly associated with moderate-to-severe disability in both physical and mental domains. Ninety patients were analyzable. Moderate to severe physical disability was found in 41 (46%) patients. In multivariate analysis, walking difficulties (OR, 95% CI 8.42 [2.98–26.82], p 80 (OR, 95% CI 4.21 [1.44–13.61], p = 0.008) were independent findings associated with moderate to severe physical disability. Moderate to severe mental disability was found in 30 (33%) patients. In multivariate analysis, depressive mood (OR, 95% CI 11.05 [3.78–37.11], p < 0.0001), felt adverse events attributable to glucocorticoids (OR, 95% CI 10.54 [1.65–213.1], p = 0.01) and use of immune-suppressants (OR, 95% CI 3.50 [1.14–11.87], p = 0.03) were independent findings associated with moderate to severe mental disability. There was a statistically significant negative correlation between GDS and the physical and/or mental disability scores (GDS and PCS-12: r = −0.33, p = 0.0013; GDS and MCS-12: r = −0.36, p = 0.0005). In conclusion, this study identified via a self-assessment of patients with GCA some medical and modifiable findings that significantly affect their physical and mental quality of life. A better knowledge of these factors may help improve the care of GCA patients.

Poultry and swine farming are large contributors to environmental impacts, such as climate change, eutrophication, acidification, and air and water pollution. Feed production and manure management are identified as the main sources of these impacts. Reducing dietary crude protein levels is a nutritional strategy recognized to both decrease the use of high-impact feed ingredients and alter manure composition, reducing emissions of harmful components. For a successful implementation of this technique, feed-grade amino acid supplementation is crucial to maintaining animal performance. Reducing crude protein lowers nitrogen excretion, especially excess nitrogen excreted in urea or uric acid form, improving nitrogen efficiency. At the feed-gate, low–crude protein diets can reduce the carbon footprint of feed production through changes in raw material inclusion. The magnitude of this reduction mainly depends on the climate change impact of soybean meal and its land-use change on the feed-grade amino acids used. Reducing dietary crude protein also lowers the environmental impact of manure management in housing, storage, and at spreading: nitrogen emissions from manure (ammonia, nitrates, nitrous oxide) are reduced through reduction of nitrogen excretion. Moreover, synergetic effects exist with nitrogen form, water excretion, and manure pH, further reducing emissions. Volatilization of nitrogen is more reduced in poultry than in pigs, but emissions are more studied and better understood for pig slurry than poultry litter. Ammonia emissions are also more documented than other N-compounds. Low–crude protein diets supplemented with amino acids is a strategy reducing environmental impact at different stages of animal production, making life cycle assessment the best-suited tool to quantify reduction of environmental impacts. Recent studies report an efficient reduction of environmental impacts with low–crude protein diets. However, more standardization of limits and methods used is necessary to compare results. This review summarizes the current knowledge on mitigation of environmental impacts with low–crude protein diets supplemented with amino acids in poultry and swine, its quantification, and the biological mechanisms involved. A comparison between pigs and poultry is also included. It provides concrete information based on quantified research for decision making for the livestock industry and policy makers.

The development of motor competence is thought to be a crucial precursor to raising the trajectory of PA throughout a person’s life. The objectives of this study are to determine motor competence and the daily time of moderate and vigorous physical activity of students in 5th and 6th grade elementary in Chile, and to establish whether there are differences in motor competence according to sex and compliance with physical activity recommendations. 368 schoolchildren (M = 11.10 years; 54.3% girls) participated. To assess motor competence, the MOBAK 5–6 test was used. Physical activity was measured using ActiGraph wGT3X-BT® accelerometers. Boys (M = 3.65, SD = 2.14) showed better performance than girls (M = 2.39, SD = 1.80) in Object Control (p ≤ 0.001, PS = 0.67). For Self-Movement, the girls (M = 2.72, SD = 2.14) performed better than the boys (M = 2.40, SD = 1.86); however, there were no significant differences between the two sexes (p = 0.257). Boys (M = 48.4, SD = 22.8) presented more daily minutes of moderate and vigorous physical activity than girls (M = 35.9, SD = 16.9), with statistically significant differences (p ≤ 0.001, PS = 0.67). About MC according to compliance with the physical activity recommendations, only in Object Control there is a statistically significant difference (p ≤ 0.001; PS = 0.29) between the students who comply with the recommendations (M = 4.28, SD = 2.12) and those who do not achieve the recommended minutes (M = 2.67, SD = 1.29). By contrast, an analysis of Self-Movement found no significant difference (complies: M = 2.73, SD = 1.97; does not comply: M = 2.54, SD = 2.04; p = 0.408) between the two groups. It is necessary to generate instances that develop motor competence in all its dimensions to promote higher levels of moderate to vigorous physical activity.

IntroductionUnderstanding how socioeconomic markers interact could inform future policies aimed at increasing adherence to a healthy diet.MethodsThis cross-sectional study included 437,860 participants from the UK Biobank. Dietary intake was self-reported. Were used as measures socioeconomic education level, income and Townsend deprivation index. A healthy diet score was defined using current dietary recommendations for nine food items and one point was assigned for meeting the recommendation for each. Good adherence to a healthy diet was defined as the top 75th percentile, while poor adherence was defined as the lowest 25th percentile. Poisson regression was used to investigate adherence to dietary recommendations.ResultsThere were significant trends whereby diet scores tended to be less healthy as deprivation markers increased. The diet score trends were greater for education compared to area deprivation and income. Compared to participants with the highest level of education, those with the lowest education were found to be 48% less likely to adhere to a healthy diet (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 0.60–0.64). Additionally, participants with the lowest income level were 33% less likely to maintain a healthy diet (95% CI: 0.73–0.81), and those in the most deprived areas were 13% less likely (95% CI: 0.84–0.91).Discussion/conclussionAmong the three measured proxies of socioeconomic status – education, income, and area deprivation – low education emerged as the strongest factor associated with lower adherence to a healthy diet.

The objective of this research was to assess and quantify the potential vitamin A losses that occur during the manufacturing of pet feed and premix, as well as during their extended storage periods. This trial was conducted at a commercial feeder mill that utilized a standard commercial dog feed along with a corresponding vitamin-mineral premix. The calculated amount of vitamin A supplemented in the feed, in addition to the endogenous vitamins present in the ingredients, was adjusted to 18,000 IU/kg of feed. Five 500 g feed samples were collected at each of the predefined critical points throughout the manufacturing process (after mixing, milling, preconditioner, and extrusion/drying processes) to verify the stability of vitamin A during feed production. Additionally, various samples were collected at regular intervals of 30, 60, 90, 120, and 180 days during the storage of the premix to assess the stability of vitamin A. Vitamin A analyses in the samples were performed using high-performance liquid chromatography. The variables were assessed for normality using the Shapiro–Wilk test, followed by analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey’s test to compare the differences between the manufacturing process and premix shelf life. The statistical significance was set at 95%. The vitamin losses during the pre-conditioning process were 26%, and during the extrusion-drying processes, the losses were 34% when compared to the initial analyzed value. However, no differences were observed in other processes. There were no significant differences observed in recovered vitamin levels in the premix during its shelf-life (p = 0.484). The study indicated that the primary vitamin A losses in pet feed manufacturing processes occur during the pre-conditioning and drying/extrusion steps. However, it is worth noting that no significant losses of vitamin A were found during the premix storage phase.

Delirium is a neuropsychiatric syndrome associated with increased morbidity and mortality in older patients. The aim of this study was to review predictive biomarkers of delirium in older patients to gain insights into the pathophysiology of this syndrome and provide guidance for future studies. Two authors independently and systematically searched MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and Scopus databases up to August 2021. A total of 32 studies were included. Only 6 studies were eligible for the meta-analysis, pooled results showed a significant increase in some serum biomarkers (C-reactive protein [CRP], tumour necrosis factor alpha [TNF-α] and interleukin-6 [IL-6]) among patients with delirium (odds ratio = 1.88, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.637; I2 = 76.75%). Although current evidence does not favour the use of any particular biomarker, serum CRP, TNF-α, and IL-6 were the most consistent biomarkers of delirium in older patients.

Delirium is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in older adults admitted to hospital. Multicomponent interventions targeting delirium risk factors, including physical exercise and mobilization, have been shown to reduce delirium incidence by 30–40% in acute care settings. However, little is known about its role in the evolution of delirium, once established. This study is a randomized clinical trial conducted in the Acute Geriatric Unit of Hospital Universitario de Navarra (Pamplona, Spain). Hospitalized patients with delirium who meet the inclusion criteria will be randomly assigned to the intervention or the control group. The intervention will consist of a multicomponent exercise training program, which will be composed of supervised progressive resistance and strength exercise over 3 consecutive days. Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) will be used for assessing cerebral and muscle tissue blood flow. The objective is to assess the effectiveness of this intervention in modifying the following primary outcomes: duration and severity of delirium and functional status. This study will contribute to determine the effectiveness of physical exercise in the management of delirium. It will be the first study to evaluate the impact of a multicomponent intervention based on physical exercise in the evolution of delirium.Clinical trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov. identifier: NCT05442892 (date of registration June 26, 2022).

BackgroundPatients with stroke secondary to isolated anterior cerebral artery (ACA) occlusions have poor outcomes. Whether tandem occlusions (TO) of the extracranial internal carotid (ICA) and the ACA carry even worse outcomes that remain unknown.MethodsPatients with TO involving ICA and ACA occlusions were identified from 14 participating centers from the EndoVascular treatment And ThRombolysis in Ischemic Stroke Patients (EVATRISP) project which is a multicenter, observational, cohort study with prospective accrual of data followed by retrospective data analysis. Patients with isolated ACA stroke served as controls.ResultsIncluded were 92 patients with isolated ACA and 16 patients with ICA-ACA TO stroke. On univariate analyses, patients with TO had more severe strokes on admission [median NIHSS (IQR) 13.5 (9–21) vs. 8 (5–12), p = 0.003] and were more often treated with thrombectomy (81 vs. 40%, p = 0.002). Mortality rates were higher among TO patients (31 vs. 11%, p = 0.03). Rates of favorable functional outcomes were numerically lower among TO patients (38 vs. 60%) but the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.09). On multivariate analyses, the presence of TO did not modify the chances for favorable outcomes.ConclusionTO stroke with ICA and isolated ACA involvement is rare and results in more severe initial neurological deficits and higher mortality compared to those seen in patients with isolated ACA stroke.

The aim of this article is to present the research protocol for a prospective cohort study that will assess the olfactory function and the effect of an intervention based on olfactory training in healthy very old adults (≥75 years old). A convenience sample of 180 older people (50% female) will be recruited in three different environments: hospitalized control group (CH) with stable acute illness (n = 60); ambulatory control group (CA) of community-based living (n = 60); and an experimental odor training group (EOT) from nursing homes (n = 60). The odor training (OT) intervention will last 12 weeks. All the volunteers will be assessed at baseline; CA and EOT groups will also be assessed after 12 weeks. The primary end point will be change in olfactory capacity from baseline to 12 weeks period of intervention or control. The intervention effects will be assessed with the overall score achieved in Sniffin Sticks Test (SST) – Threshold, Discrimination, and Identification (TDI) extended version. Secondary end points will be changes in cognitive tasks, quality of life, mood, immune status, and functional capacity. All these measurements will be complemented with an immune fitness characterization and a deep proteome profiling of the olfactory epithelium (OE) cultured ex vivo. The current study will provide additional evidence to support the implementation of olfactory precision medicine and the development of immunomodulatory nasal therapies based on non-invasive procedures. The proposed intervention will also intend to increase the knowledge about the olfactory function in very elderly people, improve function and quality of life, and promote the recovery of the health.

Background: Human adaptive response to exercise interventions is often described as group average and SD to represent the typical response for most individuals, but studies reporting individual responses to exercise show a wide range of responses.Objective: To characterize the physiological effects and inter-individual variability on fat mass and other health-related and physical performance outcomes after 12 weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and dietary energy restriction in overweight/obese adult women.Methods: Thirty untrained adult overweight and obese women (age = 27.4 ± 7.9 years; BMI = 29.9 ± 3.3 kg/m2) successfully completed a 12-week supervised HIIT program and an individually prescribed home hypocaloric diet (75% of daily energy requirements) throughout the whole intervention. High and low responders to the intervention were those individuals who were able to lose ≥ 10 and < 10% of initial absolute fat mass (i.e., kilograms), respectively.Results: The prevalence for high and low responders was 33% (n = 11) and 66% (n = 19), respectively. At the whole group level, the intervention was effective to reduce the absolute fat mass (30.9 ± 7.2 vs. 28.5 ± 7.2 kg; p < 0.0001), body fat percentage (39.8 ± 4.3 vs. 37.8 ± 4.9%; p < 0.0001), and total body mass (76.7 ± 10.1 vs. 74.4 ± 9.9 kg; p < 0.0001). In addition, there were improvements in systolic blood pressure (SBP; Δ% = −5.1%), diastolic blood pressure (DBP; Δ% = −6.4%), absolute VO2peak (Δ% = +14.0%), relative VO2peak (Δ% = +13.8%), peak power output (PPO; Δ% = +19.8%), anaerobic threshold (AT; Δ% = +16.7%), maximal ventilation (VE; Δ% = +14.1%), and peak oxygen pulse (O2 pulse; Δ% = +10.4%). However, at the individual level, a wide range of effects were appreciated on all variables, and the magnitude of the fat mass changes did not correlate with baseline body mass or fat mass.Conclusion: A 12-week supervised HIIT program added to a slight dietary energy restriction effectively improved fat mass, body mass, blood pressure, and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). However, a wide range of inter-individual variability was observed in the adaptative response to the intervention. Furthermore, subjects classified as low responders for fat mass reduction could be high responders (HiRes) in many other health-related and physical performance outcomes. Thus, the beneficial effects of exercise in obese and overweight women go further beyond the adaptive response to a single outcome variable such as fat mass or total body mass reduction.

Objective: Characterization of the spatial and temporal dynamics of interictal epileptic discharges (IED) using time-frequency analysis (TFA) and electrical-source localization (ESL).Methods: TFA was performed on IED (spikes, spike waves, and polyspike waves) recorded by high-density-EEG (HD-EEG) in 19 refractory focal epileptic children. Temporal modulations related to IEDs were analyzed in a time window around the IED peaks [−1,000 to 1,000 ms]. Spatial modulations were analyzed by ESL in the time-frequency and time domains.Results: IED were associated with complex power spectral modulations. We observed increases in power spectrum (IPS) patterns specific to IED type. For spikes, the TFA pattern consisted of an IPS (−100 to +100 ms, 4–50 Hz). For spike waves, the IPS was followed by a second IPS (+100 to +400 ms, 4–10 Hz), corresponding to the slow wave. IPS patterns were preceded (−400 to −100 ms, 4–40 Hz), and followed (+100 to +400 ms) by a decrease in the power spectrum (DPS) (n = 8). For 14 out of 19 patients, at least one ESL method was concordant with the epileptogenic area. For the remaining five patients, all of them had temporal epilepsies. ESL in the time-frequency domain (DPS/IPS) provided concordant (n = 6) or complementary (n = 4) information to the ESL in the time domain concerning the epileptogenic zone. ESL in time-frequency domain (DPS/IPS) was the only method to provide concordant information concerning the epileptogenic zone in three patients.Significance: TFA demonstrates complex time-frequency modulations of the neuronal networks around IED, suggesting that the pathological mechanisms are initiated well before onset of the classical hyper-synchronization of the IED. Combining time and time-frequency analysis of the ESL provides complementary information to define the epileptogenic zone in refractory focal epilepsy.