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EphA2, a member of the large family of Eph receptor tyrosine kinases, is highly expressed in epithelial tissue and has been implicated in cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions, as well as cell growth and survival. Expression of EphA2 mRNA and protein was markedly upregulated by both hypertonic stress and by elevated urea concentrations in cells derived from the murine inner medullary collecting duct. This upregulation likely required transactivation of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor tyrosine kinase and metalloproteinase-dependent ectodomain cleavage of an EGF receptor ligand, based on pharmacological inhibitor studies. A human EphA2 promoter fragment spanning nucleotides -4030 to +21 relative to the putative EphA2 transcriptional start site was responsive to tonicity but insensitive to urea. A promoter fragment spanning -1890 to +128 recapitulated both tonicity- and urea-dependent upregulation of expression, consistent with transcriptional activation. Neither the bona fide p53 response element at approximately -1.5 kb nor a pair of putative Tone elements at approximately -3 kb conferred the tonicity responsiveness. EphA2 mRNA and protein were expressed at low levels in rat renal cortex but at high levels in the collecting ducts of the renal medulla and papilla. Water deprivation in rats increased EphA2 expression in renal papilla, whereas dietary supplementation with 20% urea increased EphA2 expression in outer medulla. These data indicate that transcription and expression of the EphA2 receptor tyrosine kinase are regulated by tonicity and urea in vitro and suggest that this phenomenon is also operative in vivo. Renal medullary EphA2 expression may represent an adaptive response to medullary hypertonicity or urea exposure. osmotic; cell volume regulation; receptor tyrosine kinase; signal transduction; rat; kidney

Motivation Single-cell time-lapse microscopy is a ubiquitous tool for studying the dynamics of complex cellular processes. While imaging can be automated to generate very large volumes of data, the processing of the resulting movies to extract high-quality single-cell information remains a challenging task. The development of software tools that automatically identify and track cells is essential for realizing the full potential of time-lapse microscopy data. Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are ideally suited for such applications, but require great amounts of manually annotated data for training, a time-consuming and tedious process. Results We developed a new approach to CNN training for yeast cell segmentation based on synthetic data and present (i) a software tool for the generation of synthetic images mimicking brightfield images of budding yeast cells and (ii) a convolutional neural network (Mask R-CNN) for yeast segmentation that was trained on a fully synthetic dataset. The Mask R-CNN performed excellently on segmenting actual microscopy images of budding yeast cells, and a density-based spatial clustering algorithm (DBSCAN) was able to track the detected cells across the frames of microscopy movies. Our synthetic data creation tool completely bypassed the laborious generation of manually annotated training datasets, and can be easily adjusted to produce images with many different features. The incorporation of synthetic data creation into the development pipeline of CNN-based tools for budding yeast microscopy is a critical step toward the generation of more powerful, widely applicable and user-friendly image processing tools for this microorganism. Availability and implementation The synthetic data generation code can be found at https://github.com/prhbrt/synthetic-yeast-cells. The Mask R-CNN as well as the tuning and benchmarking scripts can be found at https://github.com/ymzayek/yeastcells-detection-maskrcnn. We also provide Google Colab scripts that reproduce all the results of this work. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context and background Land reclamation in Eti-Osa and Lagos Island, Lagos State, has led to infrastructure development but also created hazards like water overflow due to inadequately maintained drainage systems and uncontrolled urban growth. Goal and Objectives This study aimed to determine the area covered by land reclamation in Eti-Osa and Lagos Island, Lagos State, between 1992 and 2022, to mitigate hazards associated with reclaimed land for sustainable urban development. Methodology The spatiotemporal land use and land cover (LULC) were determined using historic Landsat images from different years (1992, 2002, 2013, and 2022). The reclaimed areas were extracted from the classified LULC, with the initial LULC map serving as the baseline data. The reclaimed areas were then detected by overlaying the LULC maps from 2002, 2013, and 2022, determining the area converted from water bodies and wetlands to bare land and built-up areas. Results The results showed that land use and land cover types in the study area included bare land, built-up areas, forests, shrubs, water bodies, and wetlands. The increase in built-up areas and bare land from 1992 to 2022 indicates urban development, while land reclamation on water bodies and wetlands has contributed to urban development. The study recommends the development of green infrastructure and sustainable urban drainage to absorb and store storm runoff, avoiding flood hazards and providing an absorption and storage area for storm runoff.

Context and Background The master plan of Ibeju-Lekki, developed in 2009, aims to conserve the environment, control urban sprawl, reduce transportation expenses, avoid land use disputes, and minimize pollution exposure. However, inadequate planning has led to the growth of urban sprawl in the area, causing flood and erosion hazards in some communities. Goal and Objectives: This study aimed to assess the spatial distribution of land use types in the master plan, determine the land cover change between the year of master plan production and the present year, and assess the development of Ibeju-Lekki in relation to the master plan. Methodology: The analogue format of the master plan was obtained, georeferenced, and converted into a vector format (ESRI Shapefile) for spatial analysis. Multi-spectral images (Landsat images) were obtained for the years 2009 and 2023 to detect changes in land cover and development in the study area. Results: The results showed that residential land use had the largest spatial extent on the master plan, but it will soon be congested due to increased industries. Built-up areas, bare land, and wetlands increased between 2009 and 2023, while vegetation and water bodies declined. The highest development occurred on residential land use between 2009 and 2023, with unplanned development in fragile and conserved areas like lagoons, green areas, flood basins, open space, and eco-tourism. The study recommends vulnerability assessment of altered areas in the master plan and re-evaluation to accommodate the changes occurring in the Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos State.

Summary: Liver transplantation (LT) was originally described by Starzl as a promising strategy to treat primary malignancies of the liver. Confronted with high recurrence rates, indications drifted towards non-oncologic liver diseases with LT finally evolving from a high-risk surgery to an almost routine surgical procedure. Continuously improving outcomes following LT and evolving oncological treatment strategies have driven renewed interest in transplant oncology. This is not only reflected by constant refinements to the criteria for LT in patients with HCC, but especially by efforts to expand indications to other primary and secondary liver malignancies. With new patient-centred oncological treatments on the rise and new technologies to expand the donor pool, the field has the chance to come full circle. In this review, we focus on the concept of transplant oncology, current indications, as well as technical and ethical aspects in the context of donor organs as precious resources.

137Cs-contaminated core samples are taken from nearby a leaking single-shell storage tank in Hanford, Washington. The binding of 137Cesium to contaminated sediments is graphed, as is the probability of mobility, especially in relation to micas.

Abstract Background Globally, hormonal contraceptives have proved to be effective in the prevention of unwanted pregnancies. However, despite evidence of the many benefits associated with the use of hormonal contraceptives, concerns related to their safety and side effects have been reported. We conducted a study to explore the perspectives on the side effects of hormonal contraceptives among women of reproductive age in Kitwe district of Zambia. Methods An explorative qualitative study was done among 32 women of reproductive age (18–45 years). Participants were selected conveniently as they accessed family planning services at a designated reproductive, maternal, and child health facility. Data collection was done through in-depth interviews (IDIs). Recruitment of participants and data collection continued until the saturation point was reached. The interviews were recorded, translated, and transcribed verbatim. Data were imported into NVivo.x64 for coding and node generation after which categories and themes were developed manually. Results Overall, participants demonstrated a considerable amount of knowledge of family planning, recounting the economic and health benefits as well as demerits of family planning use. The main reasons for discontinuing and switching hormonal contraceptive methods were the desire to get pregnant and the fear of unpleasant side effects, including excessive bleeding or prolonged menstruation, headache, dizziness, lower abdominal/back pain, and weight gain. Most importantly, participants cited concerns about the delay in the resumption of fertility after the termination of contraception and how the side effects disrupted their daily activities at home. Conclusion There is a need for family planning providers to offer family planning services that address the side effects of hormonal contraceptives during counselling and how women can manage them. Family planning services should adopt a patient-centred approach that takes into consideration the concerns regarding side effects and how this affects the quality of life among women. Also, there is a need to extend family planning services to include scheduled follow-ups and clinical management of contraceptive side effects among women.

A study was conducted to determine the roles and importance of S-nitrosothiols in various physiological processes and examine their reactions with thiols. The Na2N2O3 and S-nitrosoglutathione and were synthesized. Results revealed that S-nitrosothiols could react with thiols to yield disulfide and nitroxyls which resulted in the generation of other species such as NO, sulfinamide and hydroxylamine when nitroxyl further reacted with S-nitrosothiols and thiols.

Post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) remains the major contributor to death after liver resection. Oxidative stress is associated with postoperative complications, but its impact on liver function is unclear. This first in-human, prospective, single-center, observational pilot study evaluated perioperative oxidative stress and PHLF according to the ISGLS (International Study Group for Liver Surgery). Serum 8-isoprostane, 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE), total antioxidative capacity, vitamins A and E, and intraoperative, sequential hepatic tissue 4-HNE and UCP2 (uncoupling protein 2) immunohistochemistry (IHC) were assessed. The interaction with known risk factors for PHLF and the predictive potential of oxidative stress markers were analyzed. Overall, 52 patients were included (69.2% major liver resection). Thirteen patients (25%) experienced PHLF, a major factor for 90-day mortality (23% vs. 0%; p = 0.013). Post-resection, pro-oxidative 8-isoprostane significantly increased (p = 0.038), while 4-HNE declined immediately (p < 0.001). Antioxidative markers showed patterns of consumption starting post-resection (p < 0.001). Liver tissue oxidative stress increased stepwise from biopsies taken after laparotomy to post-resection in situ liver and resection specimens (all p < 0.001). Cholangiocarcinoma patients demonstrated significantly higher serum and tissue oxidative stress levels at various timepoints, with consistently higher preoperative values in advanced tumor stages. Combining intraoperative, post-resection 4-HNE serum levels and in situ IHC early predicted PHLF with an AUC of 0.855 (63.6% vs. 0%; p < 0.001). This was also associated with grade B/C PHLF (36.4% vs. 0%; p = 0.021) and 90-day mortality (18.2% vs. 0%; p = 0.036). In conclusion, distinct patterns of perioperative oxidative stress levels occur in patients with liver dysfunction. Combining intraoperative serum and liver tissue markers predicts subsequent PHLF. Cholangiocarcinoma patients demonstrated pronounced systemic and hepatic oxidative stress, with increasing levels in advanced tumor stages, thus representing a worthwhile target for future exploratory and therapeutic studies.