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Abstract Parkinson’s Disease (PD) exhibits heterogeneous cognitive deficits that may represent different cognitive phenotypes. While previous studies have described them in a “macro” manner, only one study has applied Network Analysis (NA) in PD. NA represents a model to explore relationships between cognitive abilities, aiding in understanding cognitive phenotypes. This study aims to verify whether the cognitive system undergoes reorganization in PD with Mild Cognitive Impairment (PD-MCI) patients. To explore this, a Level II cognitive assessment was administered to 275 PD patients, who were classified into two diagnostic categories: PD-Cognitive Unimpaired (CU) (n = 171) and PD-MCI (n = 104). NA was applied to construct Gaussian Graphical Models for each diagnostic group, where nodes represent cognitive tests and demographic factors, and edges represent their interconnections. The NA revealed substantial differences between the cognitive networks of PD-CU and PD-MCI patients. Specifically, the network of PD-MCI patients appears less sparse, with some weakened relationships between nodes. Overall, the results support the presence of a cognitive reorganization in PD-MCI patients, potentially indicating a functional compensation mechanism. In conclusion, this study enhances the understanding of the cognitive mechanisms underlying cognitive decline in patients with PD.

Urbanizing river deltas are highly susceptible to sea level rise and extreme weather events such as floods and droughts. Water-related disasters are already happening more often due to climate change, rapid urbanization, unsustainable land use and aging infrastructure threatening a large fraction of human and natural environments in these low lying and sinking areas around the globe. As stress levels of climate change are accelerating, societal and physical transformations are essential for adapting our deltas to climate change. In the Netherlands, imagination and evidence by design in the form of a long-term spatial vision, played a pivotal role in the past century to set, share and accomplish a new direction to overcome flood disasters by altering the coastlines and riverbeds of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. The unprecedented rainfall in July 2021 and the storm in December 2021 which hit Western Europe revealed the effectiveness of this new direction. We therefore plea for a prominent role of design in climate science and delta management to imagine, analyse and communicate future perspectives for climate adaptation in urbanizing deltas.

Abstract Background Opicapone is a third-generation catechol-O-methyl-transferase inhibitor currently used for the treatment of motor fluctuations in Parkinson’s disease. Its benefit and safety have been established by clinical trials; however, data about its use in a real-life context, and particularly in an Italian population of patients with Parkinson’s disease, are missing. Objectives We aimed to gather data about the real-life tolerability/safety of opicapone when used for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease-related motor fluctuations. Methods We enrolled 152 consecutive patients with Parkinson’s disease and followed them for 2 years after opicapone introduction. We obtained baseline clinical and demographical information, including disease duration, stage, phenotype, as well as axial and non-motor symptoms. We collected the reasons for any treatment interruption and adverse events emerging after opicapone introduction. Results Eighty-nine (58%) patients reported adverse events and 46 (30%) patients discontinued the treatment. Adverse events occurred less frequently in “earlier” patients accordingly to the disease course and l-Dopa treatment pathway; a motor fluctuation duration ≥12 months and Hoehn and Yahr scale score ≥2.5 were the main predictors of therapy withdrawal. Conclusions This study confirms the good tolerability/safety profile of opicapone in a real-life setting and provides country-specific data for Italian patients with Parkinson’s disease.

Cyclopropane can be hydrogenated to produce propane under moderately high temperatures ([tilde]175 [degrees]C). Using a nanoparticle palladium catalyst, undergraduate students can explore the reaction and draw conclusions regarding the conditions for reaction. When deuterium is used, conclusions pertaining to the reaction mechanism are possible. The full complexity of the hydrogen--deuterium exchange equilibrium on the metal surface is indicated by the observation of all nine possible hydrogen-deuterium isotopologues, propane-dx (x = 0-8), as products. To think about the reaction mechanism, the unusual bonding in cyclopropane and its interactions with a metal surface are considered. Differences between cyclopropane and propane in terms of their physical and chemical properties are discussed. The use of this activity as a multisemester research project across all levels of undergraduate students is discussed in terms of logistics, expectations, and outcomes. The catalyst tube consists of nanoparticle palladium beads (0.5%) on alumina, is inexpensive and easy to construct, and lasts indefinitely. Product analysis is by mass spectrometry and [superscript 1]H NMR spectroscopy. Suggestions are provided for undergraduate exploration and inquiry-based research activities.

Most bacterial species synthesize extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) with diverse compositional, structural, and functional characteristics. When under sustained hydrodynamic flow, bacteria form streamers, which are filamentous matrix structures porous in nature. So far, investigations on streamers have been limited to pure culture bacterial species, overlooking the aggregate nature of bacterial flocs and biofilms. The aim of this work is to analyze the effects of the cultivation conditions (controlling the EPS synthesis), the hydrodynamics, and the bacterial species type on streamer formation by pure and mixed culture using microfluidic separators. Enterobacter A47 (EPS-producing bacterium) and Cupriavidus necator (non-EPS producing bacterium) are used for the experimental work. It has been found that the EPS secreted by the bacteria and flow conditions play a very significant role in streamer formation dynamics. Strong flow conditions (i.e., high flow rates and small constrictions with tortuous architecture) favor the fast development of streamers, whereas intermediate flow rates result in sustained growth for longer filtration times, leading to dense streamers. Our analysis confirms that the presence of EPS in the bacterial suspension critically controls streamer formation by forming bacterial aggregates, or flocs, and bridging between different aggregates. We also found that streamer formation is significantly enhanced with mixed bacterial culture, which may be attributed to the symbiotic relationships influencing the concentration and characteristics of EPS and the material behavior in general.

Satellite cells, the stem cells of skeletal muscle tissue, hold a remarkable regeneration capacity and therapeutic potential in regenerative medicine. However, low satellite cell yield from autologous or donor-derived muscles hinders the adoption of satellite cell transplantation for the treatment of muscle diseases, including Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). To address this limitation, here we investigated whether satellite cells can be derived in allogeneic or xenogeneic animal hosts. First, injection of CRISPR/Cas9-corrected [Dmd.sup.mdx] mouse induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into mouse blastocysts carrying an ablation system of host satellite cells gave rise to intraspecies chimeras exclusively carrying iPSC-derived satellite cells. Furthermore, injection of genetically corrected DMD iPSCs into rat blastocysts resulted in the formation of interspecies rat-mouse chimeras harboring mouse satellite cells. Notably, iPSC-derived satellite cells or derivative myoblasts produced in intraspecies or interspecies chimeras restored dystrophin expression in DMD mice following intramuscular transplantation and contributed to the satellite cell pool. Collectively, this study demonstrates the feasibility of producing therapeutically competent stem cells across divergent animal species, raising the possibility of generating human muscle stem cells in large animals for regenerative medicine purposes., Introduction Muscle degeneration denotes the loss of skeletal muscle mass as a consequence of pathological conditions in the form of sarcopenia, cachexia, or muscular dystrophies (1, 2). Following muscle insult, [...]

Introduction: As a result of Industry 5.0’s technological advancements, collaborative robots (cobots) have emerged as pivotal enablers for refining manufacturing processes while re-focusing on humans. However, the successful integration of these cutting-edge tools hinges on a better understanding of human factors when interacting with such new technologies, eventually fostering workers’ trust and acceptance and promoting low-fatigue work. This study thus delves into the intricate dynamics of human-cobot interactions by adopting a human-centric view.Methods: With this intent, we targeted senior workers, who often contend with diminishing work capabilities, and we explored the nexus between various human factors and task outcomes during a joint assembly operation with a cobot on an ergonomic workstation. Exploiting a dual-task manipulation to increase the task demand, we measured performance, subjective perceptions, eye-tracking indices and cardiac activity during the task. Firstly, we provided an overview of the senior workers’ perceptions regarding their shared work with the cobot, by measuring technology acceptance, perceived wellbeing, work experience, and the estimated social impact of this technology in the industrial sector. Secondly, we asked whether the considered human factors varied significantly under dual-tasking, thus responding to a higher mental load while working alongside the cobot. Finally, we explored the predictive power of the collected measurements over the number of errors committed at the work task and the participants’ perceived workload.Results: The present findings demonstrated how senior workers exhibited strong acceptance and positive experiences with our advanced workstation and the cobot, even under higher mental strain. Besides, their task performance suffered increased errors and duration during dual-tasking, while the eye behavior partially reflected the increased mental demand. Some interesting outcomes were also gained about the predictive power of some of the collected indices over the number of errors committed at the assembly task, even though the same did not apply to predicting perceived workload levels.Discussion: Overall, the paper discusses possible applications of these results in the 5.0 manufacturing sector, emphasizing the importance of adopting a holistic human-centered approach to understand the human-cobot complex better.

Resumo Fundamento O infarto do miocárdio com elevação do segmento-ST (IAMCSST) é definido por sintomas acompanhados por alterações típicas do eletrocardiograma. Entretanto, a caracterização dos sintomas isquêmicos não é clara, principalmente em subgrupos, como mulheres e idosos. Objetivos Analisar a tipificação dos sintomas isquêmicos, métricas temporais e observar a ocorrência de desfechos intra-hospitalares, em análise dos escores preditivos, em pacientes com IAMCSST, em estratégia fármaco-invasiva. Métodos Estudo envolvendo 2.290 pacientes. Tipos de apresentações clínicas pré-definidas: dor típica, dor atípica, dispnéia, sincope. Medimos o tempo entre o início dos sintomas à demanda pelo atendimento e o intervalo entre a chegada à unidade-médica e trombólise. Odds-ratios (OR; IC-95%) foram estimadas em modelo de regressão. Curvas ROCs foram construídas para preditores de mortalidade. Nível de significância adotado (alfa) foi de 5%. Resultados Mulheres apresentaram alta prevalência de sintomas atípicos; maior tempo entre o início dos sintomas e a procura por atendimento; atraso entre a chegada ao pronto-socorro e a fibrinólise. A mortalidade hospitalar foi de 5,6%. Predição de risco pela classificação Killip-Kimball: AUC: [0,77 (0,73-0,81)] em classe ≥II. Subgrupos estudados [OR (IC-95%)]: mulheres [2,06 (1,42-2,99); p=0,01]; insuficiência renal crônica [3,39 (2,13-5,42); p

Objective To investigate characteristics that may be associated with radiologic and functional findings following discharge in patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods This single-center, prospective, observational cohort study comprised patients aged >18 years who were hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonia, between May and October 2020. After 3 to 6 months of discharge, patients were clinically evaluated and underwent spirometry, a 6-minute walk test (6MWT), and chest computed tomography (CT). Statistical analysis was performed using association and correlation tests. Results A total of 134 patients were included (25/114 [22%] were admitted with severe hypoxemia). On the follow-up chest CT, 29/92 (32%) had no abnormalities, regardless of the severity of the initial involvement, and the mean 6MWT distance was 447 m. Patients with desaturation on admission had an increased risk of remaining CT abnormalities: patients with SpO 2 between 88 and 92% had a 4.0-fold risk, and those with SpO 2

Understanding infant diet is of great importance to elucidate its determining factors. It is known that parents exert great influence on the formation of their children's eating behavior and are able to define their children's eating patterns at other moments in their future life cycles. However, the effects of parental practices and perceptions on the food consumption and nutritional status of their children need to be elucidated more clearly. This study aimed to verify the association of parental practices and perceptions with food consumption and nutritional status of children. This is a cross-sectional study, conducted with parents and children aged two to six years old. Questionnaires were applied using the Google Forms® platform to investigate parental practices and perceptions, sociodemographic data, weight and height, child food consumption, and family food routine. The instruments used in data collection were the Child Feeding Questionnaire, the Child Feeding Frequency Questionnaire, and the authors’ own questions. For statistical analysis, p