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Background: Electronic health can help improve perioperative outcomes and overcome organizational constraints related to human resources and health care-related costs. In this initial report, we assess patient compliance with a digital platform including pre- and rehabilitation programs, checklists, electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePROs), and remote monitoring after surgery. Materials and Methods: Twenty-four patients undergoing major uro-oncological surgery were prospectively included and followed from the surgical decision time point to the 3-month follow-up visit by Betty.care app. The primary end-point was patient compliance with the digital tool materials, grouped into four domains: safety, education, ePRO collection, and remote monitoring. Results and Limitations: The mean age was 62 years. The mean hospital stay was 1.8 days (50% of outpatient surgeries). Four complications occurred (16.7%), including one emergency readmission. The compliance of patients for fulfilling or reading all safety, education, and ePRO questionnaires was 79.2%, 76.5%, and 86.2%, respectively. The activation of real-time notifications as predefined by Betty.care detected half of the complications. All the generated alerts were related to a confirmed postoperative grade 2 or 3 complication. The mean duration of daily remote monitoring was 18.5 days after discharge. Satisfaction with their perioperative pathway was scored 8.4 out of 10 by patients. Conclusions: In conclusion, the implementation of a mobile app that provides a holistic approach to the perioperative period, integrating prehabilitation, rehabilitation, ePRO collection, checklists, and remote monitoring is feasible in clinical practice with good patient compliance. These preliminary findings suggest that the Betty.care digital platform could improve outcomes, facilitate recovery, and secure at-home discharge.

Abstract The release of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in cell cultures as well as their molecular cargo can be influenced by cell culture conditions such as the presence of foetal bovine serum (FBS). Although several studies have evaluated the effect of removing FBS‐derived EVs by ultracentrifugation (UC), less is known about the influence of FBS heat inactivation (HI) on the cell‐derived EVs. To assess this, three protocols based on different combinations of EV depletion by UC and HI were evaluated, including FBS ultracentrifuged but not heat inactivated (no‐HI FBS), FBS heat inactivated before EV depletion (HI‐before EV‐depl FBS), and FBS heat inactivated after EV depletion (HI‐after EV‐depl FBS). We isolated large (L‐EVs) and small EVs (S‐EVs) from FBS treated in the three different ways, and we found that the S‐EV pellet from HI‐after EV‐depl FBS was larger than the S‐EV pellet from no‐HI FBS and HI‐before EV‐depl FBS. Transmission electron microscopy, protein quantification, and particle number evaluation showed that HI‐after EV‐depl significantly increased the protein amount of S‐EVs but had no significant effect on L‐EVs. Consequently, the protein quantity of S‐EVs isolated from three cell lines cultured in media supplemented with HI‐after EV‐depl FBS was significantly increased. Quantitative mass spectrometry analysis of FBS‐derived S‐EVs showed that the EV protein content was different when FBS was HI after EV depletion compared to EVs isolated from no‐HI FBS and HI‐before EV‐depl FBS. Moreover, we show that several quantified proteins could be ascribed to human origin, thus demonstrating that FBS bovine proteins can mistakenly be attributed to human cell‐derived EVs. We conclude that HI of FBS performed after EV depletion results in changes in the proteome, with molecules that co‐isolate with EVs and can contaminate EVs when used in subsequent cell cultures. Our recommendation is, therefore, to always perform HI of FBS prior to EV depletion.

Abstract Pecan [Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch] is a crop fruit native to the USA and Mexico currently cultivated in several countries, including Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Peru, China, South Africa, and Australia. Supported by the increasing consumption and market prices, the interest in the cultivation of this fruit crop is strongly growing around the world. In this study, AFLP and S-SAP markers were employed to characterize the genetic diversity of ancient accessions of pecan from southern Brazil. The evaluated plants were selected and preserved by the farmers and are remnants of the first introduction of seedlings from the U.S.A into southern Brazil aiming at developing research towards establishing commercial orchards. High levels of genetic diversity were estimated, suggesting that these plants have an important genetic background for the establishment of a germplasm collection with a wide genetic basis, for the development of breeding programs for this fruit crop. Cluster analysis of the genetic datasets revealed some correlation between the nuts’ morphometric traits and genetic markers. Such correlation should be further exploited. These ancient genotypes must be evaluated for other agronomic traits of interest and included in core collections of pecans.