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The photochemical smog situation in Switzerland on 29 July, 1993 wassimulated using the 3-D grid model UAM (Urban Airshed Model) and theresults were compared with those of a multi-parcel Lagrangian model.Sensitivity analyses concerning initial conditions, emissions, deposition, biogenic volatile organic compounds (VOC), and emission reductions were carried out. Results were compared with field measurements.Calculations showed that although ozone (O3) formation inSwitzerland is mainly NOx, (NO + NO2) limited,some areas seem also to be sensitive to VOC emissions. According to the calculations, reducing anthropogenic VOC emissions by 20--80% would lead to a decrease of 5--25% in O3 levels in a few regions, whereas the calculated decrease in O3 concentrations by NOx emission reductions was 6- -38% and is expected to be effective over a larger area. Impacts of emission reductions on other species, such as peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), nitric acid (HNO3) and formaldehyde (HCHO) were investigated. A correlation was found between the sensitivity of O3 to emission reductions, and NOz (NOy-NOx, where NOy = NOx + PAN + HNO3 + other nitrates) at the time of peak O3, VOC controls seem to be effective only at NOz concentrations higher than about 2 ppb, whereas NOx controls are effective also below this range. Exclusion of biogenic VOC decreased the calculated O3 concentrations by only 5% in certain regions. PAN and H2O2 concentrations, however, decreased significantly. Differences and similarities between the results of this study and those of a multi-parcel Lagrangian model are discussed, and criteria are outlined to decide on the choice for specific problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To characterize the outcomes of ileal interposition for the management of ureteral obstruction from tumor and ureteral stricture following treatment for abdominopelvic malignancy., Materials and Methods: A retrospective database analysis was performed for all cases of ileal interposition performed by 5 surgeons from January 2013 to December 2020. Patients were ≥18 years of age and included if undergoing ileal interposition in either the primary setting of a surgical procedure for tumor extirpation or in the delayed setting., Results: In total, 23 patients who underwent repair of 27 ureteral units were included. The mean age was 60.2 years. Median follow-up was 21.6 months. The most common primary diagnoses were urothelial (35%), colorectal (31%), and cervical (22%) cancer. The etiologies of ureteral obstruction were malignant in 48% and ureteral stricture in 52%. Types of repairs included unilateral interposition in 13 patients, bilateral interposition in 1 patient, interposition to an ileal conduit in 3 patients, and interposition with cystoplasty in 6 patients. There was a statistically significant difference between the mean preoperative (Creatinine 1.05 mg/dL, Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate 77 ml/min/1.73 m 2 ) renal function and postoperative (Creatinine 1.26 mg/dL, Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate 67 mL/min/1.73 m 2 ) renal function at the most recent follow-up (P = .024). Eight minor (grade 1-2) and 6 major (grade ≥3) complications developed for a minor and major complication rate of 35% and 26%, respectively., Conclusion: Ileal interposition is successfully utilized as a reconstructive technique at the time of enbloc resection involving the ureter and to address ureteral stricture in the delayed setting., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors of this paper have no relevant competing interests or financial disclosures., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

It is well established that bariatric surgery, the most effective method to achieve long-term weight loss in obese subjects, reverses enhanced preference and intake of sweet/fatty foods. Although taste and odor preference changes following bariatric surgery have been previously described, their time course and relationship to weight loss remains an issue. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between taste and odor preference changes and successful weight loss following bariatric surgery. A cross-sectional study was performed on 195 human subjects with body mass index (BMI) above 30 (at least class I obesity), who were scheduled to receive (n = 54) or had previously received (n = 141) Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB). A Self-Assessment Manikin test was used to measure each participant's affective reaction (ranging from pleasure to displeasure) to a variety of food-related and odor-related pictures. Results confirmed earlier reports about changes in sweet/fatty foods preference after surgery and revealed a shift in preference toward less calorie-dense foods. Relatedly, endorsements of "favorite" foods were mostly sweet/fatty foods in subjects awaiting surgery but were shifted toward more healthy choices, particularly vegetables, in subjects post-RYGB surgery. However, food preference ratings trended toward pre-surgical levels as the time since surgery increased. Answers to open-ended questions about why their diet changed post-surgery revealed that changes in cravings, rather than changes in taste per se, were the major factor. Surprisingly, patients rating a coffee taste as more pleasing after surgery had a lower post-surgical BMI. No associations of odors with change in BMI were apparent. Results showed that following bariatric surgery taste preferences are significantly altered and that these changes correlate with lowered BMI. However, these changes fade as time since surgery lengthens. These results may suggest diagnostic criteria to identify people at risk for less than optimal changes in BMI following bariatric surgery., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Our goal was the visualizing the vascular damage and acute inflammatory response to micro- and minibeam irradiation in vivo. Microbeam (MRT) and minibeam radiation therapies (MBRT) are tumor treatment approaches of potential clinical relevance, both consisting of parallel X-ray beams and allowing the delivery of thousands of Grays within tumors. We compared the effects of microbeams (25-100 μm wide) and minibeams (200-800 μm wide) on vasculature, inflammation and surrounding tissue changes during zebrafish caudal fin regeneration in vivo. Microbeam irradiation triggered an acute inflammatory response restricted to the regenerating tissue. Six hours post irradiation (6 hpi), it was infiltrated by neutrophils and fli1a(+) thrombocytes adhered to the cell wall locally in the beam path. The mature tissue was not affected by microbeam irradiation. In contrast, minibeam irradiation efficiently damaged the immature tissue at 6 hpi and damaged both the mature and immature tissue at 48 hpi. We demonstrate that vascular damage, inflammatory processes and cellular toxicity depend on the beam width and the stage of tissue maturation. Minibeam irradiation did not differentiate between mature and immature tissue. In contrast, all irradiation-induced effects of the microbeams were restricted to the rapidly growing immature tissue, indicating that microbeam irradiation could be a promising tumor treatment tool.

The genus Ischnothyreus Simon, 1893 from Java and Sumatra is revised with the description of seven new species from Java (I. baltenspergerae sp. nov., I. bauri sp. nov., I. gigeri sp. nov., I. ligulatus sp. nov., I. nentwigorum sp. nov., I. sigridae sp. nov., I. ujungkulon sp. nov) and eight from Sumatra (I. ascifer sp. nov., I. concavus sp. nov., I. habeggeri sp. nov., I. haymozi sp. nov., I. lucidus sp. nov., I. marggii sp. nov., I. microphthalmus sp. nov., I. obscurus sp. nov.). Furthermore the male of I. serpentinum Saaristo, 2001 is described for the first time and the female redescribed in detail. Special morphological features of Ischnothyreus males and females are described and discussed, such as peculiar trochanter projections, partially fused pedipalp segments, processes on the cheliceral fang base in males and external and internal genitalic structures in females. This work is part of the Planetary Biodiversity Inventory (PBI) of goblin spiders (http://research.amnh.org/oonopidae/)..

Biomechanical forces, such as fluid shear stress, govern multiple aspects of endothelial cell biology. In blood vessels, disturbed flow is associated with vascular diseases, such as atherosclerosis, and promotes endothelial cell proliferation and apoptosis. Here, we identified an important role for disturbed flow in lymphatic vessels, in which it cooperates with the transcription factor FOXC2 to ensure lifelong stability of the lymphatic vasculature. In cultured lymphatic endothelial cells, FOXC2 inactivation conferred abnormal shear stress sensing, promoting junction disassembly and entry into the cell cycle. Loss of FOXC2-dependent quiescence was mediated by the Hippo pathway transcriptional coactivator TAZ and, ultimately, led to cell death. In murine models, inducible deletion of Foxc2 within the lymphatic vasculature led to cell-cell junction defects, regression of valves, and focal vascular lumen collapse, which triggered generalized lymphatic vascular dysfunction and lethality. Together, our work describes a fundamental mechanism by which FOXC2 and oscillatory shear stress maintain lymphatic endothelial cell quiescence through intercellular junction and cytoskeleton stabilization and provides an essential link between biomechanical forces and endothelial cell identity that is necessary for postnatal vessel homeostasis. As FOXC2 is mutated in lymphedema-distichiasis syndrome, our data also underscore the role of impaired mechanotransduction in the pathology of this hereditary human disease.

Camillo Golgi's "Reazione Nera" led to the discovery of dendritic spines, small appendages originating from dendritic shafts. With the advent of electron microscopy (EM) they were identified as sites of synaptic contact. Later it was found that changes in synaptic strength were associated with changes in the shape of dendritic spines. While live-cell imaging was advantageous in monitoring the time course of such changes in spine structure, EM is still the best method for the simultaneous visualization of all cellular components, including actual synaptic contacts, at high resolution. Immunogold labeling for EM reveals the precise localization of molecules in relation to synaptic structures. Previous EM studies of spines and synapses were performed in tissue subjected to aldehyde fixation and dehydration in ethanol, which is associated with protein denaturation and tissue shrinkage. It has remained an issue to what extent fine structural details are preserved when subjecting the tissue to these procedures. In the present review, we report recent studies on the fine structure of spines and synapses using high-pressure freezing (HPF), which avoids protein denaturation by aldehydes and results in an excellent preservation of ultrastructural detail. In these studies, HPF was used to monitor subtle fine-structural changes in spine shape associated with chemically induced long-term potentiation (cLTP) at identified hippocampal mossy fiber synapses. Changes in spine shape result from reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton. We report that cLTP was associated with decreased immunogold labeling for phosphorylated cofilin (p-cofilin), an actin-depolymerizing protein. Phosphorylation of cofilin renders it unable to depolymerize F-actin, which stabilizes the actin cytoskeleton. Decreased levels of p-cofilin, in turn, suggest increased actin turnover, possibly underlying the changes in spine shape associated with cLTP. The findings reviewed here establish HPF as an appropriate method for studying the fine structure and molecular composition of synapses on dendritic spines.