Descending Research Articles

Investigation of stair ascending and descending activities on the lifespan of hip implants

Total hip arthroplasty (THA) surgeries among young patients are on the increase, so it is crucial to predict the lifespan of hip implants correctly and produce solutions to improve longevity. Current implants are designed and tested against walking conditions to predict the wear rates. However, it would be reasonable to include the additional effects of other daily life activities on wear rates to predict convergent results to clinical outputs. In this study, 14 participants are recruited to perform stair ascending (AS), descending (DS), and walking activities to obtain kinematic and kinetic data for each cycle using marker based Qualisys motion capture (MOCAP) system. AnyBody Modeling System using the Calibrated Anatomical System Technique (CAST) full body marker set are performed Multibody simulations. The 3D generic musculoskeletal model used in this study is a marker-based full-body motion capture model (AMMR,2.3.1 MoCapModel) consisting of the upper extremity and the Twente Lower Extremity Model (TLEM2). The dynamic wear prediction model detailing the intermittent and overall wear rates for CoCr-on-XLPE bearing couple is developed to investigate the wear mechanism under 3D loading for AS, DS, and walking activities over 5 million cycles (Mc) by using finite element modelling technique. The volumetric wear rates of XLPE liner under AS, DS, and walking activities over 5-Mc are predicted as 27.43, 23.22, and 18.84 mm3/Mc respectively. Additionally, the wear rate was predicted by combining stair activities and gait cycles based on the walk-to-stair ratio. By adding the effect of stair activities, the volumetric wear rate of XLPE is predicted as 22.02 mm3/Mc which is equivalent to 19.41% of walking. In conclusion, in this study, the effect of including other daily life activities is demonstrated and evidence is provided by matching them to the clinical data as opposed to simulator test results of implants under ISO 14242 boundary conditions.

Coseismic Slip Distribution and Coulomb Stress Change of the 2023 MW 7.8 Pazarcik and MW 7.5 Elbistan Earthquakes in Turkey

On 6 February 2023, the MW 7.8 Pazarcik and the MW 7.5 Elbistan earthquakes occurred in southeastern Turkey, close to the Syrian border, causing many deaths and a great deal of property destruction. The Pazarcik earthquake mainly damaged the East Anatolian Fault Zone (EAFZ). The Elbistan earthquake mainly damaged the Cardak fault (CF) and the Doğanşehir fault (DF). In this study, Sentinel-1A ascending (ASC) and descending (DES) orbit image data and pixel offset tracking (POT) were used to derive surface deformation fields in the range and azimuth directions induced by the Pazarcik and Elbistan earthquakes (hereinafter referred to as the Turkey double earthquakes). Utilizing GPS coordinate sequence data, we computed the three-dimensional surface deformation resulting from the Turkey double earthquakes. The surface deformation InSAR and GPS results were combined to invert the coseismic slip distribution of the EAFZ, CF, and DF using a layered earth model. The results show that the coseismic ruptures of the Turkey double earthquakes were dominated by left-lateral strike-slips. The maximum slip was 7.76 m on the EAFZ and about 8.2 m on the CF. Both the earthquakes ruptured the surface. The Coulomb failure stress (CFS) was computed based on the fault slip distribution and the geometric parameters of all the active faults within 300 km of the MW 7.8 Pazarcik earthquake’s epicenter. The CFS change resulting from the Pazarcik earthquake suggests that the subsequent Elbistan earthquake was triggered by the Pazarcik earthquake. The Antakya fault experienced an increase in CFS of 8.4 bars during this double-earthquake event. Therefore, the MW 6.3 Uzunbağ earthquake on 20 February 2023 was jointly influenced by the Turkey double earthquakes. Through stress analysis of all the active faults within 300 km of the MW 7.8 Pazarcik earthquake’s epicenter, the Ecemis segment, Camliyayla fault, Aadag fault, Ayvali fault, and Pula segment were all found to be under stress loading. Particularly, the Ayvali fault and Pula segment exhibited conspicuous stress loading, signaling a higher risk of future seismic activity.

Substance P expression and neurochemical characterization in the enteric nervous system of the porcine colon

The pig is a good model for studying intestinal functions and disorders for its homologies with humans such as microbiome composition, size, nutrition being both omnivores and colon fermenters. The enteric nervous system (ENS) of pigs and humans has a multilayered submucosal plexus with an inner submucous plexus (ISP) near the mucosa and an outer plexus (OSP) near the circular muscle in addition to the myenteric plexus (MP) between the muscle layers. We have shown differences in the density and distribution of functionally distinct neurons in different regions and plexuses of the porcine colon. Aim: This study focused on Substance P, a peptide that modulates many functions in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and plays an important role in neurogenic inflammation. We tested whether there were differences in the density and neurochemical profile of SP neurons in the ISP, OSP and MP of the ascending (AC) and descending (DC) colon of 15 Yucatan minipigs (12M, 3F, 7-months-old, body weight 25-30 kg). We processed colonic wholemounts for multiple labeling immunofluorescence using the HuCD, choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) as neuronal markers with high resolution confocal microscopy and Imaris software to quantify the number of neurons/mm2 and the % of total neurons identified by the pan-neuronal marker HuCD. Results: HuCD/SP-immunoreactive (IR) neurons were most abundant in the ISP vs. OSP and MP in both AC and DC (p<0.01-p<0.0001) with highest density in ISP of AC (p<0.0001 vs. DC). SP-IR neurons represent 27-28% of HuCD-IR neurons in ISP followed by OSP (19-22%) and MP (13-17%, p<0.05- p<0.0001) in AC and DC. The highest proportion of SP-IR neurons contains ChAT-IR (62-67% in the MP, 74-76% in the ISP, 70-85% in OSP) with no significant differences in the AC and DC. By contrast, SP-IR neurons containing nNOS-IR were much less abundant in both AC and DC with the highest peak in the OSP 36% vs. 16% in the ISP, p<0.01, and 20% in the MP in AC, whereas in the DC the highest peak was in the ISP (31%) followed by OSP and MP (25% and 18%) without significant differences. There was a small population of SP-/ChAT-/nNOS-IR enteric neurons in all plexuses in AC and DC. Varicose SP-IR fibers were abundant in the ganglia and distributed to the muscle layers and mucosa. Conclusions: SP-IR neurons include excitatory, inhibitory and interneurons based on the co-expression of ChAT, nNOS or both. The different density and neurochemical profile likely reflect different functions of SP-IR neurons such as immune modulation, regulation of mucosal function and control of vascular, myogenic and neurogenic activities. Mapping neuromodulators expression in a pre-clinical model provides the basis for elucidating neuronal circuits underlying GI functions and advance our understanding of human diseases. Supported by NIH SPARC OT2OD24899 & NIH-P30DK41301. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2023 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Space Geodetic Views on the 2021 Central Greece Earthquake Sequence: 2D Deformation Maps Decomposed From Multi-Track and Multi-Temporal Sentinel-1 InSAR Data

Pioneering efforts well studied the deformation decomposition of single earthquake using a pair of ascending (ASC) and descending (DES) track InSAR data. However, deformation decomposition of sequent events is rarely discussed and hard to implement. That's because it's hard to ensure deformations related to each earthquake can be recorded by a pair of ASC and DES track data. Three sequent earthquakes (Mw>5.5) just hit Central Greece in March 2021, and this earthquake sequence provides us with a perfect case to study 2D (East-West and Up-Down) deformation decomposition when the mentioned premise cannot be satisfied. In this context, we proposed a Multi-track and Multi-temporal 2D (MTMT2D) method. Its novelty and behind rationale are to decompose 2D deformations of each event through fusing multi-track and multi-temporal interferograms. Based on the decomposed deformations, we invert the slip distribution of three earthquakes respectively. We found that the decomposed deformations can better constrain the fault geometry than the single InSAR interferogram. Furthermore, our geodetic inversion results also suggest a domino-like triggering rupture process for this earthquake sequence. It indicates that our MTMT2D method can potentially reveal more details about earthquake sequence.

Microbial Associations With Microscopic Colitis.

Microscopic colitis is a relatively common cause of chronic diarrhea and may be linked to luminal factors. Given the essential role of the microbiome in human gut health, analysis of microbiome changes associated with microscopic colitis could provide insights into the development of the disease. We enrolled patients who underwent colonoscopy for diarrhea. An experienced pathologist classified patients as having microscopic colitis (n = 52) or controls (n = 153). Research biopsies were taken from the ascending (ASC) and descending (DES) colon, and the microbiome was characterized with Illumina sequencing. We analyzed the associations between microscopic colitis and microbiome with a series of increasingly complex models adjusted for a range of demographic and health factors. We found that alpha diversity was significantly lower in cases with microscopic colitis compared with that in controls in the DES colon microbiome. In the DES colon, a series of models that adjusted for an increasing number of covariates found taxa significantly associated with microscopic colitis, including Proteobacteria that was enriched in cases and Collinsella that was enriched in controls. While the alpha diversity and taxa were not significantly associated with microscopic colitis in the ASC colon microbiome, the inference P values based on ASC and DES microbiomes were highly correlated. Our study demonstrates an altered microbiome in cases with microscopic colitis compared with that in controls. Because both the cases and controls experienced diarrhea, we have identified candidate taxa that could be mechanistically responsible for the development of microscopic colitis independent of changes to the microbial community caused by diarrhea.

Association of longitudinal platelet count trajectory with ICU mortality: A multi-cohort study.

ObjectivePlatelet (PLT) engages in immune and inflammatory responses, all of which are related to the prognosis of critically ill patients. Although thrombocytopenia at ICU admission contributes to in-hospital mortality, PLT is repeatedly measured during ICU hospitalization and the role of longitudinal PLT trajectory remains unclear. We aimed to identify dynamic PLT trajectory patterns and evaluate their relationships with mortality risk and thrombocytopenia.MethodsWe adopted a three-phase, multi-cohort study strategy. Firstly, longitudinal PLT trajectory patterns within the first four ICU days and their associations with 28-day survival were tested in the eICU Collaborative Research Database (eICU-CRD) and independently validated in the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV (MIMIC-IV) database. Secondly, the relationships among PLT trajectory patterns, thrombocytopenia, and 28-day mortality were explored and validated. Finally, a Mortality GRade system for ICU dynamically monitoring patients (Mortality-GRID) was developed to quantify the mortality risk based on longitudinal PLT, which was further validated in the Molecular Epidemiology of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (MEARDS) cohort.ResultsA total of 35,332 ICU patients were included from three cohorts. Trajectory analysis clustered patients into ascending (AS), stable (ST), or descending (DS) PLT patterns. DS patients with high baseline PLT decline quickly, resulting in poor prognosis. AS patients have low baseline PLT but recover quickly, favoring a better prognosis. ST patients maintain low PLT, having a moderate prognosis in between (HR ST vs AS = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.14–1.38, P = 6.15 × 10−6; HR DS vs AS = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.40–1.79, P = 1.41 × 10−13). The associations remained significant in patients without thrombocytopenia during the entire ICU hospitalization and were robust in sensitivity analyses and stratification analyses. Further, the trajectory pattern was a warning sign of thrombocytopenia, which mediated 27.2% of the effects of the PLT trajectory on 28-day mortality (HR indirect = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.06–1.17, P = 9.80 × 10−6). Mortality-GRID well predicts mortality risk, which is in high consistency with that directly estimated in MEARDS (r = 0.98, P = 1.30 × 10−23).ConclusionLongitudinal PLT trajectory is a complementary predictor to baseline PLT for patient survival, even in patients without risk of thrombocytopenia. Mortality-GRID could identify patients at high mortality risk.

Neurochemical Profile of Enteric Neurons in the Submucosal Plexuses of Pig vs. Human Colon

The enteric nervous system (ENS), the neural network that controls gastrointestinal functions, varies among species. This is particularly evident for the submucosal plexus that is multilayered in humans but single layered and much less developed in rodents and guinea pigs often used for ENS studies. The submucosal plexus plays a major role in the control of gut functions. The pig has many homologies with humans, including a well‐developed submucosal plexus with an inner submucous plexus (ISP) near the mucosa and an outer submucous plexus (OSP) near the circularmuscle, as in humans. We have previously shown that in the adult pig colon, the density of enteric neurons is significantly higher in the ISP than OSP in ascending (AC) and descending (DC) colon, and that neurons in both plexuses contain choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) immunoreactivity (IR) and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS)‐IR, markers of the major excitatory (acetylcholine) and inhibitory (nitric oxide) transmitters with a small subpopulation containing both transmitters (Cell Tissue Res. 2021;383(2):645‐654). In this study, we compared the density and neurochemical profile of enteric neurons of the ISP and OSP in the AC and DC of the adult pig (16 Yucatan pigs, 3 F,25‐30 kg) and humans. Human specimens were obtained from 14 patients (6 F, age 48‐86) undergoing elective surgery for colon adenocarcinoma and were taken from the uninvolved resection margin. We used HuC/D (pan‐neuronal marker), ChAT, nNOS and substance P (SP) antibodies in whole mount preparations of the submucosa, confocal imaging and Imaris software for quantification. In both pig and human colon, the highest density of neurons was observed in the ISP of the AC, though the overall density of HuC/D‐IR neurons was about 4 times higher in pig vs. human. As observed in the pig colon, the density of HuC/D‐IR neurons in the ISP of the AC was significantly higher than the ISP of the DC (P<0.01), whereas neuronal density in OSP of AC and DC were not significantly different. The ganglia were also smaller in human ISP and OSP throughout the colon (average ranging from 13‐28 neurons/ganglion) compared to pig where average neurons/ganglion ranged from 30‐120. The % of ChAT‐IR neurons in human (38‐44%) and pig (30‐44%) colon was comparable with no differences between ISP and OSP in AC and DC. The % of nNOS‐IR neurons in human colon was similar in the ISP and OSP of AC and DC (16‐22%), which differs from the pig, where the % of nNOS‐IR neurons in the ISP of AC was significantly lower than OSP (15% vs. 45%) and both ISP and OSP of DC (38‐42%). Overall, the density of nNOS‐IR neurons in human colon was lower compared to the pig colon. The % of SP‐IR neurons was slightly lower in human (15‐20%) vs. pig (23‐26%) colon in both plexuses in the AC and DC. There were dense SP‐IR varicosities through the ganglia in both pig and human colon. SP‐IR mostly colocalized with ChAT‐IR but was also observed in a subpopulation of nNOS‐IR and of nNOS/ChAT‐IR neurons in both human and pig colon. Overall, except for a few differences in neuronal density, there are neurochemical similarities that support the validity of the pig as pre‐clinical model for translational research to explore neuromodulation in colonic disorders in humans.

Human iPSC colon organoid function is improved by exposure to fecal fermentates.

The host–microbe interaction is critical for intestinal homeostasis. By‐products from microbial metabolism of unabsorbed dietary components have been studied increasingly as potential contributors to health and disease. In vitro fermentation systems provide a way to simulate microbial activity and by‐product production of the colon using human fecal samples. Objectives of the study were to determine how clarified supernatants from two different fermentation conditions affect markers of cell proliferation, differentiation, barrier function, and immune function in a human‐induced pluripotent (iPSC) colon organoid model. SCFA and BCFA's of the supernatants were analyzed and were similar to known in vivo concentrations. Molecular results showed 25% of the clarified supernatant from batch fermentation led to a more physiological intestinal phenotype including increased markers of differentiation, including alkaline phosphatase, chromogranin A, SCFA transport monocarboxylate transporter‐1, (6.2‐fold, 2.1‐fold, and 1.8‐fold, respectively; p < 0.05). Mucin production (mucin‐2, mucin‐4) was increased in cells treated with 25% supernatant, as observed by confocal microscopy. In addition, increased tight junction expression (claudin‐3) was noted by immunofluorescence in 25% supernatant‐ treated cells. A dose–response increase in barrier function was observed over the 72‐h time course, with a twofold increase in transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) in the 25% group compared to the control group (p < 0.05). To further investigate host effects, clarified supernatants from a continuous multistage fermentation representing the ascending (AC), transverse (TC), and descending (DC) colonic domains were utilized and some regional differences were observed including increased markers of inflammation (IL‐1β, 6.15 pg/ml; IL‐6, 27.58 pg/ml; TNFα, 4.49 pg/ml; p < 0.05) in DC‐treated samples only. Overall, clarified supernatants represent a valuable model to examine effects of microbial by‐products on host intestinal development and function and future efforts will be designed to further understand microbial communities and metabolites, along with additional host response measures.

P177 Validation of UC Intestinal Ultrasound (UC-IUS) Index for children with Ulcerative Colitis

Abstract Background Transabdominal bowel ultrasound (TABUS) is an ideal tool to assess transmural inflammation in children with Ulcerative Colitis (UC). The UC intestinal US (UC-IUS) Index was developed and validated using endoscopy with strong correlation between UC-IUS Index and Mayo subscore (ρ 0.830; p&amp;lt;0.001). Our aim was to determine how bowel wall thickness (BWT) and UC-IUS Index performed in children at diagnosis in comparison to endoscopy using the Mayo score. Methods Subjects (0–18 years old) with suspected inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) were prospectively enrolled. Baseline TABUS (excluding rectum due to poorly seen) done prior to endoscopy. Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis disease Activity Index (PUCAI) and Mayo were calculated, albumin, C-reactive protein (CRP) and fecal calprotectin (FCP) collected. The UC-IUS Index was calculated for each segment – sigmoid (SC), descending (DC), transverse (TC) and ascending (AC) [bowel wall thickness (BWT) (mm): &amp;gt; 2 =1, &amp;gt;3 =2 and &amp;gt;4 =3; doppler: spots=1 and stretches =2, abnormal haustrations = 1 and fat wrapping =1]. Spearman’s rank (rho) and Pearson’s correlation (r) assess for a correlation. Receiver operating characteristic [ROC] analysis performed for BWT to determine sensitivity and specificity of BWT cut-offs in the UC-IUS. Results Of the 75 subjects recruited for suspected IBD, 26 had UC with mean age 15 years (SD 3.33) and 5 had normal US. Twenty three have extensive pancolitis. Mean PUCAI score: 60 (SD 23.28), CRP 22.62 (SD 39.5) mg/l, albumin 35.6 (SD 6.96) g/l and fecal calprotectin of 2223 (SD 1757) mg/kg. ROC curves generated using a total of 122 colonic segments. BWT of 2 mm discriminates between active and inactive:Mayo 0 and Mayo1-3 [sensitivity 84.9%; specificity 86.2%; an area under the curve [AUC] 0.900]; a cut-off of 3mm discriminates between Mayo 1 from Mayo 2–3 [sensitivity of 61.3%; specificity 90.5%; AUC 0.858]; a cut of 4mm discriminates Mayo 3 (sensitivity 64.7%; specificity 85.7 %; AUC 0.876). BWT and UC-IUS scores of all colonic segments correlated highly positively with the Mayo score of corresponding segments (rho=0.684, r=0.660, p&amp;lt;0.001) and (rho=0.750, r=0.722, P&amp;lt;0.001) respectively. The UC-IUS Index correlates poorly with CRP, ESR, and Fecal Calprotectin - r = 0.262, 0.346 and 0.100 respectively; p&amp;gt;0.05. Conclusion BWT and UC-IUS Index correlated highly positively with the Mayo subscore in children with UC. UC-IUS has a better correlation than BWT. BWT cut-off of 2mm discriminate between normal and mild Mayo is optimal. Cut-offs of 3 mm and 4 mm for moderate and severe Mayo may be too high in children with lower sensitivity. A larger cohort of children with UC will need to be studied to determine optimal BWT cut-off for moderate and severe disease.

Human iPSC Colonoid Function is Improved by Exposure to Fecal Fermentates

The host-microbe interaction is critical for intestinal homeostasis. By-products from microbial metabolism of unabsorbed dietary components have been studied increasingly as potential contributors to health and disease. In vitro fermentation systems provide a way to simulate microbial activity and by-product production of the colon using human fecal samples. Objectives of the study were to determine how clarified supernatants from two different fermentation conditions affect markers of cell proliferation, differentiation, barrier function, and immune function in a human induced pluripotent (iPSC) colon organoid model. Short-chain and branch-chain fatty acid concentrations of the supernatants were analyzed and were similar to known in vivo concentrations. Molecular results showed 25% of the clarified supernatant from batch fermentation led to a more physiological intestinal phenotype including increased markers of differentiation, including alkaline phosphatase, chromogranin-A, SCFA transport monocarboxylate transporter-1, (6.2-fold, 2.1-fold, 1.8-fold, respectively; P<0.05). Mucin production (mucin-2, mucin-4) was increased in cells treated with 25% supernatant, as observed by confocal microscopy. In addition, increased tight junction expression (claudin-3) was noted by immunofluorescence in 25% supernatant treated cells. A dose-response increase in barrier function was observed over the 72-hour time course, with a 2-fold increase in transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) in the 25% group compared to the control group (P<0.05). To further investigate host effects, clarified supernatants from a continuous multi-stage fermentation representing the ascending (AC), transverse (TC), and descending (DC) colonic domains were utilized and some regional differences were observed including increased markers of inflammation (IL-1β, 6.15pg/mL; IL-6, 27.58pg/mL; TNFα, 4.49pg/mL; P < 0.05) in DC treated samples only. Overall, clarified supernatants represent a valuable model to examine effects of microbial by-products on host intestinal development and function and future efforts will be designed to further understand microbial communities and metabolites, along with additional host response measures.

Time-series Cross-orbit Sentinel-1 Synthetic-Aperture Radar (SAR) Data for Mapping Paddy Extent: Case Study of Magelang District, Central Java

Dual-polarized (VV and VH) Sentinel-1 Synthetic-Aperture Radar (SAR) Ground Range Detected (GRD) data are available in 9-m spatial resolution and 12-day repeat orbit. A constellation of two satellites, Sentinel 1A and Sentinel 1B, capture these data with ascending and descending orbits, thus increasing the revisit time at the equator to every six days. Those specifications allow creating dense cross-orbit time-series data with a relatively high spatial resolution, beneficial for identifying land-covers and land-uses with unique temporal dynamics, such as paddies. This study was intended to assess the accuracy of time-series dual-polarized cross-orbit Sentinel 1A and 1B GRD data for mapping paddy extents. The monthly median value of these data was processed in Google Earth Engine and used as inputs in the paddy identification in Magelang District using bagging random forests (RF) and extreme gradient boosting (XGB) algorithms. Variables were ranked based on importance and selected using recursive feature elimination (RFE) and RF model to reduce the data dimensionality and understand the variable importance corresponding to a different month of the year. The resulting variable importance demonstrates better contributions of VV polarization and ascending orbit to the mapping model, and the producer’s and user’s accuracies achieved by RF classifier were 75% and 93.9%. For these reasons, an ascending (ASC) dataset provides better accuracy than its descending (DSC) counterpart and the combination of both (ASC+DSC). The user’s accuracy of the paddy identified using the RF model with ascending Sentinel 1-data is 4% and 6% higher than the XGB models built using ASC and cross-orbit (ASC+DSC) datasets, respectively.

Effect of Bifidobacterium crudilactis and 3′-sialyllactose on the toddler microbiota using the SHIME® model

The important changes in diet during the first years of life strongly modulate the intestinal microbiota of young children. Among in vitro digestive models, the simulator of human intestinal microbial ecosystem (SHIME®) model, seems particularly adapted to study the effects of prebiotics and/or probiotics on the dynamic microbiota of toddlers.The main purpose of this study was to investigate different formulations with prebiotic (3′-sialyllactose: 3′SL) and probiotic (Bifidobacterium crudilactis FR/62/b/3) effects on young child microbiota using the SHIME® model. The ascending (AC), transverse (TC) and descending (DC) colons of the SHIME® model were inoculated with feces from 3 donors aged between 1 and 2 years, in three separate vessels. After two weeks of microbiota stabilization, four treatments of one week (prebiotic, probiotic, synbiotic and cell-free spent media from the synbiotic) were administered.In all the colon vessels, the short chain fatty acid analyses, determined using high-performance liquid chromatography highlighted a ratio acetate/propionate/butyrate proportion of 5:19:6, situated between infant and adult normal values. As already observed in other validated studies focusing on the SHIME® model, the 16S rDNA sequencing highlighted a low richness and diversity in the AC, while the microbial communities in the TC and the DC remained similar to each other. Although some bacteria involved in biofilm development have been identified (Stenotrophomonas, Megasphera and Enterobacter), specific bacterial populations, proper to each colon were developed. Some bacteria associated to the upper intestinal tract, such as Lactobacillus and Veillonella genera, seemed to grow easily in the AC. The quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) targeting the hsp60 gene confirmed the ability of bifidobacteria to survive in this toddler model. In addition, the synbiotic treatment tended to a bifidogenic effect (P < 0.1). On the other hand, the feces of the donors and the content of the three colon vessels were filtered and placed in contact with Escherichia coli O157:H7 ATCC 43890 to evaluate the modulation of virulence gene expression using reverse transcription PCR. Finally, filtered supernatants from donor feces significantly up-regulated the expression of the luxS gene of E. coli O157:H7 (P = 0.013).In conclusion, despite the presence of biofilms, the toddler SHIME® model used in his study shared characteristics found both in adults and infants. Although additional investigations should be performed, combining 3′SL and B. crudilactis FR/62/b/3 could lead to a beneficial effect on infant microbiota by favoring bifidobacterial presence. Finally, the filtrated supernatant from young child feces could be able to modulate the quorum sensing mechanism for E. coli O157:H7.

Effects of descending or ascending stair exercise on body composition, insulin sensitivity, and inflammatory markers in young Chinese women with obesity: A randomized controlled trial

ABSTRACT We examined the effects of descending (DSE) or ascending (ASE) stair exercise on body composition, insulin sensitivity, and inflammatory markers in young Chinese women with obesity. Thirty-six participants were randomly assigned into three groups DSE, ASE and a control group. The DSE and ASE groups performed three sessions of stair walking per week for 12 weeks with a gradual increase in repetitions. Following the exercise interventions, body composition related variables obtained by Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scans significantly decreased. Abdominal fat decreased in the DSE group only. Moreover, Insulin sensitivity improved significantly 3.5-fold in the DSE group compared with ASE group (insulin: −33.2% vs. −9.8%, homoeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance: −35.6% vs. −10.8%). Pro-inflammatory factors showed significant decreases in tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) (−39.9% vs. −23.2%) for both intervention groups. The reduction in TNF-α concentrations in the DSE group was significantly different compared to the other two groups. Interleukin-6 significantly decreased in both exercise protocols. Our results show that 12-weeks induced stair walking improved body composition parameters in Chinese females with obesity. The results also demonstrate the superiority of the DSE protocol for improving insulin sensitivity. These findings may be attributable to the decreases observed in TNF- α levels.

Integration of Sentinel-1 Interferometry and GNSS Networks for Derivation of 3-D Surface Changes

We present a new procedure and program system to integrate Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometry and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) network observations to estimate 3-D surface changes caused by environmental processes. The procedure is based on the integrated geodetic/geodynamic benchmarks, which are equipped with both ascending (ASC) and descending (DSC) corner reflectors. The results of sparse GNSS observations are interpolated using the ASC and DSC line-of-sight changes provided by the Sentinel-1 mission every six days. The data integration is carried out using a Kalman filter where north, east, and up (vertical) coordinates and their instantaneous velocities are estimated and updated by the GNSS-derived data. The north components are essentially provided by the GNSS observations alone. The procedure was developed and successfully tested on landslide areas in Hungary.

“SPARC” Neurochemical Profile of Enteric Neurons in the Inner and Outer Submucosal Plexus of The Ascending and Descending Colon of Adult Pigs

The submucosal plexus of the enteric nervous system plays a major role in the control of mucosal functions. In medium‐size mammals such as the pig, the submucosal plexus is multilayered with an inner submucous plexus (ISP) near the mucosa and an outer submucous plexus (OSP) near the circular muscle, similar to humans. We previously showed that in the adult porcine colon, the number of enteric neurons per mm2 and per ganglion is much higher in the submucosal plexus than in the myenteric plexus (MP), with the highest density in ISP (ISP ≫ OSP &gt;MP). In this study, we compared the neurochemical profile of enteric neurons of the ISP and OSP in the ascending (AC) and descending (DC) colon of the adult pig (male, 25–30 kg Yucatan pigs) using whole mount preparations, multiple labeling immunohistochemistry, high resolution confocal imaging and Imaris software. We used antibodies to HuC/D (as pan‐neuronal marker), choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), neuronal nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and substance P (SP). The ganglia in the ISP are bigger and contain about 3 times the number of cell bodies than those of the OSP with higher density in the AC (ranging from 1100–1200 cells/mm2 in AC vs. 500–600 cells/mm2 in DC) whereas the density of enteric neurons in the OSP was comparable in both AC and DC (ranging 250–400/mm2). The density of cell bodies/ganglion was also higher in the ISP vs. OSP, but there were no differences between AC and DC (129±6 ISP and 37±2 OSP in the AC; 118±11 ISP and 39±4 OSP in the DC). In the ISP, ChAT immunoreactive (IR) neurons were 30–34% with no differences between AC and DC, whereas NOS‐IR neurons were more abundant in DC than AC (42% vs. 15%, p&lt;0.001). In the OSP, ChAT‐ and NOS‐IR neurons were of similar density in AC and DC (~40%). ChAT/NOS‐IR neurons were more abundant in DC vs. AC in ISP (9% vs. 5%), whereas in the OSP, ChAT/NOS‐IR neurons were ~ 10% in both AC and DC, however the differences were not significant. SP‐IR cells were more abundant in the ISP vs. OSP with no significant differences between AC and DC. In the ISP of the AC, SP‐IR was equally localized to a subpopulation of ChAT‐IR, NOS‐IR and ChAT/NOS‐IR neurons, whereas in the DC, SP‐IR was more often observed in ChAT‐IR neurons than in NOS‐IR. Given the location of the two submucosal plexuses, it is reasonable to speculate that the ISP is mostly involved with the regulation of mucosal functions such as absorption, thus explaining the higher abundance of neurons on the ISP of the AC vs. the DC, whereas the OSP contributes to the regulation of both absorption and motility. The characterization of the neurochemical profile of enteric neurons in the pig is important for translational studies on neuronal control of colonic functions in humans since the pig is regarded as a valuable preclinical model for its similarities with humans in physiological and metabolic processes.Support or Funding InformationSupported by NIH SPARC award 1OT2OD24899 (sub‐award to CS) and NIH‐P30DK41301 Imaging Core (CS)

P430 Feasibility and reliability of gastrointestinal ultrasound in pregnant inflammatory bowel disease patients

Abstract Background Disease activity during pregnancy in women with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with miscarriage, preterm delivery and low birth weight. Monitoring disease activity throughout the pregnancy is therefore important. Gastrointestinal ultrasound (GIUS) has a high potential as a point-of-care tool for monitoring disease activity in IBD as it has been shown to correlate well with endoscopy and magnetic resonance imaging. However, data are scarce on the use of GIUS in IBD throughout pregnancy. The aim of this prospective study is to determine the feasibility and reliability of GIUS in pregnant IBD patients. Methods Patients were included when visiting the outpatient IBD pregnancy clinic. At each trimester, clinical and biochemical disease activity was evaluated and GIUS was performed. Feasibility was assessed by the ability to visualise each bowel segment (terminal ileum (TI), ascending (AC), transverse (TC), descending (DC) and sigmoid colon (SC)). Reliability was evaluated by using clinical and biochemical disease activity as a gold standard. This was defined as a Harvey–Bradshaw Index ≥4 in Crohn’s disease (CD) or a Simple Clinical Colitis Activity Index ≥5 in ulcerative colitis and a faecal calprotectin (FCP)³ 250 mg/g. Bowel wall thickness (BWT) of &amp;gt; 3 mm in the colon and &amp;gt; 2mm in the terminal ileum was considered as signs of active inflammation on ultrasound. A Mann–Whitney U-test and chi-square were used for statistical analysis. Results Thirty-two IBD patients (54% CD) were studied. Both a GIUS and FCP was available in 18, 11 and 6 patients for the first, second and third trimester, respectively. Eleven of 32 (34%) patients had clinically active disease at least at one time point during the pregnancy. Table 1 shows the visibility per segment. When the active disease was defined as an FCP ≥ 250 mg/g, GIUS could distinguish active from the non-active disease in the first, second and third trimester with a sensitivity of 80%, 75% and 75% and specificity of 85%, 86% and 100%, respectively. FCP levels were significantly higher in patients with an active disease on GIUS regardless of the trimester (mean 1095.5 ± 1453.8 mg/g vs. 265.25 ± 649.8 mg/g, p &amp;lt; 0.0001). Conclusion GIUS is accurate to distinguish active from the quiescent disease in pregnancy. Feasibility to visualise the TI and the SC decreased during the second and third trimester, although active disease could still be detected. Consequently, GIUS is feasible and reliable to assess disease activity throughout pregnancy in IBD.

Metabolic Analysis of Regionally Distinct Gut Microbial Communities Using an In Vitro Platform.

The colon gut microbiota is responsible for complex chemical conversions of nutrients and subsequent release of metabolites that have diverse biological consequences. However, information on the metabolic dynamics that occur longitudinally through the colon is limited. Here, gas and liquid chromatographies coupled with mass spectrometry were applied to generate metabolic profiles of the region-specific microbial communities cultured using an in vitro platform simulating the ascending (AC), transverse (TC), and descending (DC) colon regions. Comparative analysis revealed a large divergence between metabolic profiles of the AC and the TC and DC regions in terms of short-chain fatty acid production, metabolic spectrum, and conversion of bile acids. Metagenomic evaluation revealed that the regionally derived metabolic profiles had strong correlation to community composition and genetic potential. Together, the results provide key insights regarding the metabolic divergence of the regional communities that are integral to understand the structure-function relationship of the gut microbiota.

Anatomically specific reactive oxygen species production participates in Marfan syndrome aneurysm formation.

Marfan syndrome (MFS) is a connective tissue disorder that results in aortic root aneurysm formation. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) seem to play a role in aortic wall remodelling in MFS, although the mechanism remains unknown. MFS Fbn1C1039G/+ mouse root/ascending (AS) and descending (DES) aortic samples were examined using DHE staining, lucigenin‐enhanced chemiluminescence (LGCL), Verhoeff's elastin‐Van Gieson staining (elastin breakdown) and in situ zymography for protease activity. Fbn1C1039G/+ AS‐ or DES‐derived smooth muscle cells (SMC) were treated with anti‐TGF‐β antibody, angiotensin II (AngII), anti‐TGF‐β antibody + AngII, or isotype control. ROS were detected during early aneurysm formation in the Fbn1C1039G/+ AS aorta, but absent in normal‐sized DES aorta. Fbn1C1039G/+ mice treated with the unspecific NADPH oxidase inhibitor, apocynin reduced AS aneurysm formation, with attenuated elastin fragmentation. In situ zymography revealed apocynin treatment decreased protease activity. In vitro SMC studies showed Fbn1C1039G/+‐derived AS SMC had increased NADPH activity compared to DES‐derived SMC. AS SMC NADPH activity increased with AngII treatment and appeared TGF‐β dependent. In conclusion, ROS play a role in MFS aneurysm development and correspond anatomically with aneurysmal aortic segments. ROS inhibition via apocynin treatment attenuates MFS aneurysm progression. AngII enhances ROS production in MFS AS SMCs and is likely TGF‐β dependent.

Adjustment of vascular 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose uptake values over time through a modeling approach.

To develop and test a model predicting 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose ([18F]FDG) standardized uptake value (SUV) changes over time in the aorta and the superior vena cava (SVC). Maximum aortic SUV and mean SVC SUV were determined at two time points (T1 and T2) in the ascending (ASC), descending(DSC), abdominal (ABD) aorta, aortic arch (ARC) and SVC of patients who have undergone [18F]FDG PET/CT for clinical purposes. For SUV prediction at T2, linear and non-linear models of SUV difference for a given time change were developed in a derivation group. The results were tested in an independent validation group, whilst model reproducibility was tested in patients of the validation group who have undergone a second clinically indicated scan. Applying the linear model in the derivation group, there were no statistically significant differences in measurements obtained in the examined segments: mean differences ranged from 0 ± 0.10 in SVC to 0.01 ± 0.13 in ARC between measured and predicted SUV. In contrast, in the non-linear model, there were statistically significant differences in measurements, except in ARC, with mean differences ranging from 0.04 ± 0.14 in ARC to 0.28 ± 0.13 in ABD. In the validation group using the linear model, there were no statistically significant differences, with mean differences ranging from - 0.01 ± 0.08 in ASC to - 0.03 ± 0.11 in ABD. Regarding reproducibility, mean differences were no statistically significant, ranging from 0.004 ± 0.06 in ASC to - 0.02 ± 0.16 in ABD. We have developed a linear model allowing accurate and reproducible prediction of SUV changes over time in the aorta and SVC.

Non-isothermal drying of garlic slices (Allium sativum, L.): Wave period and initial temperature of the heating/cooling effect

Intermittent drying is a common technique for food conservation. The objective of this work is to evaluate the effect of non-isothermal drying and the wave periods using the effective diffusivity (Deff), the glass transition temperature (Tg), their relationship to moisture content and the temperature of the product, as parameters for controlling quality deterioration. The heating–cooling profile was developed as a trapezoidal wave form using three different wave periods (τ:60, 120 and 160min), with a midpoint temperature (Tm) of 50°C and ∆T=10°C. The ascending (AC) heating–cooling treatment began at 40°C, and the descending (DC) heating–cooling treatment began at 60°C. The drying temperature (Ta), the surface temperature of the garlic (Ts), the internal temperature of the garlic (Ti), and the weight of the garlic slices were measured and recorded in real time. The Deff was calculated using the slope method. A higher drying rate was observed in the AC drying treatment. The Tg variations were associated with the Ti and moisture content of the garlic. The drying time (ts) for the AC and the DC heating–cooling profiles was found to be between 180 to 238min.