Different Degrees Of Severity Research Articles

Assessment of cognition: dementia and delirium : In consideration of the AWMF guidelines 038-013 and 084-002LG

Cognitive disorders are multifaceted and the range of neuropsychological instruments is correspondingly extensive; however, most examiners have to limit themselves to asmall selection in order to master them safely. In geriatric patients the various forms and stages of dementia dominate. Delirium must be distinguished from these as an acute life-threatening event. The personal and external medical history as well as clinical observation are the first steps in the assessment of cognition; the selection of test procedures is graduated and bears the patient's benefit in mind. When compiling atoolbox for use in one's own field of work, in addition to instruments focusing on different degrees of severity, alternatives should also be considered for use in the presence of comorbidities that reduce the validity (visual, hearing and fine motor disorders) and the examination situation should be taken into account.

Association between accentual prosodic awareness and reading comprehension in children with language development disorder in fourth grade

Introduction: developmental language disorder (DLD) is a common problem that affects language levels in different degrees of severity. Reading comprehension (CL) is a fundamental skill that is affected in children with DLD. Accentual prosodic awareness (CPA) is a complex metaphonological skill that is related to CL. However, the association between CPA and CL in children with DLD at school has not been widely studied.Methods: a quantitative, non-experimental, transactional and correlational study was carried out that evaluated the variables CL, CPA and TDL in 55 Chilean children who were in fourth grade. The LECTUM test was used to evaluate CL and adaptations of the lexical and metric accent tests to Chilean Spanish were used to evaluate CPA.Results: the results showed a significant association between CPA and CL in children with DLD. Children with DLD presented poor performance compared to normotypical children in the lexical and metric CPA tasks.Conclusions: the study found an association between accentual prosodic awareness and reading comprehension in children with language development disorder in fourth grade. These results suggest that CPA may be an important predictor of CL in children with DLD and that its assessment may be useful to identify children who need additional support in reading development.

A multicenter study on the effects of congenital cytomegalovirus infection on hearing loss

Objective: To assess the clinical features and effectiveness of antiviral therapy in newborns with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) caused by congenital congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infection, and to speculate the risk factors for poor hearing outcomes. Methods: A multicenter prospective cohort study wasconducted, enrolling 176 newborns diagnosed with cCMV at four research centers in Zhejiang Province from March 1, 2021, to April 30, 2024. Clinical characteristics at birth were recorded and hearing was followed up. The children were divided into groups based on their condition at birth, specifically into asymptomatic, mild symptom, and moderate to severe symptom groups. Additionally, they were divided into SNHL and normal hearing groups based on the results of air conduction brainstem audiometry at birth. And they were also divided into treatment and untreated groups according to antiviral treatment. Mann Whitney U test, and chi square test were used for inter group comparison to analyze the differences in clinical features between different disease groups, and to analyze the effects of clinical features, antiviral therapy, and other factors on hearing improvement. Logistic regression analysis was employed to identify the risk factors influencing hearing outcomes. Results: Among the cohort of 176 children diagnosed infection with cCMV, 90 cases were male and 86 cases were female. Of these, 79 cases were asymptomatic, 12 cases classified as mild cCMV and 85 cases as moderate to severe cCMV. Fifty cases belonged to SNHL group, with different degrees of severity, including 30 cases of mild, 9 cases of moderate, 5 cases of severe, and 6 cases of extremely severe SNHL. Among the 121 cases in the normal hearing group, 2 cases (1.7%) exhibited late-onset hearing loss despite having normal hearing at birth. Among 81 cases (46.0%) who completed the hearing follow-up, 71 cases (87.7%) had good hearing outcomes and 10 cases (12.3%) had poor hearing outcomes. Among the 81 children, 29 cases (35.8%) had SNHL at birth. During follow-up, the hearing threshold improved in 19 cases (65.5%), remained stable in 7 cases (24.1%) and progressed in 3 cases (10.3%). A total of 26 cases in the treatment group and 55 cases in the untreated group completed the hearing follow-up assessment. The rate of hearing improvement in the treatment group was found to be higher compared to the untreated group (13 cases (50.0%) vs. 6 cases (10.9%), χ2=15.00, P<0.01), with individuals in the treatment group having a 4.58 times greater likelihood of experiencing hearing improvement (RR=4.58,95%CI 1.96-10.70, P<0.05). However, no statistically significant difference was observed in hearing outcomes between the antiviral treatment group and the untreated group (RR=0.90, 95%CI 0.57-1.41, P=0.517). Multivariate analysis further confirmed SNHL (OR=11.58, 95%CI 2.10-63.93, P=0.005) and preterm birth (OR=4.98, 95%CI 1.06-23.41, P=0.042) as independent risk factors for poor hearing outcomes. Conclusions: SNHL resulting from cCMV infection presents symptoms at birth and can be improved by antiviral therapy. Poor hearing outcomes are associated with SNHL and prematurity.

MRI evidence of gray matter loss in COVID-19 patients with cognitive and olfactory disorders.

The aim of this study was to assess COVID-19-related gray matter (GM) structural alterations in two distinct groups of patients presenting with the prevailing and distinctive COVID-19-related neurological symptoms - isolated olfactory disorders as sole neurological manifestation (COVID-OD) and cognitive disorders (COVID-CD) - as compared to a control group of unaffected individuals. The study included 61 COVID-CD patients (57 [60-63] years, 62% females), 84 COVID-OD patients (49 [35-57] years, 60% females), and 17 controls (51 [41-52] years, 41% females). Region-based morphometry (RBM) and voxel-based morphometry (VBM) were performed on T1-weighted MRI scans to assess GM regional volume and voxel-wise density differences between COVID-19 patients and controls. Surface-based morphometry (SBM) was applied to investigate cortical thickness alterations. The statistical models built to assess GM structural differences among groups included total intracranial volume and age as nuisance variables. The multi-morphometric analysis revealed statistically significant (p < 0.05 corrected for multiple comparisons) reduction in GM regional volumes, in voxel-wise GM density and in cortical thickness in both COVID-CD and COVID-OD patient groups as compared to controls. Across all three analyses, COVID-CD patients showed more distributed and severe GM loss than COVID-OD patients. The most prominently affected GM regions in the COVID-CD group included the hippocampus, putamen, cingulate gyrus, precuneus, precentral and postcentral gyri, amygdala, lingual gyrus, and caudate nucleus. Our MRI findings show that COVID-19-related olfactory and cognitive disorders both induce GM atrophy, although at different degrees of severity, likely indicative of neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation.

Atlantoaxial Instability in the Course of Rheumatoid Arthritis in Relation to Selected Parameters of Sagittal Balance.

Background: Atlantoaxial instability is the most common cervical instability in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Its course may differ in different patients and may have different degrees of severity and symptoms. Methods: There are a number of studies on systemic factors associated with the development of this instability, but there are few publications in the scientific literature on the influence of biomechanical factors on the development of cervical instability. One of the areas that allows the study of biomechanical factors influencing spine pathologies is the analysis of sagittal balance using radiological parameters. The study of radiological parameters of sagittal balance has contributed to understanding the pathology of selected spine diseases and is currently an indispensable tool in planning surgical treatment. Results: The presented study, conducted on a group of RA patients with cervical instability, was performed to look for a relationship between C1-C2 instability and sagittal balance parameters. Conclusions: Among the examined selected parameters, a statistically relationship between C1-C2 instability and the Cobb angle C1-C7 and OD-HA parameters has been found. This confirms the need for further in-depth research on this areas.

Prenatal diagnosis, management, and outcomes of urinary tract anomalies

Congenital urinary tract anomalies are one of the more common defects noted on prenatal ultrasound. There are a variety of anomalies that can occur with a broad spectrum of outcomes with different degrees of severity based on pathologic processes. Ultrasound is the imaging modality utilized to allow visualization of the urinary tract system to diagnose these anomalies. We provide a review of these classifications with imaging and diagnostic recommendations, as well as epidemiology and associated defects. The aim of this review is to bring a clinically relevant and succinct understanding of congenital urinary tract anomalies and considerations for their various pathologies

Relationship Between the Gut Microbiota and Neurological Deficits in Patients With Cerebral Ischemic Stroke

Objective The aim of the paper was to investigate the composition and structure of intestinal flora in patients with cerebral ischemic stroke (CIS), and to investigate the relationship between gut microbiota (GM) and different levels of stroke severity. Methods In this study, 47 CIS patients (16 mild, 21 moderate, and 10 severe) and 15 healthy controls were included. General information, clinical data, and behavioral scores of the enrolled subjects were collected. Deoxyribonucleic acid in fecal intestinal flora was extracted and detected using high-throughput Illumina 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid sequencing technology. Finally, the correlation between the community composition of intestinal microbiota and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score in CIS patients was analyzed. Results Compared with healthy controls, there was no statistically significant difference in Alpha diversity among CIS patients, but the principal coordinate analysis showed significant differences in the composition of the GM among stroke patients with different degrees of severity and controls. In CIS patients, Streptococcus was significantly enriched, and Eshibacter—Shigella, Bacteroides, and Agathobacter were significantly down-regulated (P < .05). In addition, the relative abundance of Blautia was negatively correlated with the NIHSS score. Conclusions Our results show that different degrees of CIS severity exert distinct effects on the intestinal microbiome. This study reveals the intestinal microecological changes after brain injury from the perspective of brain–gut axis. Intestinal microorganisms not only reveal the possible pathological process and indicate the severity of neurologic impairment, but also make targeted therapy possible for CIS patients.

Stress, Depression, Anxiety and Willingness to Seek Help of Healthcare Workers in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background and objective: Although the serious stage of the COVID-19 pandemic has passed, the consequences are not only socio-economic but also affect the mental health of many people, in which healthcare workers tolerate the fiercest and longest-lasting consequences compared to other social groups in the community. This study aims to explore the status of healthcare workers' mental health and evaluate their capacity to effectively manage mental health issues in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Particularly, it explores the relationship between depression, anxiety, and stress (DASS) scale and seeking help from healthcare workers.Methods: The study was conducted from April 2022 to August 2022, using an online survey of 638 healthcare workers working at two frontline hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It was undertaken at two hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City (i.e., Cho Ray Hospital and the COVID-19 Resuscitation Hospital), facilitated through the social work departments of these hospitals.Results: The result shows that the majority of medical staff faces various mental health problems from mild to severe, with different degrees of severity, depending on the individual's psychological characteristics, gender, education level, and work position. The study also revealed a correlation between help-seeking attitudes and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. It shows that only a minority of healthcare workers have the attitude demonstrated a willingness to seek help and request assistance from psychologists when experiencing mental health issues.Conclusion: Policymakers should prioritize regular awareness campaigns during the initial phases of a pandemic to enhance motivation, knowledge, and preventative measures among healthcare workers. This approach can help identify mental health issues early and reduce the stigma of seeking support. Encouraging group psychotherapy and addressing cultural barriers in the medical field can increase trust in therapists and psychiatrists, improving overall mental well-being.

Rhizoctonia species, anastomosis groups, and pathogenicity isolated from common bean in Lake Van Basin, Turkiye

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is an important vegetable crop grown in Lake Van Basin. Local genotypes are widely grown in the region. Rhizoctonia root rot induced by Rhizoctonia solani Kühn is an important soilborne plant disease that leads to global economic losses as well as in Turkey. The present study was conducted to determine anastomosis groups and pathogenicity of Rhizoctonia spp. obtained from bean plants in Lake Van Basin in 2013 and 2014. A total of 236 Rhizoctonia isolates in 5 anastomosis groups were obtained from bean plant roots. It was observed that AG- 4 (112) was the most isolated group in beans, followed by AG- 2 (41), AG- 3 (28), AG- 5 (33), and binucleate AG- K (22) isolates. Pathogenicity test conducted in thirty isolates in 5 anastomosis groups was analyzed for A64 (Bitlis/ Adilcevaz), TR68557 genotypes, and Gina (cv.) under growth chamber conditions. The study findings demonstrated that all tested isolates could infect the bean plant with different degrees of severity; however, the most virulent group was AG- 4. It was determined that the most virulent isolate was Isolate No. 19 in the A64 genotype, Isolate No. 2 in TR68557, and Isolate No. 18 in Gina cv. in in vivo tests. The identification and pathogenicity determination of Rhizoctonia isolates are the first steps towards an efficient control strategy for bean diseases caused by Rhizoctonia species. In order to obtain quality and productive products in the Van Lake Basin, where intensive bean production is carried out, precautions should be taken by considering the damage caused by Rhizoctonia spp. on plants.

Mitigation of Adversarial Attacks in 5G Networks with a Robust Intrusion Detection System Based on Extremely Randomized Trees and Infinite Feature Selection

Intrusion Detection Systems (IDSs) are an important tool to mitigate cybersecurity threats in the ICT infrastructures. Preferable properties of the IDSs are the optimization of the attack detection accuracy and the minimization of the computing resources and time. A signification portion of IDSs presented in the research literature is based on Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL) elements, but they may be prone to adversarial attacks, which may undermine the overall performance of the IDS algorithm. This paper proposes a novel IDS focused on the detection of cybersecurity attacks in 5G networks, which addresses in a simple but effective way two specific adversarial attacks: (1) tampering of the labeled set used to train the ML algorithm, (2) modification of the features in the training data set. The approach is based on the combination of two algorithms, which have been introduced recently in the research literature. The first algorithm is the Extremely Randomized Tree (ERT) algorithm, which enhances the capability of Decision Tree (DT) and Random Forest (RF) algorithms to perform classification in data sets, which are unbalanced and of large size as IDS data sets usually are (legitimate traffic messages are more numerous than attack related messages). The second algorithm is the recently introduced Infinite Feature Selection algorithm, which is used to optimize the choice of the hyper-parameter defined in the approach and improve the overall computing efficiency. The result of the application of the proposed approach on a recently published 5G IDS data set proves its robustness against adversarial attacks with different degrees of severity calculated as the percentage of the tampered data set samples.

Morphological features of enamel in fluorosis of different degrees of severity

The occurrence of dental fluorosis is facilitated by a violation of enamel mineralization caused by fluorides, which enter the human body in excess during its development and formation and have a toxic effect on enamel blasts. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of fluorosis are not fully understood. Enamel formation is a complex process involving cell proliferation and differentiation through epithelial-mesenchymal sequential secretion of matrix proteins, tissue-specific transport of ions including calcium and fluoride, and precipitation and alignment of enamel crystals through interactions between organic and inorganic molecules. Understanding the morphological features of enamel changes during fluoride intoxication of the human body in the endemic region allows us to clearly understand the need for a comprehensive solution to this medical and social problem. The aim was to study the morphological features of enamel in fluorosis in residents of the endemic region of Ukraine, in particular the Poltava region. The work examines different groups of teeth (both intact and affected by fluorosis) removed for orthodontic or clinical indications in men and women aged 17 to 40 years. Morphological signs were studied first on native, and later on histochemically stained sections. It was established that the violation of the structure of the enamel layer of the teeth in mild and severe fluorosis is characterized by both partial and complete violation of the movement of the enamel prisms with signs of destruction. Fragmentation and homogeneity throughout the entire thickness were found in some areas of the enamel. When evaluating histochemically stained sections of teeth affected by fluorosis, it was established that dystrophic changes in the enamel structure and accumulation of acidic glycosaminoglycans in the lesions are more characteristic of mild and moderate forms. Under the conditions of a severe form of fluorosis, complete destruction of the prisms, fragmentation of the lamella, homogenization of areas on the entire enamel layer, which is due to the uneven distribution of acidic mucopolysaccharides, have been established. Morphologically and histochemically dystrophic changes in the areas of the affected enamel are confirmed by uneven distribution and accumulation of acidic glycosaminoglycans. An assessment of the effect of fluoride intoxication on the state of tooth enamel was carried out, which will allow to expand the possibilities of preventive measures for related specialists, as well as to create and develop additional treatment methods that will contribute to the improvement of physical and aesthetic indicators of teeth. dental health.

Improving the quality of communicating with dementia patients: A virtual reality‐based simulated communication approach

AbstractDementia patients may have language barriers and decreased comprehension ability. Their family caregivers can feel frustrated when communicating with them. Poor communication hinders family caregivers from obtaining accurate health information about patients, and may also increase their emotional burden, affecting patient care quality. The present study developed a virtual reality‐based simulated communication training (VRSCT) system and applied it to a training course for family caregivers of dementia patients. It allowed family caregivers to simulate real‐world situations in a VR environment, experience the daily communication barriers and stress with dementia patients, and apply their acquired knowledge and skills to solve related problems. This study used a randomised control experimental design with mixed analysis methods. A total of 63 family caregivers were recruited and randomly divided into the experimental group (N = 32) learning with the VRSCT system to interact with virtual dementia patients and practice communication skills, and the control group (N = 31) using the traditional role‐playing method for practice. Quantitative data were analysed to determine participants' knowledge of dementia care, attitudes, communication confidence and skills. In addition, the qualitative method was used to analyse the participants' discussion records. The results showed that by using the VRSCT approach, participants significantly improved their knowledge of dementia care, attitudes, communication confidence and communication skills compared to the control group. In addition, participants reported that through the real‐time feedback of the VRSCT system, they could recognise their previous incorrect communication approach. As a result, they adjusted their communication strategies and increased their self‐confidence. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Situational simulation helps learners improve their communication skills in a safe environment. Virtual reality (VR) creates a realistic, highly interactive learning environment, allowing users to be deeply immersed in the learning experience. What this paper adds This study proposed a VR‐based simulated communication training (VRSCT) approach; moreover, seven dementia cases of different degrees of severity were designed in the VR system to enable family members to experience possible challenges of taking care of dementia patients they might encounter in their daily lives. Each case in the VRSCT system has its unique symptoms and communication barriers. The learner in the story plays a caregiver, experiencing and solving the problems and challenges posed by the system. The experimental results show that the proposed method improves learners' knowledge, attitudes, communication confidence, and communication skills related to dementia care. Implications for practice and/or policy Utilising VR training can amplify awareness and secure enhanced social support for dementia‐related challenges. Using VRSCT, as governments and institutions recognise the effectiveness of VR training, they will provide more resources and promote its widespread application.

Evaluating the Stability Limits Between Individuals with Mild and Moderate-to-Severe Grades of Forward Head Posture

Background: Forward head posture (FHP) leads to the anterior excursion of the center of gravity, which can affect a person's standing balance. Evaluating the balance in different degrees of severity of FHP can help design and plan appropriate balance exercises for people with FHP. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the changes in the limits of stability (LOS) in people with mild and moderate-to-severe grades of FHP. Methods: The participants in this study were 70 individuals suffering from FHP, aged between 17 - 45. They were divided into two groups based on their craniovertebral angle: Mild (&gt; 45.5 degrees) and moderate-to-severe (&lt; 45.5 degrees). The LOS test was performed using a posturography device (Neurocom, Equitest, USA). Five indices—movement reaction time (RCT), movement velocity (MVL), endpoint excursion (EPE), maximum excursion (MXE), and directional control (DCL)—were evaluated. Results: Based on the results of the LOS test, RCT, MVL, EPE, MXE, and DCL were significantly different between the mild and moderate-to-severe FHP groups in both anterior and posterior directions (P &lt; 0.05). However, in other directions, no significant difference was observed in these variables based on the LOS test (P &gt; 0.05). Conclusions: It can be concluded that individuals with moderate-to-severe FHP are more likely to have postural control deficits. Therefore, it is necessary to design appropriate targeted interventions to prevent falls in these individuals. Specifically, they should receive balance exercises in dynamic situations.

Comparative salivary proteomics analysis of children with and without early childhood caries using the DIA approach: A pilot study.

To screen differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in the saliva of Early childhood caries (ECC) with different degrees of severity. The proteomic profiles of salivary of children with ECC of varying severity by data independent acquisition data independent acquisition (DIA) technique. A total of 12 preschool children aged 3-5 years were included in this study. In this study, a total of 15,083 peptides and 1944 proteins were quantified; The results of DEPs screening showed that 34 DEPs were identified between the group H and the group LC, including 18 up-regulated proteins and 16 down-regulated proteins; 34 DEPs were screened between the group H and the group HC, including 17 up-regulated proteins and 17 down-regulated proteins; 42 DEPs were screened between the group LC and the group HC, including 18 up-regulated proteins and 24 down-regulated proteins. Among these DEPs, we screened several key proteins that may play a role in ECC, such as MK, histone H4, TGFβ3, ZG16B, MUC20, and SMR-3B. Salivary proteins, as important host factors of caries, are differentially expressed between the saliva of ECC children and healthy children. Specific DEPs are expected to become potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of ECC.

COVID-19 patient profiles over four waves in Barcelona metropolitan area: A clustering approach.

Identifying profiles of hospitalized COVID-19 patients and explore their association with different degrees of severity of COVID-19 outcomes (i.e. in-hospital mortality, ICU assistance, and invasive mechanical ventilation). The findings of this study could inform the development of multiple care intervention strategies to improve patient outcomes. Prospective multicentre cohort study during four different waves of COVID-19 from March 1st, 2020 to August 31st, 2021 in four health consortiums within the southern Barcelona metropolitan region. From a starting point of over 292 demographic characteristics, comorbidities, vital signs, severity scores, and clinical analytics at hospital admission, we used both clinical judgment and supervised statistical methods to reduce to the 36 most informative completed covariates according to the disease outcomes for each wave. Patients were then grouped using an unsupervised semiparametric method (KAMILA). Results were interpreted by clinical and statistician team consensus to identify clinically-meaningful patient profiles. The analysis included nw1 = 1657, nw2 = 697, nw3 = 677, and nw4 = 787 hospitalized-COVID-19 patients for each of the four waves. Clustering analysis identified 2 patient profiles for waves 1 and 3, while 3 profiles were determined for waves 2 and 4. Patients allocated in those groups showed a different percentage of disease outcomes (e.g., wave 1: 15.9% (Cluster 1) vs. 31.8% (Cluster 2) for in-hospital mortality rate). The main factors to determine groups were the patient's age and number of obese patients, number of comorbidities, oxygen support requirement, and various severity scores. The last wave is also influenced by the massive incorporation of COVID-19 vaccines. Our study suggests that a single care model at hospital admission may not meet the needs of hospitalized-COVID-19 adults. A clustering approach appears to be appropriate for helping physicians to differentiate patients and, thus, apply multiple care intervention strategies, as another way of responding to new outbreaks of this or future diseases.

Italian National Registry of Alopecia Areata: an epidemiological study of 699 Italian patients.

Alopecia areata (AA) is an organ-specific autoimmune disease that affects the hair follicles of the scalp and the rest of the body causing hair loss. Due to the unpredictable course of AA and the different degrees of severity of hair loss, only a few well-designed clinical studies with a low number of patients are available. Also, there is no specific cure, but topical and systemic anti-inflammatory and immune system suppressant drugs are used for treatment. The need to create a global registry of AA, comparable and reproducible in all countries, has recently emerged. An Italian multicentric electronic registry is proposed as a model to facilitate and guide the recording of epidemiological and clinical data and to monitor the introduction of new therapies in patients with AA. The aim of this study was to evaluate the epidemiological data of patients with AA by collecting detailed information on the course of the disease, associated diseases, concomitant and previous events, and the clinical response to traditional treatments. Estimate the impact on the quality of life of patients. The creation of the National Register of AA has proven to be a valid tool for recording, with a standardized approach, epidemiological data, the trend of AA, response to therapies and quality of life. AA is confirmed as a difficult hair disease to manage due to its unpredictable course and, in most cases, its chronic-relapsing course, capable of having a significant impact on the quality of life of patients.

LC-MS and HPLC-UV for Detecting Uremic Toxins: Two Validated Methods with Simultaneous Sensitivity and Specificity Evaluation

Uremic toxins (UTs) are compounds derived from the metabolism of dietary molecules such as tryptophan (Indossyl Sulphate, IS) and phenil-alanine (P-Cresyl Sulphate, PCS), that are normally eliminated by the kidneys of healthy patients. The accumulation of such toxins is an indicator of kidney disease at different degrees of severity, and the toxins can be found as free or protein bound in human biological samples. The toxicity of such compounds causes the loss of several biological functions, and the subjects suffering from such complications will need, more often than not, hemodialysis to properly excrete these toxins. Despite this not being a resolutive, but rather a symptom managing clinical approach, this is the most common course of treatment. Two analytical methods are proposed to quantify both the protein-bound and free forms of IS and PCS (HPLC-UV for the former; LC-MS/MS with ESI negative ionization for the latter), with lower variability and higher robustness than what is currently proposed, allowing for a precise simultaneous determination of the aforementioned UTs.

Early frost detection in wheat using machine learning from vertical temperature distributions

Frost damage significantly reduces global wheat production. Temperature development in wheat crops is a complex and dynamic process. During frost events, a vertical temperature gradient develops from soil to canopy due to the heat loss from the soil and canopy boundary. Understanding these temperature gradients is essential for improving frost management strategies in wheat crops. We hypothesise that the relationship between the temperatures of the canopy, plant and ground can be an early indicator of frost. We collected infrared thermal (IRT) images from field-grown wheat crops and extracted the temperatures from the canopy, plant and ground layers. We analysed these temperatures and applied four machine learning (ML) models to detect coldness scales leading to frost nights with different degrees of severity. We implemented a gated recurrent unit, convolutional neural network, random forest and support vector machines to evaluate the classification. Our study shows that in these three layers, temperatures have a relationship that can be used to determine frost early. The patterns of these three temperatures on a frost night differ from a cold no-frost winter night. On a no-frost night we observed that the canopy is the coldest, plant is warm, and the soil is warmest, and these three temperatures did not converge. On the other hand, on a frost night, before the frost event, the canopy and plant temperatures converged as the cold air penetrated through the canopy. These patterns in temperature distribution were translated into an ML problem to detect frost early. We classified coldness scales based on the temperatures conducive to frost formation of a certain severity degree. Our results show that the ML models can determine the coldness scales automatically with 93%–98% accuracy across the four models. The study presents a strong foundation for the development of early frost detection systems.

Pathomorphological Features of Placenta in Different Degrees of Severity of New Coronavirus Infection Suffered During Pregnancy

INTRODUCTION: A wide spread of infection caused by SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-related coronavirus 2 associated with a severe acute respiratory syndrome) in the population, high risks of infection in pregnant women and the lack of understanding of the mechanisms of invasion of the agent into the placenta and its effect on the perinatal outcomes, dictate the need for targeted investigation of the morphofunctional features of placentas of puerperia’s who have suffered this infection.&#x0D; AIM: To identify pathomorphological alterations in placentas in a mild, moderate and severe course of the new coronavirus infection in women during pregnancy.&#x0D; MATERIALS AND METHODS: A morphological survey research of 63 placentas of women who have suffered SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy was conducted. The material was divided into groups with mild (n = 16), moderate (n = 35) and severe (n = 12) course of the disease. The control group included 25 placentas from women with physiological pregnancy. After standard fixation and histological preparation of the material, the tissue sections of 4 µm to 5 µm thickness were stained with hematoxylin and eosin.&#x0D; RESULTS: It has been established that the new coronavirus infection runs with general pathological alterations in the placentas. In a mild course of the infectious process, inflammation in the basal (12.5%) and parietal (25.0%) decidual membrane, disorders in maternal (6.3%) and fetal (6.3%) hemocirculation were diagnosed. A moderate course of the disease was characterized by predominance of placentas with impaired differentiation of chorionic villi by dissociation type (74.3%, p = 0.0001) and of mononuclear deciduitis (57.1%, p = 0.008). In a severe course of SARS-CoV-2 infection, abnormalities in the form of placenta (58.3%, p = 0.004) and in the attachment of the umbilicus (58.3%, p = 0.03), villous infarctions (33.3%, p = 0.05), thrombosis in the maternal (63.7%, p = 0.005) and fetal (57.3%, p = 0.005) parts of vascular bed were noted.&#x0D; CONCLUSION: Thus, the mild course of SARS-CoV-2 infection is characterized by chronic inflammation in the structural components of the placenta, the moderate course — by the dissociated development of cotyledons, the severe course — by disorders in hemocirculation in the form of infarctions and thrombosis.

Longitudinal serum profiling in Dengue fever patients with different severities by using multiplex flavivirus antigen microarrays

Dengue fever is one of the most common arbovirus-infected diseases and typically progresses through the febrile, critical, and convalescent phases. While most Dengue Fever patients have mild symptoms, a few develop severe symptoms due to hyperimmune responses. However, the role of the humoral responses during the Dengue fever progression, especially in severe cases, is still unclear. Here, we developed multiplex Flavivirus Antigen Microarrays (FAMs) for profiling antibody specificities in different infection phases and Dengue fever severities. The FAMs comprised 17 nonstructural and envelope proteins from Flaviviruses that frequently infect humans, e.g., 4 serotypes of Dengue viruses, Zika virus, Japanese encephalitis virus, West Nile virus, Yellow fever virus, and Tick-borne encephalitis virus. We collected serum samples from Dengue fever patients with different degrees of severity, including mild (n = 17), hospitalized non-severe (n = 21), and severe (n = 19), during febrile (Day < 7) and convalescent (Day > 7) phases. We simultaneously profiled the serum IgG and IgM against multiple antigens on the FAMs to demonstrate the immunological signatures in Dengue fever patients with different severities and two infection stages. Compared to febrile phase, the convalescent phase of mild but not hospitalized cases exhibiting evoked Dengue-specific IgM. In IgG profiling, the convalescent phase showed generally higher immune responses compared to febrile phase. Moreover, in the febrile phase, the hospitalized patients displayed higher IgG levels against 4 serotypes of Dengue viruses, Zika virus, and West Nile virus compared to mild patients, suggesting early and strong humoral responses. This study provides a valuable tool for monitoring antibody specificities and advances our understanding of humoral responses along with Dengue fever severities.