Gender-based differences in telomere attrition and long-term respiratory dysfunction in COVID-19 ICU survivors one year post-infection: implications for aging-associated pulmonary decline
Raquel Behar-Lagares, Raquel Behar-Lagares, Ana Virseda-Berdices
et al.
IntroductionA significant proportion of COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) survivors develop long-term respiratory complications, including pulmonary fibrosis. Telomere attrition, a marker of cellular senescence, has emerged as a potential biomarker for post-COVID-19 sequelae. This study investigated the association between peripheral blood relative telomere length (RTL) and long-term pulmonary outcomes in COVID-19 ICU survivors, with a specific focus on gender-specific differences.MethodsICU-admitted COVID-19 patients were followed for at least one year post-discharge. RTL was quantified from peripheral blood using monochromatic multiplex quantitative PCR (MMqPCR) at hospital admission and one-year post-discharge. Primary outcomes were respiratory symptoms and diffuse parenchymal lung disease (DPLD), assessed via imaging. Data were analyzed using gender-stratified generalized linear models, adjusted for clinical covariates.ResultsAt one year, 43.8% of patients reported respiratory symptoms and 23.9% developed DPLD. A total of 73 ICU survivors were included, with 51 men and 22 women. At one year, 43.8% of patients reported respiratory symptoms and 23.9% developed DPLD. Longitudinal analysis showed significant RTL shortening in both men and women who underwent IMV (p=0.011 and p=0.016, respectively), and in men who needed pronation during their ICU stay (p=0.037). Regarding one-year symptoms, in women, repeated-measures analysis showed an association with persistent respiratory symptoms, particularly in those who needed pronation during their ICU stay [adjusted arithmetic mean ratio (aAMR)=0.73) (95%CI=0.60-0.90); p=0.003]. At follow-up, women who had undergone pronation and had shorter RTL continued to show a higher prevalence of symptoms [aAMR= 0.66 (0.58-0.76); p< 0.001]. In contrast, men with shorter RTL at one-year post-discharge had an association with the presence of DPLD [aAMR = 0.64 (0.50-0.81); p = 0.001]. This association in men was significant particularly among those who required IMV [aAMR= 0.61 (0.49-0.76); p< 0.001] or prone positioning [aAMR= 0.56 (0.44-0.71); p= 0.016]. DiscussionThese findings underscore the role of telomere attrition as a sex-specific biomarker of aging-associated pulmonary vulnerability in the aftermath of critical COVID-19 illness. RTL may serve as a prognostic marker for long-term respiratory sequelae, potentially guiding risk stratification and individualized follow-up strategies in post-ICU COVID-19 survivors.
Immunologic diseases. Allergy
Earlier age at onset is associated with more severe sensory phenomena in drug-naive, comorbidity-free patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder
Makoto Kawahito, Keitaro Murayama, Hirofumi Tomiyama
et al.
IntroductionSensory phenomena (SP) are subjective experiences, such as feelings of discomfort or incompleteness, which often precede repetitive behaviors in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Although previous studies have shown that SP are common in early-onset OCD, the relationship between age at onset and SP severity remains unclear.MethodsThis cross-sectional study included 30 drug-naive patients with OCD, without comorbid psychiatric or medical/neurological disorders, and with at least one lifetime SP. SP severity was assessed using the University of São Paulo Sensory Phenomena Scale (USPSPS). Multiple regression analysis was conducted to examine the association between age at onset and SP severity, controlling for sex, autistic traits, and obsessive-compulsive symptom severity. Sensitivity analyses evaluated illness duration and anxiety and used a two-part analysis to address the floor at USPSPS = 0. Robustness was assessed using bias-corrected (BC) bootstrap 95% confidence intervals and influence diagnostics.ResultsEarlier age at onset was associated with greater SP severity (B = −0.171, p = 0.007; BC bootstrap 95% CI −0.300 to −0.064). Sensitivity analyses, including models additionally adjusting for illness duration or anxiety, and influence diagnostics, supported the robustness of this association. In a two-part analysis, autistic traits were associated with the presence of current SP, whereas earlier onset was associated with greater SP severity.DiscussionEarlier onset of OCD was associated with more severe SP after adjustment for clinical covariates. These findings may be consistent with a neurodevelopmental contribution to SP severity in OCD. Further longitudinal and qualitative studies on SP are warranted.
OpenTCM: A GraphRAG-Empowered LLM-based System for Traditional Chinese Medicine Knowledge Retrieval and Diagnosis
Jinglin He, Yunqi Guo, Lai Kwan Lam
et al.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) represents a rich repository of ancient medical knowledge that continues to play an important role in modern healthcare. Due to the complexity and breadth of the TCM literature, the integration of AI technologies is critical for its modernization and broader accessibility. However, this integration poses considerable challenges, including the interpretation of obscure classical Chinese texts and the modeling of intricate semantic relationships among TCM concepts. In this paper, we develop OpenTCM, an LLM-based system that combines a domain-specific TCM knowledge graph and Graph-based Retrieval-Augmented Generation (GraphRAG). First, we extract more than 3.73 million classical Chinese characters from 68 gynecological books in the Chinese Medical Classics Database, with the help of TCM and gynecology experts. Second, we construct a comprehensive multi-relational knowledge graph comprising more than 48,000 entities and 152,000 interrelationships, using customized prompts and Chinese-oriented LLMs such as DeepSeek and Kimi to ensure high-fidelity semantic understanding. Last, we empower OpenTCM with GraphRAG, enabling high-fidelity ingredient knowledge retrieval and diagnostic question-answering without model fine-tuning. Experimental evaluations demonstrate that OpenTCM achieves mean expert scores (MES) of 4.378 in ingredient information retrieval and 4.045 in diagnostic question-answering tasks, outperforming state-of-the-art solutions in real-world TCM use cases.
Interactions Between Internal Solitary Waves and Floating Canopies
Jen-Ping Chu, Mitul Luhar, Patrick Lynett
Interactions between internal solitary waves and floating canopies of varying length and porosity are examined via laboratory experiments and complementary simulations for a miscible, two-layer system. In both approaches, internal solitary waves of varying amplitudes are generated by a jet-array mechanism that is driven by the nonlinear eKdV solution. Pycnocline displacements, phase speeds, and velocity fields are obtained using synchronized planar laser-induced fluorescence and particle imaging velocimetry systems in the experiment. In the simulations, the canopy is represented as a porous zone with prescribed porosity and hydraulic conductivity determined by the Kozeny-Carman model, which is validated by comparing simulated and measured horizontal velocity profiles. The higher-porosity (transitional) canopy produces a nearly monotonic, albeit minor, amplitude reduction and negligible wave energy dissipation after the interaction. However, the shear layer developed at the bottom edge of the lower-porosity (dense) canopy grows to a comparable strength as the shear sustained by the internal solitary wave profile at the pycnocline. The vortex pair generated by this shear accelerates the upper-layer fluid beneath the canopy, leading to complex nonlinear amplitude modulation and significant wave transformation. With an extended canopy length, the internal solitary waves settle to a quasi-steady state with a significant phase speed reduction. Upon the wave exiting the canopy, flow separation at the downstream edge of the canopy again pairs with the shear at the pycnocline, inducing an intensified jet. This complex interaction leads to energy transfer between kinetic and potential energy under the dense canopy.
Lacking oceanic-driven internal multidecadal climate variability is compensated by forced variability in model simulations
Raphaël Hébert, Thomas Laepple
Regional climate change in the $21^{st}$ century will result from the interplay between human-induced changes and internal climate variability. Competing effects from greenhouse gas warming and aerosol cooling have historically caused multidecadal forced climate variations overlapping with internal variability. Despite extensive historical observations, disentangling the contributions of internal and forced variability remains debated, largely due to the uncertain magnitude of anthropogenic aerosols. Here, we show that, after removing CO$_{2}$-congruent variability, multidecadal temperature variability in instrumental data is largely attributable to internal processes of oceanic origin. This follows from an emergent relationship, identified in historical climate model simulations, between the driver of variability in oceanic regions and the land-ocean variance ratio in the mid-latitudes. Thus, climate models with higher residual (non-CO$_{2}$) forced variability, largely linked to volcanic and anthropogenic aerosols, exhibit more spatially coherent and amplified temperature patterns over land compared to observations. In contrast, models with higher internal variability agree better with the instrumental data. Our results underscore that internal modes of ocean-driven variability may be too weak in many climate models, and that current projections may be underestimating the range of internal variability in regions with high oceanic influence.
Coproducts Internal to Profinite Spaces
Jiacheng Tang
We give a categorical explanation for many properties of profinite coproducts of profinite groups, which were previously proven on a case-by-case basis. All of these properties take the form "certain functors preserve profinite coproducts". We give various examples to show how our framework can be applied. We also point out connections to internal category theory and profinite Bass-Serre theory.
Use of machine learning algorithms to determine the relationship between air pollution and cognitive impairment in Taiwan
Cheng-Hong Yang, Chih-Hsien Wu, Kuei-Hau Luo
et al.
Air pollution has become a major global threat to human health. Urbanization and industrialization over the past few decades have increased the air pollution. Plausible connections have been made between air pollutants and dementia. This study used machine learning algorithms (k-nearest neighbors, random forest, gradient-boosted decision trees, eXtreme gradient boosting, and CatBoost) to investigate the association between cognitive impairment and air pollution. Data from the Taiwan Biobank and 75 air-pollution-monitoring stations in Taiwan were analyzed to determine individual levels of exposure to air pollutants. The pollutants examined were particulate matter with a diameter of ≤ 2.5 μm (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide, nitric oxide, carbon monoxide, and ozone. The results revealed that the most strongly correlated with cognitive impairment were ozone, PM2.5, and carbon monoxide levels with adjustment of educational level, age, and household income. The model based on these factors achieved accuracy as high as 0.97 for detecting cognitive impairment, indicating a positive association between air pollutions and cognitive impairment.
Environmental pollution, Environmental sciences
Digoxigenin activates autophagy in hepatocellular carcinoma cells by regulating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway
Mengqing Ma, Rui Hu, Qi Huang
et al.
Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is recognized as a highly malignant tumor. Targeted combination immunotherapy, the initially approved regimen, is compromised by adverse side effects and low response rates during clinical treatment. Traditional Chinese medicine and its derived natural compounds, known for their anticancer effects, offer advantages of low toxicity and cost. In this study, we performed high-throughput phenotypic screening in vitro to identify promising anti-HCC drugs. Among 1,444 bioactive compounds, digoxigenin (DIG) was found to significantly impede HCC cell progression. We validated DIG’s therapeutic effects through assays such as cell counting by CCK8, lactate dehydrogenase, and colony formation. Analyses including transmission electron microscopy, western blotting, and immunofluorescence demonstrated that DIG inhibits HCC cell proliferation via autophagy. Network pharmacology and molecular docking studies suggest that DIG targets the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. Comparative treatments of Hep3B and Huh7 cells with DIG or mTOR inhibitors revealed similar inhibitory impacts, indicating that DIG induces autophagy by inhibiting the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. In vivo studies confirmed that DIG halts the growth of subcutaneous xenograft tumors. In conclusion, DIG represents a potential HCC treatment by modulating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway to induce autophagy. This research, via phenotypic screening, accelerates drug discovery and the development of novel therapies targeting the underlying mechanisms of liver cancer.
Neoplasms. Tumors. Oncology. Including cancer and carcinogens, Cytology
DNA polymorphisms in inflammatory and endocrine signals linked to frailty are also associated with obesity: data from the FRASNET cohort
Sarah Damanti, Sarah Damanti, Lorena Citterio
et al.
BackgroundObesity and frailty are prevalent geriatric conditions that share some pathophysiological mechanisms and are associated with adverse clinical outcomes. The relationship between frailty, obesity, and polymorphism remains inadequately explored. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) offer insights into genetic predispositions that may influence the development of both frailty and obesity.MethodsWe aimed at investigating whether SNPs associated with frailty also play a role in obesity. Data were collected from the FRASNET cross-sectional study, which included community-dwelling older individuals residing in Milan and nearby areas. Participants were recruited through random sampling. They underwent multidimensional geriatric assessments, which included the collection of blood samples for SNP analysis. Frailty was assessed using the frailty index, and body composition was evaluated using bioelectrical impedance analysis and anthropometric measures.ResultsSNPs related to frailty and linked to the renin–angiotensin system (CYP11B2 rs1799998, AGT rs5051, and AGTR1 rs2131127), apoptosis pathways (CASP8 rs6747918), growth hormone signaling (GHR rs6180), inflammation (TLR4 rs5030717, CD33 rs3865444, and FN1 rs7567647), adducin (ADD3 rs3731566), and the 9p21–23 region (rs518054) were found to be associated with various measures of obesity in community-dwelling older adults.ConclusionsFrailty-related SNPs contribute to obesity in community-dwelling older adults. We identified a novel association between adducin SNPs and visceral fat, which has not been previously reported. Detecting genetic predispositions to obesity and frailty early could aid in identifying individuals at risk, facilitating the adoption of preventive interventions. This represents an initial step toward promoting early intervention strategies.
Diseases of the endocrine glands. Clinical endocrinology
Internal 1-topoi in 2-topoi
Joseph Helfer
We further develop Weber's notion of elementary 2-topos by proposing certain new axioms. We show that in a 2-category C satisfying these axioms, the "discrete opfibration (DOF) classifier" S is always an internal elementary 1-topos, in an appropriate sense. The axioms introduced for this purpose are closure conditions on the DOFs having "S-small fibres". Among these closure conditions, the most interesting one asserts that a certain DOF, analogous to the "subset fibration" over Set, has small fibres. The remaining new axioms concern "groupoidal" objects in a 2-category, which are seen to play a significant role in the general theory. We prove two results to the effect that a 2-category C satisfying these axioms is "determined by" its groupoidal objects: the first shows that C is equivalent to a 2-category of internal categories built out of groupoidal objects, and the second shows that the groupoidal objects are dense in C.
Infinite-dimensional Convex Cones: Internal Geometric Structure and Analytical Representation
Valentin V. Gorokhovik
In the paper we consider convex cones in infinite-dimensional real vector spaces which are endowed with no topology. The main purpose is to study an internal geometric structure of convex cones and to obtain an analytical description of those. To this end, we first introduce the notion of an open component of a convex cone and then prove that an arbitrary convex cone is the disjoint union of the partial ordered family of its open components and, moreover, as an ordered set this family is an upper semilattice. We identify the structure of this upper semilattice with the internal geometric structure of a convex cone. We demonstrate that the internal geometric structure of a convex cone is related to its facial structure but in the infinite-dimensional setting these two structures may differ each other. Further, we study the internal geometric structure of conical halfspaces (convex cones whose complements are also convex cones). We show that every conical halfspace is the disjoint union of the linear ordered family of its open components each of which is a conical halfspace in its linear hull. Using the internal geometric structure of conical halfspaces, each asymmetric conical halfspace is associated with a linearly ordered family of linear functions, which generates in turn a real-valued function, called a step-linear one, analytically describing this conical halfspace. At last, we establish that an arbitrary asymmetric convex cone admits an analytical representation by the family of step-linear functions.
Urgent need to address infectious diseases due to immunosuppressive therapies
Daniel B. Chastain, Kayla R. Stover
Infectious and parasitic diseases
Role of Neuron-Specific Enolase in the Diagnosis and Disease Monitoring of Sarcoidosis
Noriaki Sunaga, Yasuhiko Koga, Yoshimasa Hachisu
et al.
Sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous disease of unknown etiology. The diagnosis of sarcoidosis is based on clinicopathologic findings accompanied by the formation of granulomas in multiple organs, including the lung. Although angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and soluble interleukin 2 receptor (sIL-2R) are traditionally used for the diagnosis of sarcoidosis, specific diagnostic markers remain to be determined. In the current study, we found that serum neuron-specific enolase (NSE) levels were elevated in patients with sarcoidosis. Serum NSE levels were positively correlated with serum ACE and sIL-2R levels. The sensitivity of NSE alone was modest, but its combination with sIL-2R and ACE had the highest sensitivity compared to those of each single marker. When comparing serum NSE and pro-gastrin-releasing peptide (ProGRP) levels in SCLC patients with those in patients with sarcoidosis and nonsarcoidotic benign diseases, serum NSE could be used to distinguish SCLC from sarcoidosis and nonsarcoidosis by setting at a cutoff value of 17.0 ng/ml with a sensitivity of 73.5% and a specificity of 90.2%, which were comparable to those of ProGRP. Serum NSE levels were associated with organ involvement and were higher in sarcoidosis patients who had been treated with oral corticosteroid (OCS) than in those who had never received OCS therapies; there was a positive association between elevated serum NSE levels and OCS use. Increased concentrations of serum NSE in patients at the nonremission phase decreased after spontaneous remission, whereas serum NSE levels fluctuated in accordance with serum ACE or sIL-2R levels during the follow-up period in patients with sarcoidosis. These findings suggest that NSE could be a marker for the diagnosis and monitoring of the clinical outcome of patients with sarcoidosis.
Diseases of the respiratory system
A Novel Coagulation Classification and Postoperative Bleeding in Severe Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage Patients on Antiplatelet Therapy
Qingyuan Liu, Qingyuan Liu, Xiong Li
et al.
Background and PurposeFor patients with severe spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage on antiplatelet therapy (patients with APT-SICH), postoperative rebleeding (PR) is an important cause of poor outcomes after surgery. As impacted by coagulation disorder caused by APT, patients with APT-SICH are likely to suffer from PR. This study aimed to assess the risk of PR in patients with APT-SICH receiving emergency surgery using a novel coagulation classification.MethodsThis prospective, multicenter cohort study consecutively selected patients with APT-SICH between September 2019 and March 2021. The preoperative coagulation factor function was recorded, and the platelet function was assessed using thrombelastography. Based on platelet and coagulation factor function, a novel four-type coagulation classification, i.e., Type I (severe coagulation disorder), Type IIa (low platelet reserve capacity), Type IIb (normal coagulation), and Type III (hypercoagulation), was presented. The primary outcome was PR, defined as the rebleeding in the operative region or new intracerebral hemorrhage correlated with the operation.ResultsOf the included 197 patients with APT-SICH, PR occurred in 40 patients (20.3%). The novel coagulation classification categorized 28, 32, 122, and 15 patients into Type I, Type IIa, Type IIb, and Type III, respectively. The Type I patients had the highest incident rate of PR (39.3 per 100 persons), followed by the Type IIa patients (31.3 per 100 persons). In the PR-related analysis, the large hematoma volume (hazard ratio (HR): 1.02; 95% CI: 1.02–1.03; p < 0.001), Type I (HR: 9.72; 95% CI: 1.19–79.67; p = 0.034), and Type IIa (HR: 8.70; 95% CI: 1.09–69.61; p = 0.041) were correlated with the highest risk of PR. The coagulation classification could discriminate the PR patients from no PR (NPR) patients (p < 0.001), and it outperformed the conventional coagulation assessment (only considering platelet count and coagulation factor function) (c-statistic, 0.72 vs. 0.55).ConclusionThe novel coagulation classification could discriminate the patients with APT-SICH with the highest risk of PR preoperatively. For the Type I and Type IIa patients, emergency surgery should be performed carefully.
Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry
Socio-demographic predictors of the prevalence of dysfunctional breathing in a healthy population during the COVID-19 pandemic
J. Koniukhovskaia, E. Pervichko, V. Petrenko
et al.
Introduction
Dysfunctional breathing is a breathing patterns that do not correspond to the physiological needs of the body, provoke many poly-systemic symptoms. Dysfunctional breathing is experienced as a feeling of “difficulty in breathing”, which in the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic may be similar to the symptoms of coronavirus infection (Taverne et al., 2021).
Objectives
To examine the role of socio-demographic predictors in the prevalence of dysfunctional breathing in the Russian population during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods
The author’s socio-demographic questionnaire, the Naimigen Questionnaire (Van Dixhoorn, Duivenvoordent, 1985), the STAI (Spielberger et al., 1983) and the “Perceived Stress Scale-10” (Cohen,Kamarck,Mermelstein,1983) were used. The study was conducted online from April 27 to December 28, 2020. It was attended by 1,362 people from all regions of Russia (38.3 ±11.4 y.o.).
Results
In men, the average values for NQ (11.19±7.74) are lower than among women (18.73±9.96, p=0.000). Persons with incomplete higher education have a higher score on NQ (N=103,NQ=20.44±11.8) than persons with higher education (N=1051,NQ= 17.40±9.63,p=0.048) and candidates/doctors of sciences (N=97,NQ= 15.34±11.20,p=0.005). There was also a connection between the severity of dysfunctional breathing and the level of income, which is associated with a negative correlation between income level and perception of stress (r=-0.215,p=0.000), state (r=-0.165,p=0.000) and trait anxiety (r=-0.127,p=0.000).
Conclusions
The severity of dysfunctional breathing is associated with gender, income levels and education, what can be used to identify a group of people who are most susceptible to the occurrence of dysfunctional breathing during the pandemic COVID-19. The study was supported of the Russian Science Foundation, project No.21-18-00624.
Disclosure
The study was supported of the Russian Science Foundation, project No. 21-18-00624.
Hamiltonian model for coupled surface and internal waves over currents and uneven bottom
Lili Fan, Ruonan Liu, Hongjun Gao
A Hamiltonian model for the propagation of internal water waves interacting with surface waves, a current and an uneven bottom is examined. Using the so-called Dirichlet-Neumann operators, the water wave system is expressed in the Hamiltonian form, and thus the motions of the internal waves and surface waves are determined by the Hamiltonian formulation. Choosing an appropriate scaling of the variables and employing the Hamiltonian perturbation theory from Hamiltonian formulation of the dynamics, we derive a KdV-type equation with variable coefficients depending on the bottom topography to describe the internal waves.
en
physics.flu-dyn, math-ph
Implementation of a method to quantify white blood cell cystine as a diagnostic support for cystinosis
Johana Maria Guevara-Morales, Olga Yaneth Echeverri-Peña
Background and aims: Cystinosis is an inborn error of metabolism, clinically characterised by severe renal involvement and development of corneal cystine deposits, especially in the adult form of the disease. Cystinosis is a treatable condition. Therefore, an early diagnosis is necessary to start therapy. For biochemical confirmation of the condition it is necessary to quantify intracellular cystine concentrations. For this, different methods have been described with variations in cell isolation strategies and the amino acid quantification techniques used. In order to improve confirmatory biochemical diagnosis in our setting, a protocol for intraleukocitary cystine quantification was established. Methods: A high performance liquid chromatography based method for cystine quantification in polymorphonuclear cells was implemented. Evaluation of the best anticoagulant to use and temperature stability of the sample at 4 °C were performed. In addition, we established reference values for our population. Results: It was determined that intraleukocitary cystine quantification must be performed in blood samples containing acid-citrate-dextrose (ACD) as anticoagulant. Samples must be processed immediately due to their poor stability even when refrigerated. Based on the results from 50 healthy individuals, the cut-off point established for our population was 0.34 nmol1/2/cystine/mg. Conclusion: The adaptation performed to the cystine quantification method here presented the highest control population that has been reported in the literature so far. Our results highlight the need for making available a cystine quantification method locally and confirm the convenience for each laboratory to establish its own reference values to provide greater reliability for interpreting results. Resumen: Antecedentes y objetivos: La cistinosis es un error innato del metabolismo cuyas características clínicas incluyen compromiso renal severo, formación de cristales de cistina en la córnea, especialmente en la presentación adulta de la enfermedad. Es una enfermedad tratable por lo cual establecer el diagnostico de forma oportuna es fundamental para iniciar terapia. Para la confirmación bioquímica de la enfermedad se requiere determinar las concentraciones intracelulares de cistina, para lo cual se han reportado diferentes métodos tanto para el aislamiento de las células como las técnicas de cuantificación del aminoácido. Con el objetivo de mejorar el diagnóstico bioquímico confirmatorio en nuestro medio establecimos un protocolo de cuantificación intraleucocitaria de cistina. Métodos: Se realizó implementación de un método de cuantificación de cistina en polimorfonucleares por cromatografía líquida de alta resolución, evaluando el mejor anticoagulante a utilizar, la estabilidad de la muestra a 4 °C y estableciendo valores de referencia para nuestra población. Resultados: Se determinó que la muestra para cuantificación intraleucocitaria de cistina debe ser anticoagulada mediante adición de ácido Cítrico-Dextrosa (ACD) como anticoagulante. La muestra debe ser procesada inmediatamente dada su baja estabilidad incluso en refrigeración. Con 50 individuos sanos se estableció como punto de corte para nuestra población 0.34 nmol1/2cistina/mg. Conclusión: La adaptación realizada del método de cuantificación de cistina utiliza el número más alto de muestras control hasta ahora reportado en la literatura. Nuestros resultados dan cuenta de la necesidad de implementar el método a nivel local y reafirman la conveniencia de que cada laboratorio establezca sus propios valores de referencia para proporcionar una mayor confiabilidad a la hora de interpretar los resultados. Keywords: Cystinosis, Aminoacidopathy, Inborn error of metabolism, Intraleukocitary cystine, Fanconi syndrome., Palabras clave: Cistinosis, Aminoacidopatia, Error innato del metabolismo, Cistina intraleucocitaria, Síndrome de fanconi
Diseases of the genitourinary system. Urology
Quality of internal representation shapes learning performance in feedback neural networks
Lee Susman, Francesca Mastrogiuseppe, Naama Brenner
et al.
A fundamental feature of complex biological systems is the ability to form feedback interactions with their environment. A prominent model for studying such interactions is reservoir computing, where learning acts on low-dimensional bottlenecks. Despite the simplicity of this learning scheme, the factors contributing to or hindering the success of training in reservoir networks are in general not well understood. In this work, we study non-linear feedback networks trained to generate a sinusoidal signal, and analyze how learning performance is shaped by the interplay between internal network dynamics and target properties. By performing exact mathematical analysis of linearized networks, we predict that learning performance is maximized when the target is characterized by an optimal, intermediate frequency which monotonically decreases with the strength of the internal reservoir connectivity. At the optimal frequency, the reservoir representation of the target signal is high-dimensional, de-synchronized, and thus maximally robust to noise. We show that our predictions successfully capture the qualitative behaviour of performance in non-linear networks. Moreover, we find that the relationship between internal representations and performance can be further exploited in trained non-linear networks to explain behaviours which do not have a linear counterpart. Our results indicate that a major determinant of learning success is the quality of the internal representation of the target, which in turn is shaped by an interplay between parameters controlling the internal network and those defining the task.
Opening the Book on Maintenance of Certification
S. Weinberger
Corrigendum to Aerobic training and l-arginine supplement attenuates myocardial infarction-induced kidney and liver injury in rats via reduced oxidative stress [Indian Heart J 70 (2018) 538–543]
Kamal Ranjbar, Farzad Nazem, Reyhaneh Sabrinezhad
et al.
Surgery, Diseases of the circulatory (Cardiovascular) system