Non-invasive biopsy diagnosis of diabetic kidney disease via deep learning applied to retinal images: a population-based study.

Background: Improving the accessibility of screening diabetic kidney disease (DKD) and differentiating isolated diabetic nephropathy from non-diabetic kidney disease (NDKD) are two major challenges in the field of diabetes care. We aimed to develop and validate an artificial intelligence (AI) deep learning system to detect DKD and isolated diabetic nephropathy from retinal fundus images.

Methods: In this population-based study, we developed a retinal image-based AI-deep learning system, DeepDKD, pretrained using 734 084 retinal fundus images.

Macrophages direct location-dependent recall of B cell memory to vaccination.

Vaccines generate long-lived plasma cells and memory B cells (Bmems) that may re-enter secondary germinal centers (GCs) to further mutate their B cell receptor upon boosting and re-exposure to antigen. We show in mouse models that lymph nodes draining the site of primary vaccination harbor a subset of Bmems that reside in the subcapsular niche, generate larger recall responses, and are more likely to re-enter GCs compared with circulating Bmems in non-draining lymph nodes. This location-dependent recall of Bmems into the GC in the draining lymph node was dependent on CD169 subcapsular sinus macrophages (SSMs) in the subcapsular niche.

Lunar dust induces minimal pulmonary toxicity compared to Earth dust.

Humans are returning to the moon and understanding the toxicity of lunar dust is crucial for successful missions. Apollo mission reports suggest that lunar dust poses significant inhalation risks. Previous studies on lunar dust simulants have shown tissue and cellular damage in the lungs.

Patterning on Living Tardigrades.

Micro/nanofabrication techniques have revolutionized modern photonics and electronics. However, conventional methods remain incompatible with living organisms due to inherent constraints including nonconformal coating, radiation damage, and toxic solvent requirements. Here, we present ice lithography for direct fabrication of micro/nanoscale patterns on the surfaces of tardigrades in their cryptobiotic state.

Proteomic organ-specific ageing signatures and 20-year risk of age-related diseases: the Whitehall II observational cohort study.

Background: Biological ageing is known to vary among different organs within an individual, but the extent to which advanced ageing of specific organs increases the risk of age-related diseases in the same and other organs remains poorly understood.

Methods: In this observational cohort study, to assess the biological age of an individual's organs relative to those of same-aged peers, ie, organ age gaps, we collected plasma samples from 6235 middle-aged (age 45-69 years) participants of the Whitehall II prospective cohort study in London, UK, in 1997-99. Age gaps of nine organs were determined from plasma proteins via SomaScan (SomaLogic; Boulder, CO, USA) using the Python package organage.

Neural and behavioral evolution in an eavesdropper with a rapidly evolving host.

The diversification of animal communication systems is driven by the interacting effects of signalers, signal receivers, and the environment. Yet, the critical role of unintended receivers, like eavesdropping enemies, has been underappreciated. Furthermore, contemporary evolution of animal signals is rare, making it difficult to directly observe this process.

Technical Recommendations for Computed Tomography Guidance of Intervention in the Right Ventricular Outflow Tract: Native RVOT, Conduits and Bioprosthetic Valves: A White Paper of the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT), Congenital Heart Surgeons' Society (CHSS), and Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI).

This consensus document for the performance of cardiovascular computed tomography (CCT) to guide intervention in the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) in patients with congenital disease (CHD) was developed collaboratively by pediatric and adult interventionalists, surgeons and cardiac imagers with expertise specific to this patient subset. The document summarizes definitions of RVOT dysfunction as assessed by multi-modality imaging techniques and reviews existing consensus statements and guideline documents pertaining to indications for intervention. In the context of this background information, recommendations for CCT scan acquisition and a standardized approach for reporting prior to surgical or transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement are proposed and presented.

Parasitoid-host eavesdropping reveals temperature coupling of preferences to communication signals without genetic coupling.

Receivers of acoustic communication signals evaluate signal features to identify conspecifics. Changes in the ambient temperature can alter these features, rendering species recognition a challenge. To maintain effective communication, temperature coupling-changes in receiver signal preferences that parallel temperature-induced changes in signal parameters-occurs among genetically coupled signallers and receivers.

Honeybees Use Multiple Invariants to Control Their Altitude.

How do bees perceive altitude changes so as to produce safe displacements within their environment? It has been proved that humans use invariants, but this concept remains little-known within the entomology community. The use of a single invariant, the optical speed rate of change, has been extensively demonstrated in bees in a ground-following task. Recently, it has been demonstrated that another invariant, the splay angle rate of change, could also be used by bees to adjust their altitude.

Control of high-speed jumps: the rotation and energetics of the locust (Schistocerca gregaria).

Locusts (Schistocerca gregaria) jump using a latch mediated spring actuated system in the femur-tibia joint of their metathoracic legs. These jumps are exceptionally fast and display angular rotation immediately after take-off. In this study, we focus on the angular velocity, at take-off, of locusts ranging between 0.

The therapeutic potential of matcha tea: A critical review on human and animal studies.

Matcha is a powdered form of Japanese green tea that has been gaining global popularity recently. Matcha tea has various health benefits, including an enhancing effect on cognitive function, cardio-metabolic health, and anti-tumorogenesis. To date, randomized clinical trials (RCT) showed that matcha decreases stress, slightly enhances attention and memory, and has no effect on mood.

A Clinician's View of Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome.

The purpose of this article is to improve recognition and treatment of Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. It is well known that Korsakoff syndrome is a chronic amnesia resulting from unrecognized or undertreated Wernicke encephalopathy and is caused by thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency. The clinical presentation of thiamine deficiency includes loss of appetite, dizziness, tachycardia, and urinary bladder retention.

Prehospital Hypertonic Saline Administration After Severe Traumatic Brain Injury.

A 25-year old male paient was critically injuried in a high speed motor vehicle collision over an hour from the nearest trauma center. Paramedics diagnosed the patient with a traumatic brain injury and increasing intracranial pressure and transported the patient to a predesignated landing zone for helicopter intercept. During transport paramedics initiated a severe traumatic brain injury protocol which included the adminisration of 3% hypertonic saline.

Intestinal parasite infection in the Augustinian friars and general population of medieval Cambridge, UK.

Objective: To investigate how lifestyle may have impacted the risk of contracting intestinal parasites in medieval England . Regular clergy (such as those living in monasteries) and the lay population form interesting groups for comparison as diet and lifestyle varied significantly. Monasteries were built with latrine blocks and hand washing facilities, unlike houses of the poor.

The effects of ants on pest control: a meta-analysis.

Environmental impacts of conventional agriculture have generated interest in sustainable agriculture. Biological pest control is a fundamental tool, and ants are key players providing ecological services, as well as some disservices. We have used a meta-analytical approach to investigate the contribution of ants to biological control, considering their effects on pest and natural enemy abundance, plant damage and crop yield.

Auralization of aircraft flyovers with turbulence-induced coherence loss in ground effect.

Residents around airports are impacted by noise produced by civil aircraft operations. With the aim of reducing the negative effects of noise, new low-noise aircraft concepts and flight procedures are being developed. The design processes and the assessments of design variants can be supported by auralization of virtual flyovers.

Floor and ceiling mirror configurations to study altitude control in honeybees.

To investigate altitude control in honeybees, an optical configuration was designed to manipulate or cancel the optic flow. It has been widely accepted that honeybees rely on the optic flow generated by the ground to control their altitude. Here, we create an optical configuration enabling a better understanding of the mechanism of altitude control in honeybees.

On the road: Anthropogenic factors drive the invasion risk of a wild solitary bee species.

Complex biotic networks of invaders and their new environments pose immense challenges for researchers aiming to predict current and future occupancy of introduced species. This might be especially true for invasive bees, as they enter novel trophic interactions. Little attention has been paid to solitary, invasive wild bees, despite their increasing recognition as a potential global threat to biodiversity.

High expectancy influences the role of cognitive load in inattentional deafness during landing decision-making.

Neglecting a critical auditory alarm is a major obstacle to maintaining a safe environment, especially in aviation. Earlier studies have indicated that tasks with a higher perceptual or cognitive load in the visual modality influence the processing of auditory stimuli. It is unclear, however, whether other factors, such as memory failure, active neglect, or expectancy influence the effect of cognitive load on auditory alarm detection sensitivity during aeronautical decision-making.