ABSTRACT
Despite the large impact chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) that has on the population, the implementation of new technologies for diagnosis and treatment remains limited. Current practices in ambulatory oxygen therapy used in COPD rely on fixed doses overlooking the diverse activities which patients engage in. To address this challenge, we propose a software architecture aimed at delivering patient-personalized edge-based artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted models that are built upon data collected from patients' previous experiences along with an evaluation function. The main objectives reside in proactively administering precise oxygen dosages in real time to the patient (the edge), leveraging individual patient data, previous experiences, and actual activity levels, thereby representing a substantial advancement over conventional oxygen dosing. Through a pilot test using vital sign data from a cohort of five patients, the limitations of a one-size-fits-all approach are demonstrated, thus highlighting the need for personalized treatment strategies. This study underscores the importance of adopting advanced technological approaches for ambulatory oxygen therapy.
Subject(s)
Oxygen , Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive , Humans , Artificial Intelligence , Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/diagnosis , Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/therapy , Oxygen Inhalation TherapyABSTRACT
Liberibacter is a bacterial group causing different diseases and disorders in plants. Among liberibacters, Candidatus Liberibacter solanaceraum (CLso) produces disorders in several species mainly within Apiaceae and Solanaceae families. CLso isolates are usually grouped in defined haplotypes according to single nucleotide polymorphisms in genes associated with ribosomal elements. In order to characterize more precisely isolates of CLso identified in potato in Spain, a Multilocus Sequence Analysis (MLSA) was applied. This methodology was validated by a complete analysis of ten housekeeping genes that showed an absence of positive selection and a nearly neutral mechanism for their evolution. Most of the analysis performed with single housekeeping genes, as well as MLSA, grouped together isolates of CLso detected in potato crops in Spain within the haplotype E, undistinguishable from those infecting carrots, parsnips or celery. Moreover, the information from these housekeeping genes was used to estimate the evolutionary divergence among the different CLso by using the concatenated sequences of the genes assayed. Data obtained on the divergence among CLso haplotypes support the hypothesis of evolutionary events connected with different hosts, in different geographic areas, and possibly associated with different vectors. Our results demonstrate the absence in Spain of CLso isolates molecularly classified as haplotypes A and B, traditionally considered causal agents of zebra chip in potato, as well as the uncertain possibility of the present haplotype to produce major disease outbreaks in potato that may depend on many factors that should be further evaluated in future works.
ABSTRACT
The atmosphere plays a fundamental role in the transport of microbes across the planet but it is often neglected as a microbial habitat. Although the ocean represents two thirds of the Earth's surface, there is little information on the atmospheric microbial load over the open ocean. Here we provide a global estimate of microbial loads and air-sea exchanges over the tropical and subtropical oceans based on the data collected along the Malaspina 2010 Circumnavigation Expedition. Total loads of airborne prokaryotes and eukaryotes were estimated at 2.2 × 1021 and 2.1 × 1021 cells, respectively. Overall 33-68% of these microorganisms could be traced to a marine origin, being transported thousands of kilometres before re-entering the ocean. Moreover, our results show a substantial load of terrestrial microbes transported over the oceans, with abundances declining exponentially with distance from land and indicate that islands may act as stepping stones facilitating the transoceanic transport of terrestrial microbes.The extent to which the ocean acts as a sink and source of airborne particles to the atmosphere is unresolved. Here, the authors report high microbial loads over the tropical Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans and propose islands as stepping stones for the transoceanic transport of terrestrial microbes..
