Sleeve gastrectomy as a bridge to maternity in a patient with obesity, infertility and tetraplegia. A case report.

Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) is a major cause of severe and permanent disability in young adults. Overweight and obesity are commonly observed among patients affected with SCI, with reports of a prevalence of over 60 and 30% respectively. Case report: A 34 year-old woman suffering from tetraplegia after sustaining a traumatic injury to C5-C6 at age 23 as a result of a motor vehicle accident was presented to our hospital's multidisciplinary bariatric team due to class II obesity. At the time of presentation to the team, eleven years after the accident, her BMI was calculated to be 39 Kg/m2 (weight 97 kg, height 1.57 meters). She was diagnosed with infertility while seeking pregnancy, and referred to our bariatric unit for weight loss. In addition, she had overcome the physical limitations of her injury, had a regular job and was engaged in regular physical activities such as swimming. In May 2017, she underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) without complications and was discharged on postoperative day 2. 17 months following LSG, with a normal BMI, she became naturally pregnant. She had emergency cesarean at 35 weeks due to pneumonia but both patient and child recovered without sequelae. Currently, 4 years after surgery she maintains 37.11% total weight loss (weight 61 kg). She reports having a better quality of life with fewer medical intercurrencies. Conclusions: Patients with SCI and obesity, particularly women seeking to conceive, may be benefited by being referred to bariatric teams for assessment and treatment to improve results associated with sustained weight reduction.

Binder-Free Cnt Cathodes for Li-O2 Batteries with More Than One Life.

Li-O2 batteries (LOB) performance degradation ultimately occurs through the accumulation of discharge products and irreversible clogging of the porous electrode during the cycling. Electrode binder degradation in the presence of reduced oxygen species can result in additional coating of the conductive surface, exacerbating capacity fading. Herein, a facile method to fabricate free-standing is established, binder-free electrodes for LOBs in which multi-wall carbon nanotubes form cross-linked networks exhibiting high porosity, conductivity, and flexibility. These electrodes demonstrate high reproducibility upon cycling in LOBs. After cell death, efficient and inexpensive methods to wash away the accumulated discharge products are demonstrated, as reconditioning method. The second life usage of these electrodes is validated, without noticeable loss of performance. These findings aim to assist in the development of greener high energy density batteries while reducing manufacturing and recycling costs.

Management of groin hernias detected by ultrasound: a comprehensive study.

INTRODUCTION: It remains unclear whether ultrasound-detected hernias (UDH) are the sole cause of pain in patients with groin pain, and clinical examination plays a complementary role. The aim of our study is to describe the evolution of patients with ultrasound detected hernias in terms of development of groin hernia detected by physical examination, pain resolution, and alternative diagnosis. METHODS: An observational, descriptive, longitudinal study of a prospective case series including patients with UDH with groin pain. Follow-up evaluation included the following: follow-up time, side of pain, its evolution, time to resolution, clinical hernia (CH) development, need for surgical resolution, and the presence of postoperative pain and alternative diagnosis. RESULTS: A total of 98 patients with complete follow-up for groin pain and UDH were included. Seven patients (7.1%) developed CH, with a median time to conversion of 8 months. Four of them (4.1% of the total and 57.1% of the ones who developed CH) ended up having surgery. Fifty-three patients (54.1%) resolved their pain in a median time to resolution of 2 months, and 75.5% of them did so spontaneously. The majority of patients with persistent pain (73.3%) were able to lead a normal life and only reported pain with movement. More than half of the patients (53.3%) reached a specific diagnosis. Among those patients who did not develop CH, 39.6% reached an alternative diagnosis, the majority being musculoskeletal pathologies. CONCLUSION: Watchful waiting and a thorough search for other alternative causes of groin pain in UDH and clinically occult hernia would be a reasonable option.

Divergence of cytokinesis and dimorphism control by myosin II regulatory light chain in fission yeasts.

Non-muscle myosin II activation by regulatory light chain (Rlc1Sp) phosphorylation at Ser35 is crucial for cytokinesis during respiration in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. We show that in the early divergent and dimorphic fission yeast S. japonicus non-phosphorylated Rlc1Sj regulates the activity of Myo2Sj and Myp2Sj heavy chains during cytokinesis. Intriguingly, Rlc1Sj-Myo2Sj nodes delay yeast to hyphae onset but are essential for mycelial development. Structure-function analysis revealed that phosphorylation-induced folding of Rlc1Sp α1 helix into an open conformation allows precise regulation of Myo2Sp during cytokinesis. Consistently, inclusion of bulky tryptophan residues in the adjacent α5 helix triggered Rlc1Sp shift and supported cytokinesis in absence of Ser35 phosphorylation. Remarkably, unphosphorylated Rlc1Sj lacking the α1 helix was competent to regulate S. pombe cytokinesis during respiration. Hence, early diversification resulted in two efficient phosphorylation-independent and -dependent modes of Rlc1 regulation of myosin II activity in fission yeasts, the latter being conserved through evolution.

Carbonyl-Based Redox-Active Compounds as Organic Electrodes for Batteries: Escape from Middle-High Redox Potentials and Further Improvement?

Extracting─from the vast space of organic compounds─the best electrode candidates for achieving energy material breakthrough requires the identification of the microscopic causes and origins of various macroscopic features, including notably electrochemical and conduction properties. As a first guess of their capabilities, molecular DFT calculations and quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM)-derived indicators were applied to explore the family of pyrano[3,2-b]pyran-2,6-dione (PPD, i.e., A0) compounds, expanded to A0 fused with various kinds of rings (benzene, fluorinated benzene, thiophene, and merged thiophene/benzene). A glimpse of up-to-now elusive key incidences of introducing oxygen in vicinity to the carbonyl redox center within 6MRs─as embedded in the A0 core central unit common to all A-type compounds─has been gained. Furthermore, the main driving force toward achieving modulated low redox potential/band gaps thanks to fusing the aromatic rings for the A compound series was discovered.

Perinatal Protein Restriction Impacts Nuclear O-GalNAc Glycosylation in Cells of Liver and Brain Structures of the Rat.

BACKGROUND: Post-translational modifications are key factors in the modulation of nuclear protein functions controlling cell physiology and an individual's health. OBJECTIVES: This study examined the influence of protein restriction during the perinatal period on the nuclear O-N-acetylgalactosamine (O-GalNAc) glycosylation of cells from the liver and parts of the brain in the rat. METHODS: Pregnant Wistar rats were divided into 2 groups on day 14 of pregnancy and fed ad libitum 1 of 2 isocaloric diets containing 24% (well-fed) or 8% (protein-restricted diet) casein until the end of the experiment. Male pups were studied after weaning at 30 d of life. Animals and their organ/tissues (liver, cerebral cortex, cerebellum and hippocampus) were weighed. Cell nuclei were purified, and the presence in nucleus and cytoplasm of all factors required for the initiation of O-GalNAc glycan biosynthesis, i.e., the sugar donor (UDP-GalNAc), enzyme activity (ppGalNAc-transferase) and the glycosylation product (O-GalNAc glycans), were evaluated by western blotting, fluorescent microscopy, enzyme activity, enzyme-lectin sorbent assay and mass spectrometry. RESULTS: The perinatal protein deficit reduced progeny weight, as well as the cerebral cortex and cerebellum weight. UDP-GalNAc levels in the cytoplasm and nuclei of the liver, the cerebral cortex, cerebellum, or hippocampus were not affected by the perinatal dietary protein deficits. However, this deficiency affected the ppGalNAc-transferase activity localized in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus cytoplasm as well as in the liver nucleus, thus reducing the "writing" ppGalNAc-transferase activity of O-GalNAc glycans. In addition, liver nucleoplasm from protein-restricted offspring revealed a significant reduction in the expression of O-GalNAc glycans on important nuclear proteins. CONCLUSIONS: Our results report an association between the consumption of a protein-restricted diet by the dam and her progeny with the modulation in the offspring' liver nuclei O-GalNAc glycosylation, which may ultimately regulate nuclear protein functions.

Myosin II regulatory light chain phosphorylation and formin availability modulate cytokinesis upon changes in carbohydrate metabolism.

Cytokinesis, the separation of daughter cells at the end of mitosis, relies in animal cells on a contractile actomyosin ring (CAR) composed of actin and class II myosins, whose activity is strongly influenced by regulatory light chain (RLC) phosphorylation. However, in simple eukaryotes such as the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, RLC phosphorylation appears dispensable for regulating CAR dynamics. We found that redundant phosphorylation at Ser35 of the S. pombe RLC homolog Rlc1 by the p21-activated kinases Pak1 and Pak2, modulates myosin II Myo2 activity and becomes essential for cytokinesis and cell growth during respiration. Previously, we showed that the stress-activated protein kinase pathway (SAPK) MAPK Sty1 controls fission yeast CAR integrity by downregulating formin For3 levels (Gómez-Gil et al., 2020). Here, we report that the reduced availability of formin For3-nucleated actin filaments for the CAR is the main reason for the required control of myosin II contractile activity by RLC phosphorylation during respiration-induced oxidative stress. Thus, the restoration of For3 levels by antioxidants overrides the control of myosin II function regulated by RLC phosphorylation, allowing cytokinesis and cell proliferation during respiration. Therefore, fine-tuned interplay between myosin II function through Rlc1 phosphorylation and environmentally controlled actin filament availability is critical for a successful cytokinesis in response to a switch to a respiratory carbohydrate metabolism.

cAMP-Protein kinase A and stress-activated MAP kinase signaling mediate transcriptional control of autophagy in fission yeast during glucose limitation or starvation.

Macroautophagy/autophagy is an essential adaptive physiological response in eukaryotes induced during nutrient starvation, including glucose, the primary immediate carbon and energy source for most cells. Although the molecular mechanisms that induce autophagy during glucose starvation have been extensively explored in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, little is known about how this coping response is regulated in the evolutionary distant fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Here, we show that S. pombe autophagy in response to glucose limitation relies on mitochondrial respiration and the electron transport chain (ETC), but, in contrast to S. cerevisiae, the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and DNA damage response pathway components do not modulate fission yeast autophagic flux under these conditions. In the presence of glucose, the cAMP-protein kinase A (PKA) signaling pathway constitutively represses S. pombe autophagy by downregulating the transcription factor Rst2, which promotes the expression of respiratory genes required for autophagy induction under limited glucose availability. Furthermore, the stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK) signaling pathway, and its central mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) Sty1, positively modulate autophagy upon glucose limitation at the transcriptional level through its downstream effector Atf1 and by direct in vivo phosphorylation of Rst2 at S292. Thus, our data indicate that the signaling pathways that govern autophagy during glucose shortage or starvation have evolved differently in S. pombe and uncover the existence of sophisticated and multifaceted mechanisms that control this self-preservation and survival response.

Polypeptide N-acetylgalactosamine transferase 3: a post-translational writer on human health.

Polypeptide N-acetylgalactosamine transferase 3 (ppGalNAc-T3) is an enzyme involved in the initiation of O-GalNAc glycan biosynthesis. Acting as a writer of frequent post-translational modification (PTM) on human proteins, ppGalNAc-T3 has key functions in the homeostasis of human cells and tissues. We review the relevant roles of this molecule in the biosynthesis of O-GalNAc glycans, as well as in biological functions related to human physiological and pathological conditions. With main emphasis in ppGalNAc-T3, we draw attention to the different ways involved in the modulation of ppGalNAc-Ts enzymatic activity. In addition, we take notice on recent reports of ppGalNAc-T3 having different subcellular localizations, highlight critical intrinsic and extrinsic functions in cellular physiology that are exerted by ppGalNAc-T3-synthesized PTMs, and provide an update on several human pathologies associated with dysfunctional ppGalNAc-T3. Finally, we propose biotechnological tools as new therapeutic options for the treatment of pathologies related to altered ppGalNAc-T3. KEY MESSAGES: ppGalNAc-T3 is a key enzyme in the human O-GalNAc glycans biosynthesis. enzyme activity is regulated by PTMs, lectin domain and protein-protein interactions. ppGalNAc-T3 is located in human Golgi apparatus and cell nucleus. ppGalNAc-T3 has a central role in cell physiology as well as in several pathologies. Biotechnological tools for pathological management are proposed.

Gaining Insight into the Electrochemical Interface Dynamics in an Organic Redox Flow Battery with a Kinetic Monte Carlo Approach.

Finding low-cost and nontoxic redox couples for organic redox flow batteries is challenging due to unrevealed reaction mechanisms and side reactions. In this study, a 3D kinetic Monte Carlo model to study the electrode-anolyte interface of a methyl viologen-based organic redox flow battery is presented. This model captures various electrode processes, such as ionic displacement and degradation of active materials. The workflow consists of input parameters obtained from density functional theory calculations, a kinetic Monte Carlo algorithm to simulate the discharging process, and an electric double layer model to account for the electric field distribution near the electrode surface. Galvanostatic discharge is simulated at different anolyte concentrations and input current densities, which demonstrate that the model captured the formation of the electrical double layer due to ionic transport. The simulated electrochemical kinetics (potential, charge density) are found to be in agreement with the Nernst equation and the obtained EDL structure corresponded with published molecular dynamics results. The model's flexibility allows further applications of simulating the behavior of different redox couples and makes it possible to consider other molecular-scale phenomena. This study paves the way for computational screening of active species by assessing their potential kinetics in electrochemical environments.

Bridging nano- and microscale X-ray tomography for battery research by leveraging artificial intelligence.

X-ray computed tomography (CT) is a non-destructive imaging technique in which contrast originates from the materials' absorption coefficient. The recent development of laboratory nanoscale CT (nano-CT) systems has pushed the spatial resolution for battery material imaging to voxel sizes of 50 nm, a limit previously achievable only with synchrotron facilities. Given the non-destructive nature of CT, in situ and operando studies have emerged as powerful methods to quantify morphological parameters, such as tortuosity factor, porosity, surface area and volume expansion, during battery operation or cycling. Combined with artificial intelligence and machine learning analysis techniques, nano-CT has enabled the development of predictive models to analyse the impact of the electrode microstructure on cell performances or the influence of material heterogeneities on electrochemical responses. In this Review, we discuss the role of X-ray CT and nano-CT experimentation in the battery field, discuss the incorporation of artificial intelligence and machine learning analyses and provide a perspective on how the combination of multiscale CT imaging techniques can expand the development of predictive multiscale battery behavioural models.

Artificial Intelligence Applied to Battery Research: Hype or Reality?

This is a critical review of artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) methods applied to battery research. It aims at providing a comprehensive, authoritative, and critical, yet easily understandable, review of general interest to the battery community. It addresses the concepts, approaches, tools, outcomes, and challenges of using AI/ML as an accelerator for the design and optimization of the next generation of batteries─a current hot topic. It intends to create both accessibility of these tools to the chemistry and electrochemical energy sciences communities and completeness in terms of the different battery R&D aspects covered.

The Multiple Functions of Rho GTPases in Fission Yeasts.

The Rho family of GTPases represents highly conserved molecular switches involved in a plethora of physiological processes. Fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe has become a fundamental model organism to study the functions of Rho GTPases over the past few decades. In recent years, another fission yeast species, Schizosaccharomyces japonicus, has come into focus offering insight into evolutionary changes within the genus. Both fission yeasts contain only six Rho-type GTPases that are spatiotemporally controlled by multiple guanine-nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) and GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs), and whose intricate regulation in response to external cues is starting to be uncovered. In the present review, we will outline and discuss the current knowledge and recent advances on how the fission yeasts Rho family GTPases regulate essential physiological processes such as morphogenesis and polarity, cellular integrity, cytokinesis and cellular differentiation.

Specific Functional Features of the Cell Integrity MAP Kinase Pathway in the Dimorphic Fission Yeast Schizosaccharomyces japonicus.

Mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways execute essential functions in eukaryotic organisms by transducing extracellular stimuli into adaptive cellular responses. In the fission yeast model Schizosaccharomyces pombe the cell integrity pathway (CIP) and its core effector, MAPK Pmk1, play a key role during regulation of cell integrity, cytokinesis, and ionic homeostasis. Schizosaccharomyces japonicus, another fission yeast species, shows remarkable differences with respect to S. pombe, including a robust yeast to hyphae dimorphism in response to environmental changes. We show that the CIP MAPK module architecture and its upstream regulators, PKC orthologs Pck1 and Pck2, are conserved in both fission yeast species. However, some of S. pombe's CIP-related functions, such as cytokinetic control and response to glucose availability, are regulated differently in S. japonicus. Moreover, Pck1 and Pck2 antagonistically regulate S. japonicus hyphal differentiation through fine-tuning of Pmk1 activity. Chimeric MAPK-swapping experiments revealed that S. japonicus Pmk1 is fully functional in S. pombe, whereas S. pombe Pmk1 shows a limited ability to execute CIP functions and promote S. japonicus mycelial development. Our findings also suggest that a modified N-lobe domain secondary structure within S. japonicus Pmk1 has a major influence on the CIP signaling features of this evolutionarily diverged fission yeast.

CHAMPION: Chalmers hierarchical atomic, molecular, polymeric and ionic analysis toolkit.

We present CHAMPION (Chalmers hierarchical atomic, molecular, polymeric, and ionic analysis toolkit): a software developed to automatically detect time-dependent bonds between atoms based on their dynamics, classify the local graph topology around them, and analyze the physicochemical properties of these topologies by statistical physics. In stark contrast to methodologies where bonds are detected based on static conditions such as cut-off distances, CHAMPION considers pairs of atoms to be bound only if they move together and act as a bound pair over time. Furthermore, the time-dependent global bond graph is possible to split into dynamically shifting connected components or subgraphs around a certain chemical motif and thereby allow the physicochemical properties of each such topology to be analyzed by statistical physics. Applicable to condensed matter and liquids in general, and electrolytes in particular, this allows both quantitative and qualitative descriptions of local structure, as well as dynamical processes such as speciation and diffusion. We present here a detailed overview of CHAMPION, including its underlying methodology, implementation, and capabilities.

How Machine Learning Will Revolutionize Electrochemical Sciences.

Electrochemical systems function via interconversion of electric charge and chemical species and represent promising technologies for our cleaner, more sustainable future. However, their development time is fundamentally limited by our ability to identify new materials and understand their electrochemical response. To shorten this time frame, we need to switch from the trial-and-error approach of finding useful materials to a more selective process by leveraging model predictions. Machine learning (ML) offers data-driven predictions and can be helpful. Herein we ask if ML can revolutionize the development cycle from decades to a few years. We outline the necessary characteristics of such ML implementations. Instead of enumerating various ML algorithms, we discuss scientific questions about the electrochemical systems to which ML can contribute.

Probing and Interpreting the Porosity and Tortuosity Evolution of Li-O2 Cathodes on Discharge through a Combined Experimental and Theoretical Approach.

Li-O2 batteries offer a high theoretical discharge capacity due to the formation of light discharged species such as Li2O2, which fill the porous positive electrode. However, in practice, it is challenging to reach the theoretical capacity and completely utilize the full electrode pore volume during discharge. With the formation of discharge products, the porous medium evolves, and the porosity and tortuosity factor of the positive electrode are altered through shrinkage and clogging of pores. A pore shrinks as solid discharge products accumulate, the pore clogging when it is filled (or when access is blocked). In this study, we investigate the structural evolution of the positive electrode through a combination of experimental and computational techniques. Pulsed field gradient nuclear magnetic resonance results show that the electrode tortuosity factor changes much faster than suggested by the Bruggeman relation (an equation that empirically links the tortuosity factor to the porosity) and that the electrolyte solvent affects the tortuosity factor evolution. The latter is ascribed to the different abilities of solvents to dissolve reaction intermediates, which leads to different discharge product particle sizes: on discharging using 0.5 M LiTFSI in dimethoxyethane, the tortuosity factor increases much faster than for discharging in 0.5 M LiTFSI in tetraglyme. The correlation between a discharge product size and tortuosity factor is studied using a pore network model, which shows that larger discharge products generate more pore clogging. The Knudsen diffusion effect, where collisions of diffusing molecules with pore walls reduce the effective diffusion coefficients, is investigated using a kinetic Monte Carlo model and is found to have an insignificant impact on the effective diffusion coefficient for molecules in pores with diameters above 5 nm, i.e., most of the pores present in the materials investigated here. As a consequence, pore clogging is thought to be the main origin of tortuosity factor evolution.