Tradeoffs in the design of RNA thermometers.

The synthesis of RNA thermometers is aimed at achieving temperature responses with desired thresholds and sensitivities. Although previous works have generated thermometers with a variety of thresholds and sensitivities as well as guidelines for design, possible constraints in the achievable thresholds and sensitivities remain unclear. We addressed this issue using a two-state model and its variants, as well as melt profiles generated from thermodynamic computations. In the two-state model, we found that the threshold was inversely proportional to the sensitivity, in the case of a fixed energy difference between the two states. Notably, this constraint could persist in variations of the two-state model with sequentially unfolding states and branched parallel pathways. Furthermore, the melt profiles generated from a library of thermometers exhibited a similar constraint. These results should inform the design of RNA thermometers as well as other responses that are mediated in a similar fashion.

Ultrasensitive Ratiometric Fluorescent Nanothermometer with Reverse Signal Changes for Intracellular Temperature Mapping.

Sensing temperature at the subcellular level is pivotal for gaining essential thermal insights into diverse biological processes. However, achieving sensitive and accurate sensing of the intracellular temperature remains a challenge. Herein, we develop a ratiometric organic fluorescent nanothermometer with reverse signal changes for the ultrasensitive mapping of intracellular temperature. The nanothermometer is fabricated from a binary mixture of saturated fatty acids with a noneutectic composition, a red-emissive aggregation-caused quenching luminogen, and a green-emissive aggregation-induced emission luminogen using a modified nanoprecipitation method. Different from the eutectic mixture with a single phase-transition point, the noneutectic mixture possesses two solid-liquid phase transitions, which not only allows for reversible regulation of the aggregation states of the encapsulated luminogens but also effectively broadens the temperature sensing range (25-48 °C) across the physiological temperature range. Remarkably, the nanothermometer exhibits reverse and sensitive signal changes, demonstrating maximum relative thermal sensitivities of up to 63.66% °C-1 in aqueous systems and 44.01% °C-1 in the intracellular environment, respectively. Taking advantage of these outstanding thermometric performances, the nanothermometer is further employed to intracellularly monitor minute temperature variations upon chemical stimulation. This study provides a powerful tool for the exploration of dynamic cellular thermal activities, holding great promise in unveiling intricate physiological processes.

Comparison of two non-invasive body temperature measurement methods for the detection of febrile neutropenia in children with cancer.

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to compare the accuracy of two noninvasive thermometers (axillary and infrared non-contact forehead thermometer) in measuring core temperature compared to the gold standard oral thermometer in the detection of fever in pediatric cancer patients with febrile neutropenia. METHODS: The study was conducted with a single group of 42 children with febrile neutropenia between 23 December 2020 and 25 January 2023 in the pediatric hematology and oncology clinic of a training and research hospital, which provides a specialized environment for both medical education and advanced scientific research in the field of pediatric hematology and oncology. The participants' body temperature was measured with an oral, axillary, and non-contact infrared forehead thermometer immediately after admission to the clinic and at 5 and 10 min after admission. The inter-rater agreement for each method and inter-method agreement between axillary and non-contact infrared temperature readings and oral readings were analyzed for each time point using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). RESULTS: The children in the study had a mean age of 11.62 ± 3.00 years and 28 (66.7%) were boys, 19 (45.2%) were younger children (5-10 years of age), and 23 (54.8%) were adolescents (11-16 years of age). In the analysis of agreement between the thermometers at admission and at 5 and 10 min after admission in children with febrile neutropenia, the highest agreement was between the oral and axillary thermometers (ICC: 0.584, 0.835, 0.536, respectively) and the lowest agreement was between the oral and non-contact infrared thermometers (ICC: 0.219, 0.022, 0.473, respectively). CONCLUSION: Compared to orally measured body temperature, axillary temperature readings showed better agreement than non-contact infrared temperature readings from the forehead in pediatric patients with febrile neutropenia. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The research findings may guide nurses and families caring for pediatric patients with febrile neutropenia and should contribute to the prevention of false findings of fever and the reduction of its adverse consequences.

Performance of Distress Thermometer: A Study among Cancer Patients.

BACKGROUND: The Distress Thermometer accompanied with Problems List is a commonly used screening tool for psychosocial distress. However, it's cut-off score, performance and risk factors for psychosocial distress varies among studies. This is the first study conducted in Nepal to investigate the Distress Thermometer's screening properties, its optimal cut-off score and evaluating the prevalence of psychosocial distress and its risk factors. METHODS: This cross-sectional study enrolled 162 heterogeneous cancer patients. The English form of the Distress Thermometer was translated to Nepali using a forward and backward translation method. Questionnaires including socio-demographic, clinical characteristics, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Distress Thermometer accompanied with Problems List were filled. Receiver Operating Characteristic analysis of distress thermometer scores was evaluated against Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Total (≥15). An Area Under the Curve, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were calculated at each Distress Thermometer cut-off score. RESULTS: Receiver Operating Characteristic analysis showed an excellent discriminating performance (Area Under the Curve =87.4%). A cut-off score of 4 on Distress Thermometer was established and it yielded sensitivity (88.9%), specificity (71.1%), positive predictive value (75.4%) and negative predictive value (86.5%) respectively. Furthermore, 55.6% of participants were distressed and emotional problems (odd ratio = 28.00), practical problems (odd ratio = 12.152) and physical problems (odd ratio = 2.397) were found to be significant risk factors for PD. CONCLUSIONS: PD is a global burden in cancer patients. The DT with a cut-off score of 4 accompanied with PL is valid instrument for screening PD in Nepali cancer patients. PL identified the problems that causes of PD.

Evaluation of different body temperature measurement methods for patients in the intraoperative period.

OBJECTIVES: this study aimed at estimating and comparing the reliability of temperature measurements obtained using a peripheral infrared temporal thermometer, a central cutaneous thermometer ("Zero-Heat-Flux Cutaneous thermometer") and an esophageal or nasopharyngeal thermometer among elective surgical patients in the intraoperative period. METHOD: a longitudinal study with repeated measures carried out by convenience sampling of 99 patients, aged at least 18 years old, undergoing elective abdominal cancer surgeries, with anesthesia lasting at least one hour, with each patient having their temperature measured by all three methods. RESULTS: the intraclass correlation coefficient showed a low correlation between the measurements using the peripheral temporal thermometer and the central cutaneous (0.0324) and esophageal/nasopharyngeal (-0.138) thermometers. There was a high correlation (0.744) between the central thermometers evaluated. CONCLUSION: the data from the current study do not recommend using infrared temporal thermometers as a strategy for measuring the body temperature of patients undergoing anesthetic-surgical procedures. Central cutaneous thermometers and esophageal/nasopharyngeal thermometers are equivalent for detecting intraoperative hypothermia.

Validation of the Distress Thermometer as a Screening Tool for Psychosocial Distress and Resilience in Parkinson's Disease.

BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with psychosocial distress that affects patients' quality of life. The distress thermometer (DT) is an 11-point visual analogue scale that is used as a screening tool for the assessment of psychosocial distress, originally developed for oncological diseases. OBJECTIVES: To validate the DT for PD and to explore contributing factors. METHODS: The DT scale was administered to 105 people with Parkinson's Disease (PwPD). Along with it, we assessed motor symptoms (Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale part III [UPDRS III], Hoehn and Yahr-stage [H&Y]), non-motor symptoms (Non-motor Symptom Questionnaire [NMSQ]), anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale [HADS], Fear of Progression-Questionnaire Short Form [FOP-Q-SF], Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 [GAD-7], 9-question Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ-9]), the feeling of hope (Herth Hope Index [HHI]) and quality of life (Schedule for the Evaluation of Individual Quality of Life [SEIQoL]). RESULTS: With a cut-off of 4, the DT identified PwPD with distress with a sensitivity of 97% and a specificity of 38%. With this cut-off, the DT will yield false negative results in 1 out of 100 cases. Factor analyses and a random forest regression of the dataset revealed that distress can be predicted by two factors, which we termed "anxiety" and "depression/resilience/motor symptoms". CONCLUSION: The DT is an ultra-short and reliable screening tool for distress in PwPD. DT values below 4 rule out distress with a high degree of certainty. Anxiety and depression are important factors in distress but are counterbalanced by the individuals' psychological resilience.

Evaluating alternative temperature measurement sites in cats within a home environment: A comparison with rectal temperature.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare rectal temperature (RT) with temperatures measured in the pinna, cornea, medial canthus, gingiva, metacarpal pad and axillary region of cats in a home environment. ANIMALS STUDIED: Five healthy mixed-breed cats (two females and three males) owned by a veterinarian were used. PROCEDURES: All temperature measurements were conducted by the owner by using an infrared camera in the same room and initiated with the pinna, followed by the cornea, medial canthus, gingiva and metacarpal pad. Subsequently, axillary temperature (AT) and RT were recorded by a digital thermometer, respectively. The time taken for a single AT and RT measurements was recorded. RESULTS: The average measurement time for RT was 17.34 ± 0.89 s, with a range of 8-32 s, whereas AT measurements took an average of 46.72 ± 1.16 s, with a range of 29-69 s. AT emerged as a superior alternative measurement site compared to others, exhibiting the lowest bias and the highest proportion of readings within the limits of clinical agreement. The mean difference between RT and AT, with 95% limits of agreement for the differences, was -0.26 (-1.13 to 0.61). CONCLUSIONS: Anatomical regions were not all interchangeable with the rectum for assessing body temperature (BT), with AT recording the highest level of agreement with RT. When RT is not possible, AT could be considered as an alternative for monitoring BT in clinically healthy cats that live in a home environment.

Noncontact infrared thermometer measurements offer a reasonable alternative to rectal temperature measurement in afebrile horses.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the repeatability of infrared thermometer temperature readings and evaluate the correlation between digital rectal temperature and infrared thermometer temperatures taken at different locations in healthy afebrile horses. ANIMALS: 101 afebrile horses ≥ 1 year old. METHODS: Digital rectal temperatures and infrared temperatures from the eye, gingiva, neck, axilla, and perineum were obtained in a climate-controlled environment and at 2 outdoor ambient temperatures (study period, November 1, 2021, to April 30, 2023). RESULTS: Infrared temperature measurements were well tolerated by horses, including those resistant to rectal temperature. There was significant correlation between rectal temperature and infrared temperature taken at the perineum (R = 0.57; P < .001) and eye (R = 0.37; P < .001). Infrared temperature measurements were highly repeatable, allowing for calculation of reference ranges for the perineum (36.0 to 37.8 °C) and eye (35.7 to 37.1 °C) in climate-controlled conditions. There was increased variance in outside temperatures compared to climate-controlled conditions for the eye (P = .002), gingiva (P = .047), and perineum (P = .005). CLINICAL RELEVANCE: While infrared thermometer temperatures were not numerically the same as rectal temperature using a digital thermometer, measurements at the perineum and eye were correlated with rectal temperature readings. Further, the repeatability of infrared readings allows for computation of reference ranges that make the infrared thermometer a viable alternative for the practicing veterinarian when obtaining a temperature in uncooperative horses. The infrared thermometer was reliable outdoors for the eye, but not the perineum. Additional validation of infrared temperature reference ranges in febrile horses and warmer ambient temperatures is warranted.

Body Core Temperature Assessment in Emergency Care Departments.

BACKGROUND: There is concern that the values provided by devices using infrared thermometry in emergency departments (EDs) do not reflect body core temperature accurately. OBJECTIVES: Evaluation of three thermometers commonly used in the ED. METHODS: Two infrared ear thermometers and an infrared forehead thermometer were evaluated using 1) the Voltcraft IRS-350 calibration device, 2) comparing temperature values to a rectal end-exercise temperature (T-RECT) of 38.1°C in 12 participants, and 3) comparing temperature values to rectal temperature in 133 ED patients. RESULTS: Calibration across the human core temperature range revealed that the ear thermometers underestimated radiant temperature by 0.77 ± 0.39°C and 1.84 ± 0.26°C, respectively, whereas the forehead thermometer overestimated radiant temperature by 0.90 ± 0.51°C. After cycling exercise, all thermometers underestimated T-RECT (0.54 ± 0.27°C and 1.03 ± 0.48°C for the ear thermometers and 1.14 ± 0.38°C for the forehead thermometer). In the ED, the ear thermometers underestimated T-RECT by 0.31 ± 0.37°C and 0.46 ± 0.50°C, whereas the forehead thermometer exhibited a nonsignificant overestimation of 0.04 ± 0.46°C. If the threshold for fever in all systems had been set to 37.5°C instead of 38.0°C, the sensitivity and specificity of the systems for real fever (T-RECT ≥ 38°C) are, respectively, 71% and 96% (ear thermometer 1), 57% and 97% (ear thermometer 2), and 86% and 90% (forehead thermometer). CONCLUSION: We conclude that the investigated thermometers are not reliable as devices to measure radiant temperature, cannot be used to assess body core temperature during exercise, but may be used as a screening device, with 37.5°C as a threshold for fever in emergency care settings.

Accuracy of a zero-heat-flux thermometer in cardiac surgery, a prospective, multicentre, method comparison study.

Accurate measurement of core temperature is of utmost importance during on-pump cardiac surgery, for detection of hypothermia before cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), guidance of temperature management on CPB, active rewarming on CPB and guidance of warming therapy after CPB. Most temperature measurement methods are known to become inaccurate during rapid changes in core temperature and suffer from delayed detection of temperature changes. Zero-heat-flux temperature (ZHF) measurement from the lateral forehead may be an alternative, non-invasive method quantifying the core temperature. A prospective, observational, multicentre study was conducted in one hundred patients scheduled for on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting. Core temperatures were measured every minute by two zero-heat-flux thermometer (SpotOn™) and a bladder thermometer and a pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) in the period after induction of anesthesia until CPB. Accuracy and precision of both methods were compared against core temperature measured in the pulmonary artery using the method of Bland and Altman. A high accuracy (around 0.1 °C) and a very good precision (Limits of agreement (LoA) - 0.6; 0.4 °C) were found between zero-heat-flux thermometer and core temperature measured by PAC. Among the two ZHF thermometers the bias was negligible (- 0.003 °C) with narrow LoA of - 0.42 °C and 0.41 °C. In contrast, bias between bladder temperature and PAC temperature was large (0.51 °C) with corresponding LoA of - 0.06 °C and 1.1 °C. ZHF thermometers are in contrast to bladder temperature a reliable core temperature monitor in cardiac surgery during the period after induction of anestesia until CPB. The zero-heat-flux method can provide clinicians reliably with continuous and non-invasive measurements of core temperature in normothermic and mild hypothermic temperature ranges and therefore can be helpful to guide temperature management.

Assessment of emotional distress in palliative care: Edmonton Symptom Assessment System-revised (ESAS-r) vs Distress Thermometer.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the Distress Thermometer (DT) as a screening tool for emotional distress in oncological palliative care patients and to compare the DT with the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System-revised (ESAS-r) and the gold standard to determine the most appropriate assessment method in palliative psychological care. METHODS: Data were collected from psychological screening tests (ESAS-r and DT), and clinical interviews (gold standard) were conducted by a clinical psychologist specialist in palliative oncology from January 2021 to January 2022 in an oncology palliative care service. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 356 first-time patients with a diagnosis of advanced cancer in palliative care. The most frequently reported oncological diagnoses were gastrointestinal tract (49.3%) and breast (18.3%). Most patients were female (n = 206; 57.9%), 60.4% were married/with a partner, 55.4% had between 6 and 9 years of schooling, and a median age of 57 (range, 46-65) years. The cutoff of the DT was 5, with a sensitivity of 75.88% and specificity of 54.3%. Emotional problems (sadness and nervousness) had a greater area under the curve (AUC) when measured using the DT than the ESAS-r; however, only in the case of the comparative sadness and discouragement was the difference between the AUC marginally significant. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: The use of the DT as a screening tool in oncological palliative care is more effective in the evaluation of psychological needs than the ESAS-r. The DT, in addition to evaluation by an expert psychologist, allows for a more comprehensive identification of signs and symptoms to yield an accurate mental health diagnosis based on the International Classification of Diseases-11th Revision and/or Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fifth Edition.

Agreement of zero-heat-flux thermometry with the oesophageal and tympanic core temperature measurement in patient receiving major surgery.

To identify and prevent perioperative hypothermia, most surgical patients require a non-invasive, accurate, convenient, and continuous core temperature method, especially for patients undergoing major surgery. This study validated the precision and accuracy of a cutaneous zero-heat-flux thermometer and its performance in detecting intraoperative hypothermia. Adults undergoing major non-cardiac surgeries with general anaesthesia were enrolled in the study. Core temperatures were measured with a zero-heat-flux thermometer, infrared tympanic membrane thermometer, and oesophagal monitoring at 15-minute intervals. Taking the average value of temperature measured in the tympanic membrane and oesophagus as a reference, we assessed the agreement using the Bland-Altman analysis and linear regression methods. Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values of detecting hypothermia were estimated. 103 patients and one thousand sixty-eight sets of paired temperatures were analyzed. The mean difference between zero-heat-flux and the referenced measurements was -0.03 ± 0.25 °C, with 95% limits of agreement (-0.52 °C, 0.47 °C) was narrow, with 94.5% of the differences within 0.5 °C. Lin's concordance correlation coefficient was 0.90 (95%CI 0.89-0.92). The zero-heat-flux thermometry detected hypothermia with a sensitivity of 82% and a specificity of 90%. The zero-heat-flux thermometer is in good agreement with the reference core temperature based on tympanic and oesophagal temperature monitoring in patients undergoing major surgeries, and appears high performance in detecting hypothermia.

Nanothermometer Based on Polychlorinated Trityl Radicals Showing Two-Photon Excitation and Emission in the Biological Transparency Window: Temperature Monitoring of Biological Tissues.

Nanothermometers are emerging probes as biomedical diagnostic tools. Especially appealing are nanoprobes using NIR light in the range of biological transparency window (BTW) since they have the advantages of a deeper penetration into biological tissues, better contrast, reduced phototoxicity and photobleaching. This article reports the preparation and characterization of organic nanoparticles (ONPs) doped with two polychlorinated trityl radicals (TTM and PTM), as well as studies of their electronic and optical properties. Such ONPs having inside isolated radical molecules and dimeric excimers, can be two-photon excited showing optimal properties for temperature sensing. Remarkably, in TTM-based ONPs the emission intensity of the isolated radical species is unaltered increasing temperature, while the excimer emission intensity decreases strongly being thereby able to monitor temperature changes with an excellent thermal absolute sensitivity of 0.6-3.7% K-1 in the temperature range of 278-328 K. The temperature dependence of the excimeric bands of ONPs are theoretically simulated by using electronic structure calculations and a vibronic Hamiltonian model. Finally, TTM-doped ONPs as ratiometric NIR-nanothermometers are tested with two-photon excitationwith enucleated pig eye sclera, as a real tissue model, obtaining a similar temperature sensitivity as in aqueous suspensions, demonstrating their potential as NIR nanothermometers for bio applications.

Diurnal temperature variation and the implications for diagnosis and infectious disease screening: a population-based study.

OBJECTIVES: Fevers have been used as a marker of disease for hundreds of years and are frequently used for disease screening. However, body temperature varies over the course of a day and across individual characteristics; such variation may limit the detection of febrile episodes complicating the diagnostic process. Our objective was to describe individual variation in diurnal temperature patterns during episodes of febrile activity using millions of recorded temperatures and evaluate the probability of recording a fever by sex and for different age groups. METHODS: We use timestamped deidentified temperature readings from thermometers across the US to construct illness episodes where continuous periods of activity in a single user included a febrile reading. We model the mean temperature recorded and probability of registering a fever across the course of a day using sinusoidal regression models while accounting for user age and sex. We then estimate the probability of recording a fever by time of day for children, working-age adults, and older adults. RESULTS: We find wide variation in body temperatures over the course of a day and across individual characteristics. The diurnal temperature pattern differed between men and women, and average temperatures declined for older age groups. The likelihood of detecting a fever varied widely by the time of day and by an individual's age or sex. CONCLUSIONS: Time of day and demographics should be considered when using body temperatures for diagnostic or screening purposes. Our results demonstrate the importance of follow-up thermometry readings if infectious diseases are suspected.

Effect of Auricular Position on Body Temperature Measurement with Tympanic Thermometers: A Quasi Experimental Study.

BACKGROUND: With the COVID-19 pandemic, body temperature measurement has begun to be widely used in the diagnosis of the coronavirus disease. When measuring body temperature, it is important to obtain the core temperature measurement. This study compared the results of body temperature obtained with the tympanic membrane thermometer-which is one of the methods that best reflect the body temperature-with or without positioning the auricle. AIMS: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of auricle position on body temperature measurements made with tympanic membrane thermometer in adult patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A quasi-experimental design that employed a pre-test and a post-test was used in this study. A total of 143 patients who fit the inclusion criteria of the study were included in the sample. For analysis of the data, frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations were calculated, and the significance of the difference between paired values was tested in order to investigate the effects of auricle position on measurement values. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 22.0 was used in analyzing the data obtained in this study. RESULTS: The difference between the values of measurement taken in these two separate positions was found to be 0.31 0C, and the Bland-Altman plot showed that the differences were distributed systematically around the value 0.31. CONCLUSIONS: It was found in the comparison of two positions that there was a significant difference between the tympanic thermometer measurements made by positioning the auricle and those without positioning.

Thermoring basis for the TRPV3 bio-thermometer.

The thermosensitive transient receptor potential (TRP) channels are well-known as bio-thermometers with specific temperature thresholds and sensitivity. However, their precise structural origins are still mysterious. Here, graph theory was used to test how the temperature-dependent non-covalent interactions as identified in the 3D structures of thermo-gated TRPV3 could form a systematic fluidic grid-like mesh network with the constrained thermo-rings from the biggest grids to the smallest ones as necessary structural motifs for the variable temperature thresholds and sensitivity. The results showed that the heat-evoked melting of the biggest grids may control the specific temperature thresholds to initiate channel gating while the smaller grids may be required to secure heat efficacy. Together, all the grids along the lipid-dependent minimal gating pathway may be necessary to change with molar heat capacity for the specific temperature sensitivity. Therefore, this graph theory-based grid thermodynamic model may provide an extensive structural basis for the thermo-gated TRP channels.

Effect of eardrum perforation and chronic otitis media on the results of infrared tympanic thermometer in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to determine whether tympanic membrane perforation or chronic otitis media affects the results of an infrared tympanic membrane thermometer in adults. METHODS: A literature search was performed using PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. RESULTS: Four nonrandomized studies were included in the analysis. The temperatures of the bilateral eardrums (one eardrum with normal condition [control group] and the other eardrum with perforation or chronic otitis media [experimental group]) were measured for the same subject in the studies. The mean and standard deviation of the bilateral tympanic membrane temperatures were used to calculate the mean difference (MD) with a corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI). The fixed-effect model was utilized based on the results of the heterogeneity measurement using the Chi2 test and I2 statistic. The results of a meta-analysis in the normal eardrum (control group) and perforated eardrum, chronic suppurative otitis media with tympanic membrane perforation, or chronic otitis media with cholesteatoma (experimental group) were 343 subjects (MD = 0.05; 95% CI = -0.00 to 0.11; P = .06). A meta-analysis of the normal eardrum (control group) and perforated eardrum or chronic suppurative otitis media with tympanic membrane perforation except for cholesteatoma (experimental group) found 296 subjects (MD = 0.05; 95% CI = -0.01 to 0.11; P = .10). CONCLUSION: When the temperatures of the bilateral eardrums were measured using an infrared tympanic membrane thermometer, no difference was observed between the eardrum with perforation or chronic otitis media and the normal eardrum.

Metagenomic Thermometer.

Various microorganisms exist in environments, and each of them has its optimal growth temperature (OGT). The relationship between genomic information and OGT of each species has long been studied, and one such study revealed that OGT of prokaryotes can be accurately predicted based on the fraction of seven amino acids (IVYWREL) among all encoded amino-acid sequences in its genome. Extending this discovery, we developed a 'Metagenomic Thermometer' as a means of predicting environmental temperature based on metagenomic sequences. Temperature prediction of diverse environments using publicly available metagenomic data revealed that the Metagenomic Thermometer can predict environmental temperatures with small temperature changes and little influx of microorganisms from other environments. The accuracy of the Metagenomic Thermometer was also confirmed by a demonstration experiment using an artificial hot water canal. The Metagenomic Thermometer was also applied to human gut metagenomic samples, yielding a reasonably accurate value for human body temperature. The result further suggests that deep body temperature determines the dominant lineage of the gut community. Metagenomic Thermometer provides a new insight into temperature-driven community assembly based on amino-acid composition rather than microbial taxa.

Instance Segmentation and Ensemble Learning for Automatic Temperature Detection in Multiparous Sows.

The core body temperature serves as a pivotal physiological metric indicative of sow health, with rectal thermometry prevailing as a prevalent method for estimating core body temperature within sow farms. Nonetheless, employing contact thermometers for rectal temperature measurement proves to be time-intensive, labor-demanding, and hygienically suboptimal. Addressing the issues of minimal automation and temperature measurement accuracy in sow temperature monitoring, this study introduces an automatic temperature monitoring method for sows, utilizing a segmentation network amalgamating YOLOv5s and DeepLabv3+, complemented by an adaptive genetic algorithm-random forest (AGA-RF) regression algorithm. In developing the sow vulva segmenter, YOLOv5s was synergized with DeepLabv3+, and the CBAM attention mechanism and MobileNetv2 network were incorporated to ensure precise localization and expedited segmentation of the vulva region. Within the temperature prediction module, an optimized regression algorithm derived from the random forest algorithm facilitated the construction of a temperature inversion model, predicated upon environmental parameters and vulva temperature, for the rectal temperature prediction in sows. Testing revealed that vulvar segmentation IoU was 91.50%, while the predicted MSE, MAE, and R2 for rectal temperature were 0.114 °C, 0.191 °C, and 0.845, respectively. The automatic sow temperature monitoring method proposed herein demonstrates substantial reliability and practicality, facilitating an autonomous sow temperature monitoring.

Thermoelectric Nanofluidics Probing Thermal Heterogeneity inside Single Cells.

Accurate temperature measurement in one living cell is of great significance for understanding biological functions and regulation. Here, a nanopipet electric thermometer (NET) is established for real-time intracellular temperature measurement. Based on the temperature-controlled ion migration, the temperature change in solution results in altered ion mobilities and ion distributions, which can be converted to the thermoelectric responses of NET in a galvanostatic configuration. The exponential relationship between the voltage and the temperature promises highly sensitive thermoelectric responses up to 11.1 mV K-1, which is over an order of magnitude higher than previous thermoelectric thermometry. Moreover, the NET exhibits superior thermal resolution of 25 mK and spatiotemporal resolution of 100 nm and 0.9 ms as well as excellent stability and reproducibility. Benefiting from these unique features, both thermal fluctuations in steady-state cells and heat generation and dissipation upon drug administration can be successfully monitored, which are hardly achieved by current methods. By using NET, thermal heterogeneities of single cancer cells during immunotherapy were reported first in this work, in which the increased intracellular temperature was demonstrated to be associated with the survival benefit and resistance of cancer cells in immunotherapy. This work not only provides a reliable method for microscopic temperature monitoring but also gains new insights to elucidate the mechanism of immune evasion and therapeutic resistance.