• Gibson McLain posted an update 4 hours, 3 minutes ago

    00 (0.72)]. In contrast, those with sarcopenic obesity based on low ALMI and high %BF (ALMI-%BF) had below-average FMI Z-scores. A similar pattern was observed for 2846 participants from Health ABC. Participants with sarcopenic obesity based on ALMI

    -FMI had a greater number of disabilities, worse physical function, and a greater risk of incident disability compared with those defined based on ALMI-%BF.

    Body composition-defined measures of sarcopenic obesity defined as excess adiposity and lower-than-expected ALMI relative to FMI are associated with functional deficits and incident disability and overcome the limitations of using %BF in estimating obesity in this context.

    Body composition-defined measures of sarcopenic obesity defined as excess adiposity and lower-than-expected ALMI relative to FMI are associated with functional deficits and incident disability and overcome the limitations of using %BF in estimating obesity in this context.Bioengineered scaffolds derived from the decellularized extracellular matrix (ECM) obtained from discarded animal organs and tissues are attractive candidates for regenerative medicine applications. Tailoring these scaffolds with stem cells enhances their regeneration potential making them a suitable platform for regenerating damaged tissues. Thus, the study was designed to investigate the potential of mesenchymal stem cells tailored acellular bubaline diaphragm and aortic ECM for the repair of full-thickness abdominal wall defects in a rabbit model. Tissues obtained from bubaline diaphragm and aorta were decellularized and bioengineered by seeding with rabbit bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (r-BMSC). Full-thickness abdominal wall defects of 3 cm × 4 cm size were created in a rabbit model and repaired using five different prostheses, namely, polypropylene sheet, nonseeded diaphragm ECM, nonseeded aorta ECM, r-BMSC bioengineered diaphragm ECM, and r-BMSC bioengineered aorta ECM. Results from the study revealed that biological scaffolds are superior in comparison to synthetic polymer mesh for regeneration in terms of collagen deposition, maturation, neovascularization, and lack of any significant (P > 0.05) adhesions with the abdominal viscera. Seeding with r-BMSC significantly increased (P less then 0.05) the collagen deposition and biomechanical strength of the scaffolds. The bioengineered r-BMSC seeded acellular bubaline diaphragm showed even superior biomechanical strength as compared to synthetic polymer mesh. Tailoring of the scaffolds with the r-BMSC also resulted in significant reduction (P less then 0.01) in antibody and cell mediated immune reactions to the xenogeneic scaffolds in rabbit model.Although wild birds are considered the main reservoir of the influenza A virus (IAV) in nature, empirical investigations exploring the interaction between the IAV prevalence in these populations and environmental drivers remain scarce. Chile has a coastline of more than 4000 kilometres with hundreds of wetlands, which are important habitats for both resident and inter-hemispheric migratory species. The aim of this study was to characterize the temporal dynamics of IAV in main wetlands in central Chile and to assess the influence of environmental variables on AIV prevalence. For that purpose, four wetlands were studied from September 2015 to June 2018. Fresh faecal samples of wild birds were collected for IAV detection by real-time RT-PCR. iJMJD6 mouse Furthermore, a count of wild birds present at the site was performed and environmental variables, such as temperature, rainfall, vegetation coverage (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)) and water body size, were determined. A generalized linear mixed model was built to assess the association between IAV prevalence and explanatory variables. An overall prevalence of 4.28% ± 0.28% was detected with important fluctuations among seasons, being greater during summer (OR = 4.87, 95% CI 2.11 to 11.21) and fall (OR = 2.59, 95% CI 1.12 to 5.97). Prevalence was positively associated with minimum temperature for the month of sampling and negatively associated with water body size measured two months before sampling, and NDVI measured three months before sampling. These results contribute to the understanding of IAV ecological drivers in Chilean wetlands providing important considerations for the global surveillance of IAV.Diffusion-weighted imaging MRI is the gold standard imaging technique for diagnosis of suspected acute brain ischemia in dogs and cats; however, it is technically challenging to apply to spinal cord imaging, due to its very small size, the inherent low spatial resolution of diffusion-weighted imaging, and the marked distortion resulting from magnetic field inhomogeneities caused by the osseous components of the vertebral column surrounding the spinal cord. Ischemic myelopathy is a common cause of acute non-compressive myelopathy in dogs and cats. Technological improvement in diffusion-weighted imaging pulse sequences allow imaging at smaller field of view with better spatial resolution and less image distortion. We sought to evaluate reduced field-of-view diffusion-weighted imaging MRI using a dedicated proprietary pulse sequence (FOCUS, General Electric) in a small sample of dogs and cats with a presumptive clinical and MRI diagnosis of acute ischemic myelopathy that were imaged with this pulse sequence. Five dogs and two cats fitted these inclusion criteria. In all of them, hyperintense spinal cord parenchyma signal was seen on diffusion-weighted imaging images corresponding to decreased signal on apparent diffusion coefficient map indicative of restricted diffusion, consistent with ischemia and cytotoxic edema. These areas matched the areas of abnormal T2-weighted signal and cord swelling observed on conventional spinal MRI. This small exploratory descriptive study indicates feasibility and possible usefulness of reduced field-of-view diffusion-weighted imaging MRI in dogs and cats with suspected acute ischemic myelopathy and that it may be added to the imaging protocol of the spine in such patients in an appropriate clinical setting.