Search Results (518)

The circulatory system of cuttlefish (family Sepiidae) has been extensively studied; however, a comprehensive anatomical reconstruction of bobtail squids (family Sepiolidae) remains limited despite their ecological and evolutionary importance within Decapodiformes. This study reconstructs the circulatory architecture of sepiolids through comparative histological analysis and documents microorganisms or parasites associated with renal tissues. Two bobtail squid species, Rossia bipapillata and Sepiolina nipponensis, were examined using serial histological sections, while four cuttlefish species—Sepia lycidas, Sepia esculenta, Sepia japonica, and Sepia tenuipes—were analyzed for comparative purposes. Morphometric parameters, including sex, total length, and mantle length, were recorded prior to histological processing. Branchial hearts and renal appendages were sectioned using serial microtomy (~120 sections per specimen) and stained with hematoxylin and eosin, periodic acid–Schiff, Masson’s trichrome, and Giemsa to visualize vascular continuity and tissue organization. Histological observations confirmed vascular connections between the gills, branchial hearts, the systemic heart, and renal appendages, enabling reconstruction of the sepiolid circulatory pathway. In addition, the light organ characteristic of Sepiolidae was identified as a tissue receiving oxygenated blood within the circulatory network. Renal tissues revealed the presence of parasitic organisms, including Dicyema in cuttlefish and ciliates of the genus Chromidina in bobtail squids. Morphological observations revealed structural diversity in Chromidina, including characteristic spiral anterior features and variation in body form, as well as developmental variation in nuclear number relative to body length in dicyemids. These findings provide new insights into cephalopod circulatory organization, parasite diversity, and host–parasite interactions. Full article

Basal blood pressure (BP) is partly determined by systemic vascular resistance, which is modulated by vasoactive pathways, including gaseous messengers. Carbon monoxide (CO), continuously generated by the constitutive enzyme heme oxygenase-2 (HO-2) encoded by HMOX2, promotes vascular smooth muscle relaxation and may contribute to interindividual variability in resting BP. The functional single-nucleotide polymorphism rs4786504_T>C has been associated with higher HMOX2 expression in C-allele carriers, providing a plausible biological link between genetic variation in the HO-2/CO pathway and vascular redox signaling. We investigated this association in forty young, healthy, normotensive adults studied under controlled laboratory conditions during a 4-day sleep deprivation protocol, with repeated standardized daytime BP measurements (478 observations). Linear mixed-effects models were adjusted for major physiological and behavioral covariates. T-allele carriers (C/T + T/T) exhibited higher diastolic BP (β = +6.08 mmHg, 95%CI [1.32–10.84], p = 0.017) and mean arterial pressure (β = +5.28 mmHg, 95%CI [0.28–10.29], p = 0.046) than C/C homozygotes, with no effect on systolic BP or heart rate. The association remained consistent across sensitivity and additive genetic models. This hypothesis-generating study provides preliminary evidence in humans, albeit limited by sample size, of a link between a functional HMOX2 variant and resting BP, consistent with a possible contribution of constitutive HO-2 activity to BP regulation. Full article

Background: Women face underdiagnosed cardiovascular disease (CVD)/stroke risks due to sex-specific pathophysiological mechanisms, including hormonal variations such as oestrogen decline, adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs), endothelial dysfunction, autoimmune-mediated factors, and sexual dimorphism in cardiac remodelling. Conventional risk assessment tools, predominantly calibrated to male pathophysiology, lack sensitivity in detecting these female-specific determinants. We hypothesise that artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) may offer a transformative approach by integrating multimodal data, including pathological biomarkers, clinical history, and vascular imaging, to enable precision CVD/stroke risk stratification, pending rigorous external validation in sex-stratified cohorts. Method: This narrative review adopts a PRISMA-informed study selection framework and oversees gender-specific biomarkers, including vasoactive peptides (adrenomedullin), adipocytokines (adiponectin), inflammatory mediators (hs-CRP, IL-6), and thrombogenic factors (homocysteine, D-dimer), alongside clinical variables (APOs, autoimmune disorders) and ultrasonographic markers, carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT), plaque burden and plaque area (PA). Advanced ML/DL algorithms were employed to synthesise these heterogeneous datasets, identifying nonlinear interactions for better outcomes. Findings: Key insights reveal that hormonal dynamics (e.g., hypoestrogenism post-menopause) modulate CVD risk, while APOs induce persistent endothelial dysfunction and subclinical atherosclerosis. Biomarker sexual dimorphism is evident; hs-CRP exhibits higher baseline levels in women, whereas adiponectin declines with metabolic dysfunction. Radiomic features (cIMT progression, plaque morphology) are a well-established biomarker for CVD risk stratification. Conclusions: The integration of AI-driven multimodal systems holds the potential to enable a paradigm shift from population-based to personalised risk assessment, addressing critical gaps in female CVD health. However, this potential is currently at the early validation stage, and widespread clinical implementation requires prospective, externally validated, and ethnically diverse studies. Future applications should incorporate longitudinal biomarker profiling and advanced imaging, namely shear wave elastography and plaque radiomics, to optimise predictive models. Full article

Vascular intervention has advanced technically faster than it has matured methodologically. Across neurovascular, carotid, peripheral, and aortic practice, complications and outcomes are often reported using different definitions, thresholds, surveillance strategies, adjudication methods, follow-up schedules, and units of analysis. As a result, studies that appear to assess the same treatment may in fact be measuring different outcome constructs. This problem is particularly visible in neurovascular intervention, where technical, radiographic, and clinical outcomes are often combined within the same evaluative framework. In acute ischemic stroke thrombectomy, changes in reperfusion thresholds can alter the meaning of procedural success. In intracranial aneurysm treatment, angiographic occlusion, retreatment, delayed stenosis, and neurological morbidity are often reported together despite representing different dimensions of efficacy and safety, while the interpretation of surrogate angiographic outcomes may vary across device classes. Similar issues arise in carotid intervention, peripheral endovascular therapy, and endovascular aneurysm repair, where composite outcomes, imaging-detected complications, and inconsistent surveillance protocols further complicate interpretation. These variations limit cross-study comparability, weaken meta-analytic synthesis, and may distort judgments about treatment effectiveness and safety. Endpoint heterogeneity persists partly through disciplinary silos, device-driven evaluation frameworks, and regulatory pathways that favor surrogate over clinical endpoints; addressing it will require not only better reporting but standardized outcome constructs, coordinated international registries, and broader adoption of core outcome set methodology. Greater discipline in endpoint definition and reporting, together with broader adoption of standardized outcome frameworks and core outcome set methodology, is needed if evidence in vascular intervention is to accumulate coherently. Full article

The lung–kidney axis forms an important physiologically integrated system which controls multiple essential functions of the body. An important observation of this interaction is tissue oxygenation and erythropoiesis, a vital process that involves erythropoietin (EPO) release by the kidney to bring red cell production into the bone, while pulmonary gas exchange ensures adequate oxygen delivery to the cells. Subsequently, the lung–kidney activation of the renin angiotensin system (RAS) influences vascular tone, blood pressure, and tissue perfusion, influencing the delivery of oxygen and the body’s requirement for erythropoietin. Additionally, beyond oxygen sensing, studies have evidenced the role of hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs), inflammatory mediators, endothelial signaling pathways and iron availability. These modulate erythropoietin production, which enhances the process of erythropoiesis and arterial oxygen balance. Localized variations in renal oxygen levels together with hemodynamic control mechanisms enable the body to produce erythropoietin independently from systemic hypoxia conditions. This concept emerged to include the renal oxygen extraction fraction (OFE) and intrarenal microvascular shunting with perfusion oxygen coupling in governing EPO production. The present review refines the traditional knowledge to further expand our understanding of the lung–kidney axis regulating the process of erythropoiesis and arterial oxygen content. The integrative framework demonstrates that pulmonary arterial oxygenation and renal oxygen sensing together with bone hematopoietic responses operate as a unified system which maintains both oxygen equilibrium and hematopoietic balance throughout the body. Full article

Background: Fascicular turnover flap (FTF) is a donor-sparing option for segmental facial nerve repair. This study compared autologous nerve grafting with proximally based and distally based FTF in a rat facial nerve model. Methods: Adult male Wistar rats were randomized to autograft, proximal FTF, or distal FTF (n = 8 per group). A single additional animal with an untreated defect served as a qualitative histological reference. The prespecified primary endpoint was whisker motion amplitude at week 8; the secondary endpoints were central section histomorphometry (nerve tissue area, µm²) and variability metrics (IQR, SD, and coefficient of variation) as measures of reproducibility. Non-parametric tests (Kruskal–Wallis; Mann–Whitney U) were used; pairwise functional comparisons were Holm-corrected; and effect sizes were expressed as Cliff’s δ. Results: At week 8, the overall functional comparison was significant (Kruskal–Wallis p = 0.047), but no pairwise contrast remained significant after Holm correction. Functional recovery was highest in the autograft group, followed by proximal FTF and distal FTF. Both FTF groups showed lower inter-animal variability than autograft for the week-8 functional endpoint, with the distal FTF showing the lowest dispersion. Central section nerve area comparisons did not reach global significance; effect sizes and descriptive statistics favored autograft, and a single unadjusted pairwise contrast (autograft > proximal FTF) should be interpreted cautiously. Conclusions: Both FTF configurations achieved measurable functional and structural regeneration while avoiding an additional free donor nerve graft. Within an 8-week window, autograft remained the benchmark. Between FTF variants, distal FTF produced more stable functional outcomes, but this did not translate into superior functional recovery. Confirmation in larger, balanced cohorts with longer follow-up and vascular/neural labeling is warranted. Full article

Leaves of vascular plants exhibit a tip-to-base xylem conduit widening pattern, which minimizes hydraulic resistance as leaves expand. The extent to which different leaf vein orders conform to this pattern remains largely unexplored, particularly in species with dichotomously branching veins. In this study, we focused on Ginkgo biloba, a model species with dichotomous venation, to explore tracheid variation across leaf vein orders and its linkage with hydraulic path length. Across 108 leaves from three sites, tracheid hydraulic diameter (D) scaled significantly with hydraulic path length (L) at an overall scaling slope of 0.33 (95% CI: 0.31–0.34, r² = 0.53, p < 0.001). Scaling exponents differed significantly among sites and vein orders, and D decreased progressively with increasing vein order. This study provides a potentially valuable approach for investigating the effects of hydraulic path length on xylem conduit diameter and offers a framework for subsequent research on plant venation and hydraulic transport networks. Full article

Hyperspectral remote sensing provides essential biochemical and structural information for crop disease monitoring, yet its application to cotton Verticillium wilt has largely focused on single-period evaluations or multi-temporal classifications. Such approaches overlook the progressive nature of this vascular disease, whose pigment, water, and mesophyll responses evolve over time, making temporal hyperspectral information critical for reliable severity estimation but still insufficiently utilized. To overcome this limitation, we conducted daily time-series observations on cotton leaves and collected 2895 hyperspectral reflectance measurements and 770 high-resolution RGB images together with disease severity records, generating a temporally dense spectral-severity dataset spanning symptom-free to severe stages. Five categories of disease-related vegetation indices were derived and organized into 5-day spectral–temporal slices. Based on these features, we introduce a dual-branch Transformer-TCN model that integrates global temporal dependencies captured by self-attention with local temporal variations resolved by dilated causal convolutions for severity inversion. The model delivers the strongest performance with an R² of 0.8813, exceeding multiple single and hybrid time-series alternatives by 0.0446–0.1407 in R², equivalent to a relative improvement of 5.33–19.00%. Temporal spectral features also outperform their non-temporal counterparts, highlighting that disease progression dynamics captured by time-series spectra are critical for reliable severity retrieval. Feature contribution analysis indicates that the blue red index BRI provides the highest contribution, consistent with the single-index time-series modelling results. Photosynthesis- and water-related indices provide secondary but complementary support. Collectively, our results demonstrate that the dual-branch Transformer-TCN model can capture complex spectral–temporal relationships between cotton Verticillium wilt and disease severity, providing methodological support for crop disease monitoring and evaluation. Full article

Background: This study aims to evaluate the prevalence, spectrum, and coexistence of anatomical variations in the major branches of the abdominal aorta using Multidetector Computed Tomography (MDCT) angiography, with a specific emphasis on analyzing sex-related differences in a large-scale cohort. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 1174 patients (63.8% male, 36.2% female; mean age 60.54) who underwent abdominal CT angiography between January 2023 and June 2024. Images were acquired using a 128-slice MDCT scanner and reconstructed for detailed vascular assessment. Statistical comparisons between genders were performed using Chi-square and Fisher–Freeman–Halton tests, with p < 0.05 considered significant. Results: The celiac trunk (93.3%), superior mesenteric artery (SMA) (97.1%), and inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) (98.5%) predominantly showed classical patterns. However, significant sex-related differences were identified. Females exhibited significantly higher rates of classical patterns for the celiac trunk (96.2% vs. 91.7%), IMA (99.1% vs. 98.1%), right hepatic artery (RHA) (91.5% vs. 82.6%), and left hepatic artery (LHA) (95.8% vs. 85.4%). Conversely, males showed a higher prevalence of complex variations, including replaced/accessory hepatic arteries and the absence of the common hepatic artery. The number of right and left renal arteries was similar between sexes and did not show a significant difference, while horseshoe kidney was detected only in males. Conclusions: Abdominal vascular structures adhere to classical anatomy more frequently in females, while males exhibit greater morphological variability. These findings emphasize the necessity of gender-specific preoperative vascular mapping to optimize surgical outcomes and reduce morbidity. Full article

Introduction/Objectives: Although contemporary guidelines strongly support intensive low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) lowering and the use of advanced lipid biomarkers for cardiovascular risk stratification, implementation in daily clinical practice remains inconsistent. This study aimed to assess current practices, knowledge, and perceived barriers in dyslipidemia management across medical specialties. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, anonymous online survey from August to September 2025 among physicians actively involved in lipid management. The questionnaire evaluated the use of Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation 2 (SCORE2)-based risk assessment, familiarity with LDL-C targets, treatment intensification strategies, awareness and use of apolipoprotein B (apoB) and lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)], perceived barriers to LDL-C goal attainment, and responses to a standardized clinical vignette. Descriptive analyses and chi-square testing were conducted. Results: Ninety-five physicians completed the survey, the majority practicing in Europe (92.7%), including 83.2% from Portugal (41.1% general practice/family medicine; 14.7% cardiology; 14.7% internal medicine/geriatrics; 14.7% vascular surgery; 9.5% endocrinology). SCORE2 calculators were used “often” or “always” by 52.6%, with significant inter-specialty variation (p < 0.001). Familiarity with LDL-C targets was high (76.8%), and 89.4% reported frequent therapy intensification when goals were not achieved; however, consistent escalation (“always”) differed markedly across specialties (p < 0.001). Although 69.5% were aware of recommendations for lifetime assessment of apoB/non–HDL-C/Lp(a), only 17.9% implemented them routinely. Most clinicians reported never or rarely using advanced biomarkers for residual risk assessment, and in a clinical vignette only 12.6% would consistently intensify therapy despite elevated Lp(a) and apoB (p = 0.004). Patient non-adherence (86.3%) was the most frequently perceived barrier. Conclusions: Despite the widespread awareness of LDL-C targets, important gaps persist in the consistent application of guideline-directed therapy and in the use of advanced biomarkers. The underutilization of apoB and Lp(a), together with therapeutic inertia and structural barriers, limits effective residual risk management. Bridging this gap will require coordinated efforts focused on implementation, access, and multidisciplinary care. Full article

A perineal hernia in dogs results from a failure of the pelvic diaphragm and is often accompanied by a displacement of the pelvic and abdominal organs. However, detailed descriptions of accompanying vascular and neural alterations are limited. This study uses a combination of fluoroscopic imaging and anatomical dissection to characterize the perineal arterial and neural anatomy in two control dogs and three dogs with unilateral or bilateral perineal hernias; however, only one control underwent fluoroscopy, and neural dissection was performed on one control and on the bilateral case. In the control specimen, the vascular pattern followed the classical NAV arrangement. In contrast, the hernia cases exhibited marked variability, including altered origins and lengths of the dorsal and ventral perineal arteries; long- or short-type internal iliac and internal pudendal arteries; and displacement or deterioration of the superficial perineal nerve. These changes were most pronounced in the dog with a bilateral hernia, which was accompanied by severe degeneration of the levator ani and coccygeus muscles and herniation of the colon, urinary bladder, and urethra. Fluoroscopic findings closely corresponded with anatomical observations, demonstrating the value of imaging in the preoperative assessment of vascular variations. Overall, this study provides a comprehensive description of the neurovascular and muscular modifications associated with perineal hernias and emphasizes the need for individualized anatomical evaluations to optimize surgical planning and reduce intraoperative risks. Full article

This study addresses the inefficiencies, subjectivity, and poor adaptability to lighting variations inherent in traditional candling methods used in large-scale egg incubation. We developed a high-throughput transmissive imaging system capable of capturing 30 eggs simultaneously. Based on this system, we propose PDA-YOLO, an enhanced YOLOv8-based object detection model featuring a position-decoupled attention strategy. Specifically, a lightweight C2f-SE module is integrated into the backbone to amplify subtle feature responses in low-contrast regions, while a CBAM is deployed prior to the detection head to mitigate background clutter through precise spatial attention. Experimental results on a self-constructed Hailan White egg dataset show that at the critical 60 h incubation stage, PDA-YOLO achieves a Recall of 91.5% and an mAP@0.5 of 97.4%, outperforming the YOLOv8 baseline while maintaining a real-time inference speed of 62.1 FPS. Grad-CAM visualizations confirm the model’s ability to focus on vascular textures and suppress noise. Furthermore, the model demonstrates robust performance under varying illumination (180–540 lumens), effectively mitigating missed detections in low light and recognition degradation from overexposure. This work provides a scalable, real-time solution for non-destructive, early-stage detection of poultry health and fertilization status in commercial hatcheries. Full article

Background/Objectives: The incidence of pediatric pathological scars (PPS) has been gradually increasing due to various causes, highlighting the need for accurate scar assessment to monitor disease progression and therapeutic efficacy. Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) and other scar evaluation systems are relatively subjective evaluation methods that rely on physicians’ or patients’ own judgment. By contrast, when comparing different scar scale evaluation methods, a three-dimensional (3D) camera and dermoscopy may provide relatively objective measurable parameters to avoid possible subjective bias created by the observers. This study aimed to compare the utility of traditional VSS evaluation with that of 3D cameras and dermoscopy in PPS evaluation. Methods: A total of 35 pediatric patients (aged 0–18 years) with PPS were involved, and their scars were assessed via the VSS, dermoscopy, and the Antera 3D^® system. In addition, a subset of 18 patients (36 scar regions) was also evaluated for therapeutic efficacy after 3–6 months of treatment. Briefly, VSS scores were blindly evaluated by two independent dermatologists under standardized conditions. Quantitative assessment was also performed using dermoscopy and the Antera 3D^® system. The former quantified chromatic parameters (pigmentation: L*, vascularity: a*, green value); the latter captured multispectral 3D images to analyze volume, pigmentation, and erythema. Data are presented as means ± standard deviation and analyzed using paired-sample t tests (one-tailed), the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and standardized response means (SRMs) to assess therapeutic sensitivity, while baseline variability was evaluated using the standard deviation and coefficient of variation (CV). Results: The results showed that Antera 3D^® detected significant reductions in pigmentation (p < 0.01, SRM = −0.46), vascularity (p < 0.001, SRM = −0.59), and volume (p < 0.0001, SRM = −0.83), while dermoscopy indicated similar moderate improvements in vascularity (Green value: p < 0.001, SRM = 0.57; a*: p < 0.0001, SRM = −0.68) and pigmentation (L*: p < 0.0001, SRM = 0.48) after treatments. VSS showed significant gains in pliability (p < 0.0001, SRM = −1.13), height (p < 0.01, SRM = −0.54), and overall impression (p < 0.0001, SRM = −0.86), but minimal changes in pigmentation (p > 0.05, SRM = 0) or vascularity (p > 0.05, SRM = −0.21). At baseline, Antera 3D^® showed the greatest variability in pigmentation (CV 43.41%) and volume (CV 91.21%), followed by VSS in vascularity (CV 52.95%), pliability (CV 34.05%), and overall impression (CV 31.76%). Dermoscopy presented the lowest variability, indicating limited discriminative power. Conclusions: In conclusion, Antera 3D^® offers an objective, sensitive, and spatially precise approach for PPS assessment and may provide additional quantitative information for evaluating subtle and early changes alongside traditional scar assessment scales. Its integration into clinical practice will enhance treatment monitoring and support more accurate timing of therapeutic interventions. Full article

This study aimed to establish normative in-shoe plantar foot temperature patterns across three static postures—lying, sitting, and standing—in healthy individuals, providing a clinically relevant baseline for interpreting in-shoe thermograms in diabetic or peripheral arterial disease (PAD) populations. A single-center prospective study included 20 healthy adults (40 limbs; 22–74 years) who underwent vascular and neurological screening prior to data collection. Plantar temperature was continuously recorded using Tarsos^® Smart Insoles with 21 embedded sensors per foot during three consecutive 10 min phases: supine, sitting, and standing. Data were analyzed for regional differences across the toes, metatarsals, arch, and heel using statistical and visual methods. Distinct posture-related temperature patterns were observed. The arch consistently exhibited the highest temperatures, while the toes remained cooler across all phases. Supine positioning resulted in relatively uniform temperature increases, whereas sitting and standing demonstrated more-stable but region-specific patterns, with slower rates of temperature change and more pronounced regional variation. Compared with barefoot thermography, the in-shoe condition showed greater heat retention and reduced evaporative cooling, highlighting the importance of context-specific baseline data. These findings demonstrate the influence of posture on plantar thermal distribution in the in-shoe environment and support the use of embedded monitoring systems for continuous assessment where surface thermography is not feasible. Full article

Background/Objectives: This study aimed to examine the prevalence of anatomical variations in the sacroiliac joints (SIJs) as observed through Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), to characterize their manifestations, and to identify MRI features that may resemble inflammatory alterations. Methods: A retrospective review was conducted on consecutive MRI scans of the SIJ performed from January 2009 to January 2022. Eight anatomical variations, along with associated edematous and structural changes, were assessed. Results: The study encompassed 840 patients, with anatomical variations identified in 39.7% of the cohort, occurring more frequently among female participants. The most prevalent variations were accessory SIJ (36.2%) and the iliosacral complex (32.2%). Notably, isolated synostosis and persistent ossification center variations were absent. The increased frequency of variations in women, as well as their correlation with advancing age, was statistically significant (p = 0.034). Accessory SIJ and dysmorphic alterations were linked to bone marrow edema and structural modifications. In the iliosacral complex and semicircular defect variations, prominent vascular structures were observed extending along the bone surfaces. The number and depth of edema slices in sacroiliitis exceeded those observed in the variation (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Anatomical variations of the SIJ are prevalent among women and tend to increase with advancing age. Given that these variations, particularly accessory SIJ and dysmorphic alterations, may present with edematous and structural signal intensity changes that resemble sacroiliitis, it is crucial to recognize these variations. It is recommended to assess axial and coronal images concurrently and to exercise caution in the interpretation of SIJ MR images. Full article