Maturity-Onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY): Genetic Causes, Clinical Characteristics, Considerations for Testing, and Treatment Options

Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY) encompasses a group of rare monogenic forms of diabetes distinct in etiology and clinical presentation from the more common forms of Type 1 (autoimmune) and Type 2 diabetes. Since its initial description as a clinical entity nearly 50 years ago, the underlying genetic basis for the various forms of MODY has been increasingly better elucidated. Clinically, the diagnosis may be made in childhood or young adulthood and can present as overt hyperglycemia requiring insulin therapy or as a subtle form of slowly progressive glucose impairment. Due to the heterogeneity of clinical symptoms, patients with MODY may be misdiagnosed as possessing another form of diabetes, resulting in potentially inappropriate treatment and delays in screening of affected family members and associated comorbidities. In this review, we highlight the various known genetic mutations associated with MODY, clinical presentation, indications for testing, and the treatment options available.

INITIAL DESCRIPTION OF CERAMIC INDUSTRY AT THE SEREGINSKOYE SETTLEMENT

Керамика является важнейшим компонентом майкопской культуры и уникальным источником информации о ее производителях и пользователях. Целью нашего исследования является описание технологических систем, в рамках которых была произведена керамика Серегинского поселения. В статье представлены результаты технологического анализа керамического ансамбля, включающего в себя исследование методов конструирования, обработки поверхностей и обжига, а также анализ материалов, использованных для производства керамики и местного потенциального сырья для керамического производства. Жители Серегинского поселения пользовались керамикой, произведенной в рамках 2 индустрий, характеризуемых специфическими техниками, формовочными массами и принципами организации труда. Индустрии, описанные в статье, можно связать с двумя традициями, действующими в соответствии с разными технологическими принципами. Pottery is a key component of the Maykop cultural phenomenon and a unique source of information on its producers and users. The aim of this study is to describe technological systems used to produce ceramics at the Sereginskoye settlement. The article presents the results of the technological analysis of the pottery assemblage. The systematic analysis includes the investigation of vessel shaping, surface treatment and firing, as well as the study of raw materials used to produce ceramics and local potential resources for ceramic production. The Sereginskoye inhabitants used pottery produced by three industries characterized by specific techniques, clay fabrics and principles of production organization. The industries described in the article can be associated with two traditions based on different technological principles.

Formally proving whether the software implementation of models applied in instrumentation and control systems conform to the specified requirements

Research objective is to study the possibility to formally validate whether the model’s software implementation meets all the specified requirements of the systems, the model of which can be represented in the form of finite-state automata. Research relevance. At one of the first stages, the development of software for instrumentation and control systems provides for the creation of the system model. The model is based on the terms of reference, specification, and various a priori information. Most of the models for engineering systems in the modern mining industry (conveyor systems, ventilation systems, etc.) can be described in terms of the finite state automaton model. Such a model can be applied to solve diverse tasks. The next step is to implement the model in whole or in part. In this context, the task arises to determine the model’s software implementation conformity to its initial description. Results. One way to solve the task is to formally prove that the software model possesses the properties which are provided in the specification (description) of the initial model. By the example of the mine conveyor system, the paper illustrates the application of the method which consists in the software implementation of the corresponding finite-state automaton model, forecasting whether the model possesses the properties through theorems and their subsequent proof by applying special software. Conclusions. Formal methods of specification, development, and verification of system models’ software implementation together with other methods make it possible to improve the quality and reliability of solutions under development.

Ammonia Bioremediation from Aquaculture Wastewater Effluents Using Arthrospira platensis NIOF17/003: Impact of Biodiesel Residue and Potential of Ammonia-Loaded Biomass as Rotifer Feed

The present work evaluated the capability of Arthrospira platensis complete biomass (ACDW) and the lipid-free biomass (LFB) to remove ammonium ions (NH4+) from aquaculture wastewater discharge. Under controlled conditions in flasks filled with 100 mL of distilled water (synthetic aqueous solution), a batch process ion-exchange was conducted by changing the main parameters including contact times (15, 30, 45, 60, 120, and 180 min), initial ammonium ion concentrations (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 100 mg·L−1), and initial pH levels (2, 4, 6, 8, and 10) at various dosages of ACDW and LFB as adsorbents (0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08, and 0.1 g). After lab optimization, ammonia removal from real aquaculture wastewater was also examined. The removal of ammonium using ACDW and LFB in the synthetic aqueous solution (64.24% and 89.68%, respectively) was higher than that of the real aquaculture effluents (25.70% and 37.80%, respectively). The data of IR and Raman spectroscopy confirmed the existence of various functional groups in the biomass of ACDW and LFB. The adsorption equilibrium isotherms were estimated using Freundlich, Langmuir, and Halsey models, providing an initial description of the ammonia elimination capacity of A. platensis. The experimental kinetic study was suitably fit by a pseudo-second-order equation. On the other hand, as a result of the treatment of real aquaculture wastewater (RAW) using LFB and ACDW, the bacterial counts of the LFB, ACDW, ACDW-RAW, and RAW groups were high (higher than 300 CFU), while the LFB-RAW group showed lower than 100 CFU. The current study is the first work reporting the potential of ammonia-loaded microalgae biomass as a feed source for the rotifer (Brachionus plicatilis). In general, our findings concluded that B. plicatilis was sensitive to A. platensis biomass loaded with ammonia concentrations. Overall, the results in this work showed that the biomass of A. platensis is a promising candidate for removing ammonia from aquaculture wastewater.

Born to Run? Diverse Modes of Epithelial Migration

Bundled with various kinds of adhesion molecules and anchored to the basement membrane, the epithelium has historically been considered as an immotile tissue and, to migrate, it first needs to undergo epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Since its initial description more than half a century ago, the EMT process has fascinated generations of developmental biologists and, more recently, cancer biologists as it is believed to be essential for not only embryonic development, organ formation, but cancer metastasis. However, recent progress shows that epithelium is much more motile than previously realized. Here, we examine the emerging themes in epithelial collective migration and how this has impacted our understanding of EMT.

The place beyond the trees: renewed excavations of the Middle Stone Age deposits at Olieboomspoort in the Waterberg Mountains of the South African Savanna Biome

Olieboomspoort is one of the few rock shelters in the vast interior of southern Africa documenting pulses of occupation from the Acheulean until the end of the Later Stone Age. Revil Mason excavated the site in 1954 and attributed the large Middle Stone Age (MSA) lithic assemblage to his middle phase of the so-called Pietersburg Industry. Recent work at the site has focused on the Holocene layers, but little is known about the earlier phases of shelter use. Here, we provide some background to the shelter, give a history of past research and present initial results following renewed fieldwork at the site. The MSA deposits contain abundant lithic artefacts and ochre, and we present an initial description of these cultural remains. Palynological analysis reveals limited potential for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions, but some faunal remains indicate open grasslands. We dated two equid teeth that provided highly consistent combined U-series-ESR estimates, resulting in a mean age of 150 ± 14 ka (1σ). Even when considering potential sources of uncertainty such as variations in water-intake, these fossils can securely be dated to Marine Isotopic Stage 6. Our reappraisal of site formation processes highlights the fact that the archaeological assemblage is strongly time-averaged. We discuss these different results in the context of a recently rekindled interest in the so-called Pietersburg Industry.

Mastering retrograde coronary chronic total occlusion intervention in 2021

Chronic total occlusion recanalization still represents the last frontier in percutaneous coronary intervention. Retrograde recanalization is one of the most significant amendments of the technique, and has recently become an essential complement to the classical antegrade approach. It has a high success rate with a low complication profile, despite frequent utilization in the most complex patients. Since its initial description, important iterations have occurred and made the technique safer, faster and more successful.

New interpretation of the cranial osteology of the Early Cretaceous turtle Arundelemys dardeni (Paracryptodira) based on a CT-based re-evaluation of the holotype

Arundelemys dardeni is an Early Cretaceous paracryptodire known from a single, incomplete, but generally well-preserved skull. Phylogenetic hypotheses of paracryptodires often find Arundelemys dardeni as an early branching baenid. As such, it has a central role in understanding the early evolution of the successful clade Baenidae, which survived the Cretaceous–Paleogene mass extinction, as well as the diversification of Paracryptodira into its subclades, which recent research suggests to perhaps include helochelydrids, compsemydids, pleurosternids, and baenids. Computer tomography scans of the holotype material that were produced for the initial description of Arundelemeys dardeni reveal several errors in the initial anatomical description of the species, which we correct based on element-by-element segmentation. In addition, we provide entirely novel anatomical information, including descriptions of several previously undescribed cranial bones, the endosseous labyrinth, and the cranial scutes, the latter of which are unknown for most paracryptodires. We provide an interpretation of cranial scutes which homologizes the scutes of Arundelemys dardeni with those of other stem turtles.