Techno-species in the Becoming Towards a Relational Ontology of Multi-species Assemblages (ROMA)

Robots equipped with artificial intelligence pose a huge challenge to traditional ontological differentiations between the spheres of the human and the non-human. Drawing mainly from neo-animistic and perspectivist approaches in anthropology and science and technology studies, the paper explores the potential of new forms of interconnectedness and rhizomatic entanglements between humans and a world transcending the boundaries between species and material spheres. We argue that intelligent robots meet virtually all criteria Western biology came up with to define 'life' and that it ultimately makes sense to recognize them as a new species that is part of our social universe. Contrasting dualistic concepts of man and nature with a monistic approach, we show that traditional properties of life (agency, self-replication, etc.) may apply to artefacts and that, once we accept the idea that social relationships are ultimately open connections to matter of any kind, the seemingly strict boundaries between species and material spheres can no longer be sustained. Instead, we propose to include 'matter' and ideas into the sphere of the social as agents in their own right to form a relational ontology of multi-species assemblages (ROMA).

Psychological burden in patients with COVID-19 and their relatives 90 days after hospitalization: A prospective observational cohort study

OBJECTIVE

COVID-19 causes psychological distress for patients and their relatives at short term. However, little research addressed the longer-term psychological outcomes in this population. Therefore, we aimed to prospectively assess clinically relevant psychological distress in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 and their relatives 90 days after hospital discharge.

METHODS

This exploratory, prospective, observational cohort study included consecutive adult patients hospitalized in two Swiss tertiary-care hospitals between March and June 2020 for confirmed COVID-19 and their relatives. The primary outcome was psychological distress defined as clinically relevant symptoms of anxiety and/or depression measured with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) 90 days after discharge.

RESULTS

Clinically relevant psychological distress 90 days after hospital discharge was present in 23/108 patients (21.3%) and 22/120 relatives (18.3%). For patients, risk and protective factors associated with clinically relevant psychological distress included sociodemographic, illness-related, psychosocial, and hospital-related factors. A model including these factors showed good discrimination, with an area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.84. For relatives, relevant risk factors were illness-related, psychosocial, and hospital-related factors. Resilience was negatively associated with anxiety and depression in both patients and relatives and regarding PTSD in relatives only.

CONCLUSION

COVID-19 is linked to clinically relevant psychological distress in a subgroup of patients and their relatives 90 days after hospitalization. If confirmed in an independent and larger patient cohort, knowledge about these potential risk and protective factors might help to develop preventive strategies.

Prevalence and factors associated with psychological burden in COVID-19 patients and their relatives: A prospective observational cohort study

BACKGROUND

Due to the dramatic measures accompanying isolation and the general uncertainty and fear associated with COVID-19, patients and relatives may be at high risk for adverse psychological outcomes. Until now there has been limited research focusing on the prevalence of psychological distress and associated factors in COVID-19 patients and their relatives. The objective of our study was to assess psychological distress in COVID-19 patients and their relatives 30 days after hospital discharge.

METHODS

In this prospective observational cohort study at two Swiss tertiary-care hospitals we included consecutive adult patients hospitalized between March and June 2020 for a proven COVID-19 and their relatives. Psychological distress was defined as symptoms of anxiety and/or depression measured with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), i.e., a score of ≥8 on the depression and/or anxiety subscale. We further evaluated symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), defined as a score of ≥1.5 on the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R).

RESULTS

Among 126 included patients, 24 (19.1%) had psychological distress and 10 (8.7%) had symptoms of PTSD 30 days after hospital discharge. In multivariate logistic regression analyses three factors were independently associated with psychological distress in patients: resilience (OR 0.82; 95%CI 0.71 to 0.94; p = 0.005), high levels of perceived stress (OR 1.21; 95%CI 1.06 to 1.38; p = 0.006) and low frequency of contact with relatives (OR 7.67; 95%CI 1.42 to 41.58; p = 0.018). The model showed good discrimination, with an area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.92. Among 153 relatives, 35 (22.9%) showed symptoms of psychological distress, and 3 (2%) of PTSD. For relatives, resilience was negatively associated (OR 0.85; 95%CI 0.75 to 0.96; p = 0.007), whereas perceived overall burden caused by COVID-19 was positively associated with psychological distress (OR 1.72; 95%CI 1.31 to 2.25; p<0.001). The overall model also had good discrimination, with an AUC of 0.87.

CONCLUSION

A relevant number of COVID-19 patients as well as their relatives exhibited psychological distress 30 days after hospital discharge. These results might aid in development of strategies to prevent psychological distress in COVID-19 patients and their relatives.

Batch studies of phosphonate adsorption on granular ferric hydroxides

Phosphonates are widely used in various industries. It is desirable to remove them before discharging phosphonate-containing wastewater. This study describes a large number of batch experiments with adsorbents that are likely suitable for the removal of phosphonates. For this, adsorption isotherms for four different granular ferric hydroxide (GFH) adsorbents were determined at different pH values in order to identify the best performing material. Additionally, the influence of temperature was studied for this GFH. A maximum loading for nitrilotrimethylphosphonic acid (NTMP) was found to be ∼12 mg P/g with an initial concentration of 1 mg/L NTMP-P and a contact time of 7 days at room temperature. Then, the adsorption of six different phosphonates was investigated as a function of pH. It was shown that GFH could be used to remove all investigated phosphonates from water and, with an increasing pH, the adsorption capacity decreased for all six phosphonates. Finally, five adsorption-desorption cycles were carried out to check the suitability of the material for multiple re-use. Even after five cycles, the adsorption process still performed well.

Visualizing fuzzy overlapping communities in networks

An important feature of networks for many application domains is their community structure. This is because objects within the same community usually have at least one property in common. The investigation of community structure can therefore support the understanding of object attributes from the network topology alone. In real-world systems, objects may belong to several communities at the same time, i.e., communities can overlap. Analyzing fuzzy community memberships is essential to understand to what extent objects contribute to different communities and whether some communities are highly interconnected. We developed a visualization approach that is based on node-link diagrams and supports the investigation of fuzzy communities in weighted undirected graphs at different levels of detail. Starting with the network of communities, the user can continuously drill down to the network of individual nodes and finally analyze the membership distribution of nodes of interest. Our approach uses layout strategies and further visual mappings to graphically encode the fuzzy community memberships. The usefulness of our approach is illustrated by two case studies analyzing networks of different domains: social networking and biological interactions. The case studies showed that our layout and visualization approach helps investigate fuzzy overlapping communities. Fuzzy vertices as well as the different communities to which they belong can be easily identified based on node color and position.

Exposure set-ups for in vivo experiments using radial waveguides

Radial waveguide set-ups are introduced as exposure devices for long-term experiments with large numbers of non-restrained animals exposed simultaneously. Methods are presented to ensure well-defined exposure conditions even for potentially overmoded waveguides and for the exposure of large groups of animals per cage. The proposed methods are applied for a four-generation study being performed on up to 2500 mice exposed to a generic UMTS test signal at prescribed averaged whole body specific absorption rates (SARs). The variation of the whole body SAR due to the movement of the mice inside the cage is calculated by using the finite-difference time-domain method and detailed animal models for selected configurations of the mice inside the cage for all stages of the study.

Acute moderate hyponatraemia and its rapid correction: effects on striatal and pontine ultrastructure in an animal model of the TURP syndrome

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effects of moderate hyponatraemia, induced by intravenous application of an electrolyte-free irrigation fluid, as a model of the human transurethral prostate resection syndrome and of its rapid correction by hypertonic saline infusion in rats.

METHODS

Experimental animals received irrigation fluid (Purisole SM) 20 mL kg(-1) body weight, intravenously. In one group, hyponatraemia was subsequently rapidly corrected by infusion of hypertonic saline (NaCl 5.85%), while rats of group two were 'sham-corrected' by infusion of a balanced salt crystalloid solution. Plasma sodium concentrations were analysed during and at the end of the experiments. After 10 days, experimental and untreated control animals were killed humanely, fixed by perfusion and the brains were prepared for electron microscopic investigation of myelin sheets and glial cell numbers in the striatum and pons.

RESULTS

The myelin appearance was unaltered in experimental groups compared to controls, but glial cell numbers were distinctly altered in the pons but not in the striatum. In the pons, oligodendrocytes were significantly reduced in number upon rapid correction of hyponatraemia, while astrocyte numbers were increased in rats with uncorrected hyponatraemia.

CONCLUSIONS

Our electron microscopic data demonstrate that the effects of hyponatraemia and of its rapid correction are multifarious in animals. This may also apply for human patients during transurethral prostate resection.

Comparison of the relative effects of 1,24-dihydroxyvitamin D(2) [1, 24-(OH)(2)D(2)], 1,24-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) [1,24-(OH)(2)D(3)], and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) [1,25-(OH)(2)D(3)] on selected vitamin D-regulated events in the rat

The present experiments were conducted to compare the relative hypercalciuric and hypercalcemic activities of 1,24-dihydroxyvitamin D(2) [1,24-(OH)(2)D(2)], 1,24-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) [1, 24-(OH)(2)D(3)], and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) [1,25-(OH)(2)D(3)] in 7-week-old rats. The rats were dosed orally with each sterol for 7 days at a rate of 1 ng/g body weight/day. We also monitored the effect of the three compounds on the induction of mRNA for CaATPase and for 25-hydroxyvitamin D-24-hydroxylase in the kidney and intestine, on plasma vitamin D metabolite levels, and on the capacity to evoke modification in the vitamin D receptor/retinoic acid X receptor (VDR/RXR) heterodimer conformation. Plasma calcium was elevated in the rats treated with 1,24-(OH)(2)D(3) and 1, 25-(OH)(2)D(3), but not in the 1,24-(OH)(2)D(2)-dosed rats. Urinary calcium was elevated significantly (relative to controls) in all groups. The order of hypercalciuric activity was 1,25-(OH)(2)D(3) >/= 1,24-(OH)(2)D(3) >/= 1,24-(OH)(2)D(2) > control. Duodenal plasma membrane calcium ATPase (PMCA) mRNA was elevated to a similar extent in all groups relative to controls. Duodenal 24-hydroxylase mRNA was elevated in all groups relative to controls; however, the elevations were significantly higher in the 1,24-(OH)(2)D(3) and 1, 25-(OH)(2)D(3) groups compared with the 1,24-(OH)(2)D(2) group. Kidney 24-hydroxylase also was elevated significantly in the 1, 24-(OH)(2)D(3)- and 1,25-(OH)(2)D(3)-treated rats but not in the 1, 24-(OH)(2)D(2)-treated rats. Recombinant human vitamin D receptor (hVDR) extracts were incubated with saturating concentrations of 1, 24-(OH)(2)D(2), 1,24-(OH)(2)D(3), and 1,25-(OH)(2)D(3) and subsequently analyzed by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). Overall binding was comparable for all metabolites; however, the 1, 24-(OH)(2)D(2) complex exhibited distinctly altered mobility relative to 1,24-(OH)(2)D(3) and 1,25-(OH)(2)D(3), suggestive of an effect on hVDR/hRXR conformation. These data suggest that 1, 24-(OH)(2)D(2) is not as potent as either of the vitamin D(3) sterols at affecting hypercalcemia or hypercalciuria in young growing rats; however, 1,24-(OH)(2)D(2) can evoke other biological responses similar to the vitamin D(3) sterols. These different responses may be related to the alterations in conformation state of the hVDR/hRXR heterodimer.

Pulmonary function and respiratory symptoms in forest firefighters

This study evaluated effects on respiratory health of forest firefighters exposed to high concentrations of smoke during their work shift. This is the first study of cross-shift respiratory effects in forest firefighters conducted on the job. Spirometric measurements and self-administered questionnaire data were collected before and after the 1992 firefighting season. Seventy-six (76) subjects were studied for cross-shift and 53 for cross-season analysis. On average, the cross-season data were collected 77.7 days after the last occupational smoke exposure. The cross-shift analysis identified significant mean individual declines in FVC. FEV1, and FEF25 75. The preshift to midshift decreases were 0.089 L, 0.190 L, and 0.439 I/sec. respectively, with preshift to postshift declines of 0.065 L, 0.150 L, and 0.496 L/sec. Mean individual declines for FVC, FEV1 and FEF25 75 of 0.033 L, 0.104 L, and 0.275 I/sec. respectively, also were noted in the cross-season analysis. The FEV1 changed significantly (p < 0.05). The use of wood for indoor heat also was associated with the declines in FEV1. Although annual lung function changes for a small subset (n = 10) indicated reversibility of effect, this study suggests a concern for potential adverse respiratory effects in forest firefighters.

Effect of 1,25,28-trihydroxyvitamin D2 and 1,24,25-trihydroxyvitamin D3 on intestinal calbindin-D9K mRNA and protein: is there a correlation with intestinal calcium transport?

Although analogs and metabolites of vitamin D have been tested for their calciotropic activity, very little information has been available concerning the effects of these compounds on gene expression. In this study one analog of vitamin D, 1,25,28-trihydroxyvitamin D2 [1,25,28-(OH)3D2], and one metabolite, 1,24,25-trihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,24,25-(OH)3D3], were tested for their effect on intestinal calbindin-D9K mRNA and protein as well as for their effect on intestinal calcium absorption and bone calcium mobilization. These compounds were also evaluated for their ability to compete for rat intestinal 1,25-(OH)2D3 receptor sites and to induce differentiation of human leukemia (HL-60) cells as indicated by reduction of nitro blue tetrazolium. In vivo studies involved intrajugular injection of 12.5 ng 1,25-(OH)2D3 or test compound to vitamin D-deficient rats and sacrifice after 18 h. 1,25,28-Trihydroxyvitamin D2 had no effect on intestinal calcium absorption, bone calcium mobilization, or intestinal calbindin-D9K protein and mRNA. Competitive binding to 1,25-(OH)2D3 receptors was 0.8% of that observed using 1,25-(OH)2D3. However, 20- and 40-fold higher doses of 1,25,28-(OH)3D2 (250 and 500 ng) resulted in significant inductions in calbindin-D9K protein and mRNA (3.5 to 7.4-fold), although doses as high as 800 ng were found to have no effect on intestinal calcium absorption or bone calcium mobilization.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[The preclinical efficacy of emergency care. A prospective study]

Quality assurance has become an important issue in emergency medicine. At present, no prospective studies are available that quantify the efficacy of interventions performed by emergency doctors. The development and implementation of a rapid, yet simple scoring system, allowing preclinical assessment of all emergency medicine patients, is required. Once the scoring system is implemented, evaluation of the prehospital intervention, based upon objective parameters, is possible. METHODS. The Mainz Emergency Evaluation Score (MEES) is based on seven parameters: level of consciousness, heart rate, heart rhythm, arterial blood pressure, respiratory rate, partial arterial oxygen saturation and pain. A coded value is assigned to each parameter, with the normal physiological condition securing a score of 4, while a life-threatening condition receives a value of 1. For the parameter of pain there is no life-threatening condition, so the lowest value allowed is 2 (Table 2). Addition of the respective values from the seven parameters yields the MEES value, which objectively reflects the patients' condition (minimum = 8, maximum = 28). Comparing the MEES value before (MEES1) and after the intervention (MEES2) allows an objective evaluation of the efficacy of the preclinical care (delta-MEES = MEES2-MEES1). A difference of > or = +2 is considered an improvement, +1, +/- 0, -1 are rated as unchanged and < or = -2 is considered a deterioration in the patients condition. For more detailed evaluation the patients were allocated to 16 diagnosis groups (Table 3). Statistical evaluation utilized analysis of variance, the rank sum test (Wilcoxon) and the correlation coefficient (Kendall-Tau). RESULTS. In 356 patients the condition of 187 (52%) patients improved during the preclinical treatment; the condition of 156 (44%) patients did not change. In 13 patients (3%) the condition became worse (Table 5, Fig. 2). Allocation to 16 diagnosis groups revealed that the improvement in the patient's condition depended on the underlying disease (Table 3); the disease-specific parameter improved in all cases (Table 7). CONCLUSIONS. With the MEES score one can assess the patient's prehospital condition and monitor any improvement or deterioration during subsequent intervention and transport. The MEES was found to be easy to use, reliable and not an additional burden to emergency doctors. The MEES provides a means of assessing the efficacy of preclinical treatment. This score does not allow outcome prediction; this requires the inclusion of hospital data. Assessment of the efficacy of prehospital intervention is an important first step in the inclusion of quality assurance in emergency medical systems.

Cyclosporin-A increases synthesis of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 in the rat and mouse

We have previously observed elevated serum 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25-(OH)2D] levels in male rats treated with oral cyclosporin-A (CsA). This elevation was independent of changes in PTH, ionized calcium, or phosphate. This paper investigates the potential sources and mechanisms for this increase in both rats and mice. Kidney homogenates from rats treated for 14 days with (15 mg/kg) had a significant increase in 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD)-24-hydroxylase (24-hydroxylase) activity (149 +/- 20 vs. 89 +/- 16 fmol/mg.min; P less than 0.05), but nonsignificant increases in 25OHD-1 alpha-hydroxylase (1 alpha-hydroxylase) activity compared to controls. Kidney homogenates from C57b16J mice after the administration of 30-50 mg/kg CsA for 3 days revealed a linear dose-related increase in renal 1 alpha-hydroxylase (r = 0.96; P less than 0.05), which became significant with doses of 30 mg/kg CsA or more (P less than 0.05). To investigate the source of this 1,25-(OH)2D production, serum 1,25-(OH)2D was measured before and 48 h after bilateral nephrectomy in rats receiving CsA for 16 days. The percent decrease in serum 1,25-(OH)2D values was not significantly different in CsA-treated and untreated rats (33.9 +/- 4.9% vs. 47.5 +/- 4.9%), indicating little or no contribution from nonrenal sources. Studies of MCRs and production rates (PRs) revealed that the elevated 1,25-(OH)2D values were due to enhanced production and not altered clearance (PR, 12.4 +/- 1.2 vs. 19.1 +/- 1.9 fmol/mg.min; P less than 0.01). CsA increases 1 alpha-hydroxylase activity and produces significant elevations in serum 1,25-(OH)2D levels in both rats and mice. This increase may have an impact on bone mineral metabolism and immune modulation in postorgan transplantation patients.

Polarizabilities and local field estimates for ten oxides from refractive-index measurements on doped films

By using accurate prism-coupled optical waveguide refractive-index measurements on cation-doped indium oxide films and a classical polarizability model having adjustable local field weighting factors, estimates have been obtained for the electronic polarizabilities of ten cations and the relative local fields in their respective oxides. Self-consistent results for the ten oxides were obtained for a constant oxygen polarizability of 1.5 (A)(3). The relative local fields were found to be larger at the oxygen than at the cation sites, consistent with the observation that the refractive index is more sensitive to anion than cation changes. The results should be useful for optical applications requiring dopant control of refractive index (e.g., for antireflection coatings and optical waveguides).

[Current management of anesthesia and intensive therapy of expansive processes with intracranial hypertension]

The transitive cerebral distension which is necessary for the neuro-surgeon during interventions is obtained by moderate controlled hyperventilation, deliberate arterial hypotension, application of the anti-sludge therapy for the cerebral microcirculation. Only the initial mannitol dose applied is useful for the subject with intra-cranial hypertension. Mannitol is not active in cases with cerebral oedema due to severe cerebral contusion. In such cases corticoids are the major therapeutic indication. The anti-sludge effects of mega-doses of thiamine in cases with severe disturbances in the microcirculation of basal nuclei and profound comatose conditions, makes possible to apply therapeutic dehydration and is associated with an increase in the resistance of the cerebral tissue to hypoxia. Volatile anesthetic agents increase the intra-cranial pressure in patients with expanding intra-cranial processes. Thiamine neuroleptanalgesia and synaptanalgesia, with or without xylocaine potentiation, have resulted in a satisfactory cerebral distension. Controlled hypotension and increased pressure are, for the time being, just a prospective field.