Academic literature on the topic 'Biocroste'

The detection of NT-proBNP levels both in umbilical cord blood (UCB) samples and in serum samples collected from healthy term neonates during the neonatal period. A systematic review of relevant literature in accordance with PRISMA guidelines was conducted. For quality appraisal, the potential risk of bias was assessed using the BIOCROSS evaluation tool. The random-effects and fixed-effects models were used to calculate weighted mean differences with a corresponding 95% confidence interval. A total of forty (40) studies met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review. After further examination, eighteen (18) studies (1738 participants) from the UCB sample group and fourteen (14) studies (393 participants) from the serum sample group were selected to perform a meta-analysis. Using the fixed-effects model, the mean intervals of NT-proBNP in UCB and serum samples were 492 pg/mL (95% CI: 480–503 pg/mL) and 1341 pg/mL (95% CI: 1286–1397 pg/mL), respectively. A higher concentration of ΝΤ-proBNP was observed in the serum sample group compared to the UCB samples (p < 0.001). We present the intervals of NT-proBNP in UCB and in the serum of healthy term neonates. The determination of the potential effect of perinatal factors on the biomarker’s reference range was also aimed.

Background: This review synthesizes the available evidence about the individual skeletal maturity with biological maturity indicators and compares it with the levels of gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in growing children. Aims: This systematic review aimed to clarify the question: Is GCF ALP a reliable biomarker to assess skeletal maturity during growth? Objectives: The objective of this systematic review is to collect, compile, and review the existing evidence on the levels of GCF ALP activity in growing children and comparing its reliability with contemporary growth indicators. Materials and Methods: A literature appraisal executed using Entres PubMed, www.ncbi.nim.nih.gov, Scupose, Hinary, Ebsco, Embass, Cochrane; Google Scholar Electronic database search engines were used. The MeSH term used “growth markers in gingival crevicular fluid” or “growth markers in growing children.” Studies published till October, 2020, were included in this study. Data Extraction and Quality Assessment: The data have extracted from the selected articles based on year of publication, study design, age of subjects, instruments used, and author’s conclusions. The quality assessment was executed using BIOCROSS Scale. This scale is exclusive for cross-sectional studies with biomarkers. Results: Literature search identified 731 records from electronic databases and from the partial grey literature (Google scholar) search. Finally, six articles fulfilled eligibility criteria included in the review. Conclusions: All the six studies concluded that GCF ALP activity is a reliable method in determining a skeletal maturity indicator in growing children.

Abstract Background and Aims Over the past decade, the DNA methylome has been increasingly studied in peripheral blood of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. However, a comprehensive summary and meta-analysis of peripheral blood leukocyte (PBL) DNA methylation studies has thus far not been conducted. Here, we systematically reviewed all available literature up to February 2022 and summarized the observations by means of meta-analysis. Methods We conducted a systematic search and critical appraisal of IBD-associated DNA methylation studies in PBL using the biomarker-based cross-sectional studies (BIOCROSS) tool. Subsequently, we performed meta-analyses on the summary statistics obtained from epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) that included patients with Crohn’s Disease (CD), ulcerative colitis (UC) and/or healthy controls (HC). Results Altogether, we included 15 studies for systematic review. Critical appraisal revealed large methodological and outcome heterogeneity between studies. Summary statistics were obtained from 4 studies based on a cumulative 552 samples (177 CD, 132 UC and 243 HC). Consistent differential methylation was identified for 256 differentially methylated probes (DMPs; Bonferroni-adjusted p-value ≤0.05) when comparing CD with HC and 103 when comparing UC with HC. Comparing IBD (CD + UC) with HC resulted in 224 DMPs. Importantly, several of the previously identified DMPs, such as VMP1/TMEM49/MIR21 and RPS6KA2, were consistently differentially methylated across all studies. Conclusion Methodological homogenization of IBD epigenetic studies is needed to allow for easier aggregation and independent validation. Nonetheless, we were capable of confirming previous observations. Our results can serve as the basis for future IBD epigenetic biomarker research in PBL.

Le zone aride sono tra le aree più sensibili al cambiamento globale e i modelli prevedono un incremento della loro superficie nei prossimi decenni. La morfologia del terreno ha un ruolo chiave nella distribuzione dell'acqua e delle sostanze nutritive nelle zone aride e nella determinazione della loro composizione. Questi ambienti sono composti da vegetazione e suolo nudo, molte volte colonizzato da biocroste, che si prevede subiranno cambiamenti nella composizione. Il telerilevamento è stato evidenziato come uno strumento importante per il monitoraggio delle zone aride. Si tratta di un approccio molto efficace in termini di costi per identificare gli hotspot di biodiversità, prevedere i cambiamenti nella loro composizione e valutare le relazioni che tali cambiamenti hanno con la morfologia del terreno. Utilizzando specifiche tecniche di analisi delle immagini a seconda del caso di studio, il telerilevamento si è dimostrato utile per il monitoraggio di zone aride ben differenziate, ma non in caso di composizione mista. Pertanto, l’obiettivo principale di questa tesi di dottorato è stato quello di studiare come la composizione eterogenea e il funzionamento delle zone aride sono influenzati dalla morfologia del terreno integrando l’utilizzo di diversi sensori di telerilevamento e piattaforme. Sono stati utilizzati dati provenienti da immagini RGB, termiche ad infrarosso (TIR), multi- e iperspettrali ad altissima risoluzione spaziale acquisite in laboratorio e in campo utilizzando piattaforme aeree, UAV e stazionarie. Sono stati definiti i seguenti obiettivi specifici: - Valutare se le tecniche Structure from Motion (SfM) possono essere utilizzate in zone aride dalla superficie complessa per ricavare la morfologia del terreno da immagini UAV; - Sviluppare una tecnica riproducibile per mettere in relazione le azioni antropiche con i cambiamenti nello stato di salute delle comunità vegetali in ecosistemi aridi utilizzando tecniche di analisi object-based; - Valutare se l'eterogeneità spettrale dei licheni può essere utilizzata per stimare la loro α-diversità utilizzando immagini iperspettrali; - Sviluppare una metodologia per valutare l’influenza della morfologia del terreno sulla distribuzione delle biocroste in zone aride utilizzando informazioni acquisite esclusivamente mediante UAV; - Valutare se le immagini TIR possono essere usate per stimare l'umidità del suolo in zone aride eterogenee. Questa tesi di dottorato comprende una valutazione delle tecniche SfM a diverse scale e della loro applicabilità a diversi livelli. Affronta lo sviluppo di una nuova metodologia per monitorare la vegetazione in un ecosistema dipendente dalle acque sotterranee, dove la loro salute è fondamentale per il funzionamento dell'ecosistema. Inoltre, l'utilizzo di immagini iperspettrali acquisite a distanza ravvicinata ha permesso di stimare la α-diversità dei licheni che formano le biocroste utilizzando la loro diversità spettrale. Questo ha portato ad una migliore comprensione del comportamento spettrale delle biocroste a seconda della loro composizione, permettendo di sviluppare una metodologia per produrre mappe accurate della copertura del suolo in un ecosistema eterogeneo e di relazionare l'effetto della morfologia del terreno sulla composizione degli ambienti aridi.
Drylands are among the most sensitive areas to actual global change and their cover will increase in the next decades. Terrain has a key role in the distribution of water and nutrients in drylands and shaping their composition. These environments are composed by vegetation and bare soil, many times colonized by biocrusts, which are expected to suffer compositional changes. Remote sensing has been highlighted as an important tool for dryland monitoring. It is a very cost-effective approach to identify biodiversity hotspots, predict changes in their composition, and to evaluate the relationships these changes have with the terrain. Using the proper image analysis according to the study case, remote sensing has proved to be useful for monitoring well differentiated drylands, but not when dryland components are mixed. Thus, the main aim of this dissertation was to study how heterogeneous dryland composition and functioning is affected by the terrain using different multiple remote sensing sensors and platforms. Data from very high spatial resolution RGB, thermal infrared, multi- and hyperspectral imagery, retrieved in the laboratory and in the field using airborne, UAV and stationary platforms were used. The next specific objectives were set: - Evaluating whether SfM techniques can be used in drylands with complex surfaces to derive their terrain from UAV imagery; - Developing a reproducible technique to relate human actions to changes in the health of dryland scarce vegetation communities by using object-based image analysis; - Testing whether the spectral heterogeneity of lichens can be used to estimate their α-diversity using hyperspectral imagery; - Developing a methodology to evaluate the control that terrain has on dryland biocrusts’ distribution using information solely retrieved from UAV; - Testing if TIR imagery can estimate soil moisture in heterogeneous drylands. This PhD thesis comprises an evaluation of SfM techniques at different scales and their applicability at different levels. It also comprises a novel methodology to monitor vegetation in a ground-water dependent ecosystem, where their health is key for the ecosystem’s functioning. Moreover, the application of close-range hyperspectral imagery allowed to estimate the α-diversity of biocrust-forming lichens using their spectral diversity. This led to a better understanding of the spectral behaviour of biocrusts depending on their composition and allowed to develop a methodology to produce accurate maps of land cover in a dryland ecosystem of heterogeneous composition and to relate the effect of terrain atrributes on dryland composition.