Renal sinus fat (RSF) crucially influences metabolic regulation, inflammation, and vascular function. We investigated the association between RSF accumulation, metabolic disorders, and nutritional status in obese individuals with hypertension. A cross-sectional study involved 51 obese hypertensive patients from Salamat Specialized Community Clinic (February–September 2022). Basic and clinical information were collected through interviews. Data included anthropometrics, blood pressure, number of antihypertensive medications, body composition (bioelectrical impedance analysis), dietary intake (semi-quantitative 147-item food frequency questionnaire), and blood samples. Renal sinus fat was measured via ultrasonography. Statistical analyses included Pearson correlation, binary logistic regression, and linear regression. RSF positively correlated with abdominal visceral adipose tissue (VAT) area (P = 0.016), systolic blood pressure (SBP) (P = 0.004), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (P = 0.005). A strong trend toward a positive association was observed between antihypertensive medications and RSF (P = 0.062). In linear regression, RSF was independently associated with abdominal VAT area, SBP, and DBP after adjusting for confounders. After considering other risk factors, RSF volume relates to prescribed antihypertensive medications, hypertension, and central fat accumulation in obese hypertensive subjects. These findings suggest the need for further investigations into whether RSF promotes metabolic disorders.

The Roman army was a vast military machine that demanded huge amounts of material and complex supply mechanisms. A 14kg hoard of mail armour from near the Roman legionary fortress of Bonn, Germany, offers insight into the organisation of recycling and repair on Rome's northern frontier. Computed tomography reveals there are at least four garments and suggests a likely date. The authors explore the hoard's context and motivations for its deposition and non-retrieval, arguing it formed a collection of ‘donor’ mail for repairing other mail garments. Its discovery in a settlement outside the military fortress indicates the involvement of local craftworkers. The settlement was abandoned in the mid-third century AD.

The present study investigated whether dietary n-3 very-long-chain PUFA (n-3 VLC-PUFA) could increase skin and bone mineralisation in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in vivo and examined their potential effects on human osteoblast proliferation and differentiation in vitro. Atlantic salmon were fed different dietary levels of n-3 VLC-PUFA, and changes in tissue n-3 VLC-PUFA composition, skeletal morphology, skin and bone mineral content, bone mineral density (BMD) and gene expression patterns were examined. Additionally, in vitro experiments using human foetal osteoblast cells were conducted to investigate the potential influence of n-3 VLC-PUFA supplementation on cell proliferation, osteogenic differentiation and cytokine expression. The results demonstrated that increasing the dietary levels of n-3 VLC-PUFA increased the mineral content of vertebrae and BMD in salmon, with subtle yet significant impacts on the expression of genes involved in bone-related processes. Furthermore, in vitro experiments showed a potential contextual influence of n-3 VLC-PUFA supplementation on gene expression of osteogenic markers and cytokine expression. Our findings indicate for the first time that n-3 VLC-PUFA may influence processes related to bone mineralisation.

Beyond obesity, visceral adipose tissue (VAT) has emerged as an important predictor of chronic disease, but the role of diet quality patterns (DQP) in VAT development is not well defined. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review of how various DQP are associated with VAT via literature searches in PubMed and EMBASE. We included observational investigations in disease-free adults/adolescents that related DQP to VAT assessed by imaging methods. The studies were evaluated separately for a priori and a posteriori DQP and according to design differences. Study quality was assessed using the Risk of Bias in Non-randomised Studies of Interventions tool. Of the 1807 screened articles, thirty-five studies met the inclusion criteria. The majority of a priori indices, for example, the Healthy Eating Index, showed significant inverse associations with VAT, while only a small proportion of a posteriori patterns were related to VAT. Results did not differ substantially by the method of exposure and outcome assessment or between studies with (n 20) or without (n 15) body-size adjustment, but significant findings were more common in younger v. older individuals, USA v. other populations and investigations with moderate v. serious risk of bias. The heterogeneity of the existing literature limited the ability to quantify the magnitude of the associations across studies. These findings suggest that a high-quality diet, as assessed by a priori DQP, is generally inversely associated with VAT, but results for a posteriori DQP are less consistent. As associations persisted after adjusting for body size, diet quality may beneficially influence VAT beyond its association with obesity.

The impact of computed tomography-defined sarcopenia on outcomes in head and neck cancer has been well described. Sarcopenic obesity (SO) (depleted muscle mass combined with obesity) may pose a more serious risk than either condition alone. We investigated SO and its impact on survival and critical weight loss (≥ 5 %) in patients with head and neck cancer who received curative radiotherapy (± other modalities). Retrospective analysis of computed tomography cross-sectional muscle at cervical (C3), thoracic (T2) and lumbar (L3) regions was conducted. Patients were grouped by BMI and sarcopenia status based on established thresholds. A total of 413 patients were included for analysis, the majority having oropharyngeal carcinoma (52 %), and 56 % received primary concurrent chemoradiotherapy. The majority of the cohort (65 %) was overweight or obese (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2). Sarcopenia was found in 43 %, with 65 % having SO (n 116), equating to 28 % of the whole cohort. Critical weight loss was experienced by 58 % (n 238). A significantly higher proportion of patients with SO experienced critical weight loss (n 70 v. 19, P < 0·001) and were four times more likely to do so during treatment (OR 4·1; 95 % CI 1·5, 7·1; P = 0·002). SO was not found to impact on overall or cancer-specific survival; however, in patients with sarcopenia, those with SO had better overall survival (median 9·1 v. 7·0 years; 95 % CI 5·2, 16·8; P = 0·021). SO at the time of presentation in patients with head and neck cancer is predictive of critical weight loss during treatment, and muscle evaluation can be useful in identifying patients at nutritional risk regardless of BMI and obvious signs of wasting.

The early tetrapod Eoherpeton watsoni is known from the mid- to late Carboniferous (late Viséan to Namurian, approximately 346–313 Ma) of Scotland. The holotype is made up of a nearly complete but crushed skull with postcranial fragments. The skull anatomy of Eoherpeton was first described over 40 years ago; however, many details are obscured due to deformation of the specimen, including internal bone surfaces, the palatal bones and dentition, and suture morphology. Most phylogenetic analyses place Eoherpeton as an embolomere/reptilomorph on the lineage leading to amniotes, making it a key taxon for understanding anatomical changes during the fish-tetrapod transition. In this paper, we scanned the holotype using micro-computed tomography and digitally prepared the specimen. Based on these data, we present a revised description of the skull, including sutural morphology, that supplements and amends previous descriptions. New anatomical findings include the presence of a previously unknown tooth-bearing vomer, additional information on the shape of the basipterygoid processes and jaw joint, the ability to visualise the full extent of the pterygoid, and confirmation of the arrangement of the coronoid series. We also note the size of the pterygoid flange, which is larger than previously described for Eoherpeton. The pterygoid flange is widely considered to be characteristic of amniotes and serves as the origin of the medial pterygoideus muscle. The differentiation of the adductor muscles and appearance of medial pterygoideus are thought to have permitted a static pressure bite in amniotes, potentially resulting in greater bite forces and increased dietary range. Thus, the presence and extent of the pterygoid flange in Eoherpeton suggests this feature (and associated changes in feeding mechanism) may have evolved earlier than previously thought. Finally, the skull was digitally repaired and retrodeformed to create a new, hypothetical three-dimensional reconstruction of the skull of Eoherpeton.

Point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS) is used by health care professionals of various specialties worldwide, with excellent results demonstrating significant potential to advance patient care. However, in low resource areas of the world, where other imaging modalities are scarce and the potential of handheld pocket-sized PoCUS devices with great versatility and increasing affordability seems most significant, its use is far from being widespread. In this report, our group of Chadian, Israeli, and Canadian physicians with experience in rural, military, and conflict zone medical aid, discusses the barriers to the implementation of PoCUS in low resource areas and offers potential solutions.

Humane euthanasia of cattle represents a challenge to the beef and dairy industries. Penetrating captive bolt, while traditionally considered to be only a stunning method, can be an effective single-step euthanasia method if both the cerebral cortex and brainstem are disrupted. This report describes a preliminary study investigating the likelihood of brainstem disruption for two captive-bolt shot locations. Heads were collected from 15 cattle that died or were euthanised for reason unrelated to the study and were then randomly assigned to one of two shot placement groups. Heads in the first group (n = 7) were shot at the intersection of two lines drawn from the medial canthus to the opposite horn or top of the opposite ear. Heads in the second group (n = 8) were shot at the intersection of two lines drawn for the lateral canthus to the opposite horn or top of the opposite ear. The guns were held perpendicular (as assessed visually) to the plane of the forehead. Shot placement was then assessed using computed tomography and disruption of the brainstem was determined. In the first group, the captive bolt failed to disrupt the brainstem in any of the heads. In the second group, the bolt disrupted the brainstem in 6 of 8 heads. The results suggest that selecting a higher shot location leads more readily to disruption of the brainstem which reduces the risk of regaining sensibility and should therefore improve animal welfare when cattle are euthanised with a penetrating captive bolt.

Renal cancer is responsible for over 100,000 yearly deaths and is principally discovered in computed tomography (CT) scans of the abdomen. CT screening would likely increase the rate of early renal cancer detection, and improve general survival rates, but it is expected to have a prohibitively high financial cost. Given recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI), it may be possible to reduce the cost of CT analysis and enable CT screening by automating the radiological tasks that constitute the early renal cancer detection pipeline. This review seeks to facilitate further interdisciplinary research in early renal cancer detection by summarising our current knowledge across AI, radiology, and oncology and suggesting useful directions for future novel work. Initially, this review discusses existing approaches in automated renal cancer diagnosis, and methods across broader AI research, to summarise the existing state of AI cancer analysis. Then, this review matches these methods to the unique constraints of early renal cancer detection and proposes promising directions for future research that may enable AI-based early renal cancer detection via CT screening. The primary targets of this review are clinicians with an interest in AI and data scientists with an interest in the early detection of cancer.

Assessments of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) are critical in preventing metabolic disorders; however, there are limited measurement methods that are accurate and accessible for VAT. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the association between VAT estimates from consumer-grade devices and traditional anthropometrics and VAT and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Data were collected from 182 participants (female = 114; White = 127; Black/African-American (BAA) = 48) which included anthropometrics and indices of VAT produced by near-infrared reactance spectroscopy (NIRS), visual body composition (VBC) and multifrequency BIA (MFBIA). VAT and SAT were collected using DXA. Bivariate and partial correlations were calculated between DXAVAT and DXASAT and other VAT estimates. All VAT indices had positive moderate–strong correlations with VAT (all P < 0·001) and SAT (all P < 0·001). Only waist:hip (r = 0·69), VATVBC (r = 0·84), and VATMFBIA (r = 0·86) had stronger associations with VAT than SAT (P < 0·001). Partial associations between VATVBC and VATMFBIA were only stronger for VAT than SAT in White participants (r = 0·67, P < 0·001) but not female, male, or BAA participants individually. Partial correlations for waist:hip were stronger for VAT than SAT, but only for male (r = 0·40, P < 0·010) or White participants (r = 0·48, P < 0·001). NIRS was amongst the weakest predictors of VAT which was highest in male participants (r = 0·39, P < 0·010) but non-existent in BAA participants (r = –0·02, P > 0·050) after adjusting for SAT. Both anthropometric and consumer-grade VAT indices are consistently better predictors of SAT than VAT. These data highlight the need for a standardised, but convenient, VAT estimation protocol that can account for the relationship between SAT and VAT that differs by sex/race.

Malnutrition and sarcopenia are prevalent in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Pre-treatment sarcopenia and adverse oncological outcomes in this population are well described. The impact of myosteatosis and post-treatment sarcopenia is less well known. Patients with HNSCC (n = 125) undergoing chemoradiotherapy, radiotherapy alone and/or surgery were assessed for sarcopenia and myosteatosis, using cross-sectional computed tomography (CT) imaging at the third lumbar (L3) vertebra, at baseline and 3 months post-treatment. Outcomes were overall survival (OS) at 12 months and 5 years post-treatment. One hundred and one participants had a CT scan evaluable at one or two time points, of which sixty-seven (66 %) participants were sarcopenic on at least one time point. Reduced muscle attenuation affected 93 % (n = 92) pre-treatment compared with 97 % (n = 90) post-treatment. Five-year OS favoured those without post-treatment sarcopenia (hazard ratio, HR 0·37, 95 % CI 0·16, 0·88, P = 0·06) and those without both post-treatment myosteatosis and sarcopenia (HR 0·33, 95 % CI 0·13, 0·83, P = 0·06). Overall, rates of myosteatosis were high at both pre- and post-treatment time points. Post-treatment sarcopenia was associated with worse 5-year OS, as was post-treatment sarcopenia in those who had myosteatosis. Post-treatment sarcopenia should be evaluated as an independent risk factor for decreased long-term survival post-treatment containing radiotherapy (RT) for HNSCC.