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  • Article
    Hartmann H, Janssen LK, Herzog N, Morys F, Fängström D, Fallon SJ, Horstmann A.
    Appetite. 2023 04 01;183:106477.
    Animal studies indicate that a high-fat/high-sugar diet (HFS) can change dopamine signal transmission in the brain, which could promote maladaptive behavior and decision-making. Such diet-induced changes may also explain observed alterations in the dopamine system in human obesity. Genetic variants that modulate dopamine transmission have been proposed to render some individuals more prone to potential effects of HFS. The objective of this study was to investigate the association of HFS with dopamine-dependent cognition in humans and how genetic variations might modulate this potential association. Using a questionnaire assessing the self-reported consumption of high-fat/high-sugar foods, we investigated the association with diet by recruiting healthy young men that fall into the lower or upper end of that questionnaire (low fat/sugar group: LFS, n = 45; high fat/sugar group: HFS, n = 41) and explored the interaction of fat and sugar consumption with COMT Val158Met and Taq1A genotype. During functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning, male participants performed a working memory (WM) task that probes distractor-resistance and updating of WM representations. Logistic and linear regression models revealed no significant difference in WM performance between the two diet groups, nor an interaction with COMT Val158Met or Taq1A genotype. Neural activation in task-related brain areas also did not differ between diet groups. Independent of diet group, higher BMI was associated with lower overall accuracy on the WM task. This cross-sectional study does not provide evidence for diet-related differences in WM stability and flexibility in men, nor for a predisposition of COMT Val158Met or Taq1A genotype to the hypothesized detrimental effects of an HFS diet. Previously reported associations of BMI with WM seem to be independent of HFS intake in our male study sample.
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  • Article
    Fuhrimann S, Farnham A, Staudacher P, Atuhaire A, Manfioletti T, Niwagaba CB, Namirembe S, Mugweri J, Winkler MS, Portengen L, Kromhout H, Mora AM.
    Environ Int. 2021 07;152:106477.
    BACKGROUND: Multiple epidemiological studies have shown that exposure to single pesticide active ingredients or chemical groups is associated with adverse neurobehavioral outcomes in farmers. In agriculture, exposure to multiple pesticide active ingredients is the rule, rather than exception. Therefore, occupational studies on neurobehavioral effects of pesticides should account for potential co-exposure confounding.
    METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 288 Ugandan smallholder farmers between September and December 2017. We collected data on self-reported use of pesticide products during the 12 months prior to survey and estimated yearly exposure-intensity scores for 14 pesticide active ingredients using a semi-quantitative exposure algorithm. We administered 11 neurobehavioral tests to assess five neurobehavioral domains. We implemented a Bayesian Model-Averaging (BMA) approach to examine the association between exposure to multiple pesticides and neurobehavioral outcomes, while accounting for multiple testing. We applied two levels of inference to determine (1) which neurobehavioral outcomes were associated with overall pesticide exposure (marginal inclusion probability (MIP) for covariate-only models <0.5) and (2) which specific pesticide active ingredients were associated with these outcomes (MIP for models where active ingredient was included >0.5).
    RESULTS: Seventy-two percent of farmers reported use of pesticide products that contained at least one of 14 active ingredients, while the applicators used in median three different active ingredients (interquartile range (IQR) 4) in the 12 months prior to the study. The most widely used active ingredients were glyphosate (79%), cypermethrin (60%), and mancozeb (55%). We found that overall pesticide exposure was associated with impaired visual memory (Benton Visual Retention Test (BVRT)), language (semantic verbal fluency test), perceptual-motor function (Finger tapping test), and complex attention problems (Trail making A test and digit symbol test). However, when we looked at the associations for individual active ingredients, we only observed a positive association between glyphosate exposure and impaired visual memory (-0.103 [95% Bayesian Credible Interval (BCI)] [-0.24, 0] units in BVRT scores per interquartile range (IQR) increase in annual exposure to glyphosate, relative to a median [IQR] of 6 [3] units in BVRT across the entire study population).
    CONCLUSIONS: We found that overall pesticide exposure was associated with several neurobehavioral outcome variables. However, when we examined individual pesticide active ingredients, we observed predominantly null associations, except for a positive association between glyphosate exposure and impaired visual memory. Additional epidemiologic studies are needed to evaluate glyphosate's neurotoxicity, while accounting for co-pollutant confounding.
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  • Article
    Huang G, Cierpicki T, Grembecka J.
    Bioorg Chem. 2023 06;135:106477.
    Cancer is one of the major causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Substantial research efforts have been made to develop new chemical entities with improved anticancer efficacy. 2-Aminobenzothiazole is an important class of heterocycles containing one sulfur and two nitrogen atoms, which is associated with a broad spectrum of medical and pharmacological activities, including antitumor, antibacterial, antimalarial, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral activities. In recent years, an extraordinary collection of potent and low-toxicity 2-aminobenzothiazole compounds have been discovered as new anticancer agents. Herein, we provide a comprehensive review of this class of compounds based on their activities against tumor-related proteins, including tyrosine kinases (CSF1R, EGFR, VEGFR-2, FAK, and MET), serine/threonine kinases (Aurora, CDK, CK, RAF, and DYRK2), PI3K kinase, BCL-XL, HSP90, mutant p53 protein, DNA topoisomerase, HDAC, NSD1, LSD1, FTO, mPGES-1, SCD, hCA IX/XII, and CXCR. In addition, the anticancer potentials of 2-aminobenzothiazole-derived chelators and metal complexes are also described here. Moreover, the design strategies, mechanism of actions, structure-activity relationships (SAR) and more advanced stages of pre-clinical development of 2-aminobenzothiazoles as new anticancer agents are extensively reviewed in this article. Finally, the examples that 2-aminobenzothiazoles showcase an advantage over other heterocyclic systems are also highlighted.
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  • Article
    Fan S, Liu H, Li L.
    Pharmacol Res. 2022 11;185:106477.
    Receptor expression-enhancing proteins (REEPs) are an evolutionarily conserved protein family that is pivotal to the structure and function of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The REEP family can be classified into two major subfamilies in higher species, the REEP1-4 and REEP5-6 subfamilies. Within the REEP1-4 subfamily, REEP1 and REEP2 are closely related, and REEP3 and REEP4 are similarly related. The REEP family is widely distributed in various tissues. Recent studies indicate that the REEP family is involved in many pathological and physiological processes, such as ER morphogenesis and remodeling, microtubule cytoskeleton regulation, and the trafficking and expression of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Moreover, the REEP family plays crucial roles in the occurrence and development of many diseases, including neurological diseases, diabetes, retinal diseases, cardiac diseases, infertility, obesity, oligoarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (OJIA), COVID-19, and cancer. In the present review, we describe the distribution and structure of the REEP family. Furthermore, we summarize the functions and the associated diseases of this family. Based on the pleiotropic actions of the REEP family, the study of its family members is crucial to understanding the relevant pathophysiological processes and developing strategies to modulate and control these related diseases.
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  • Article
    Chen Z, Issa NP, Wu S, Liu X, Sun T, Bodnya J, Rose S, Tao JX.
    Epilepsy Res. 2020 12;168:106477.
    OBJECTIVES: To determine the incidence and clinical significance of small sharp spikes (SSS) in the patient population of the adult Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU).
    METHODS: This is a retrospective study of EEG data and medical records from consecutive patients who underwent video-EEG recording in the adult EMU from March 2013 to February 2019. SSS, interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs), and ictal patterns were identified.
    RESULTS: Of the 909 patients reviewed, SSS were observed in110 (12.1 %) patients. Epilepsy was present in 101 of the 110 (91.8 %) patients with SSS and in 441 of the 799 (55.2 %) patients without SSS. The incidence of epilepsy was significantly higher in patients with SSS than in those without SSS (OR = 9.1, 95 % CI: 4.5-18.3, P < 0.01). The sensitivity of SSS for epilepsy was 18.6 % and the specificity was 97.5 %. The incidence of SSS was strongly correlated with the frequency of IEDs (OR 1.89; 95 %CI: 1.60-2.24, P < 0.01). When both present, SSS and IEDs were co-lateralized in the same hemisphere.
    CONCLUSIONS: There is a statistically significant association between SSS and focal epilepsy. SSS have similar clinical implications to IEDs in the lateralization and localization of temporal lobe seizures. SSS can be an epileptiform EEG pattern for temporal lobe epilepsy.
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  • Article
    Yanagisawa B, Perkins B, Karantanos T, Levis M, Ghiaur G, Smith BD, Jones RJ.
    Leuk Res. 2020 12;99:106477.
    Although most acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients achieve complete remissions, the majority still eventually relapse and die of their disease. Rare primitive leukemia cells, so-called leukemia stem cells (LSCs), represent one potential type of resistant cell subpopulation responsible for this dissociation between response and cure. Several LSC targets have been described, but there is limited evidence about their relative utility or that targeting any can prevent relapse. LSCs not only appear to be biologically heterogeneous, but the classic immunocompromised mouse transplantation model also has serious shortcomings as an LSC assay. Out data suggest that the most immature cell phenotype that can be identified within a patient's leukemia may be clinically relevant and represent the de facto LSC. Moreover, although phenotypically heterogeneous, these putative LSCs show consistent phenotypes within individual genetically defined groups. Using this LSC definition, we studied several previously described putative LSC targets, CD25, CD26, CD47, CD96, CD123, and CLL-1, and all were expressed across heterogeneous LSC phenotypes. In addition, with the exception of CD47, there was at most low expression of these targets on normal hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). CD123 and CLL-1 demonstrated the greatest expression differences between putative LSCs and normal HSCs. Importantly, CD123 monoclonal antibodies were cytotoxic in vitro to putative LSCs from all AML subtypes, while showing limited to no toxicity against normal HSCs and hematopoietic progenitors. Since minimal residual disease appears to be a more homogeneous population of cells responsible for relapse, targeting CD123 in this setting may be most effective.
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  • Article
    Lee S, Pioszak AA.
    Biophys Chem. 2020 12;267:106477.
    The peptide hormone amylin receptor is a complex of the calcitonin receptor (CTR) and an accessory protein called receptor activity-modifying proteins (RAMPs). The soluble extracellular domain (ECD) of CTR is an important binding site of peptide hormone calcitonin. RAMPs also have an ECD and the association of CTR ECD with RAMP ECD enhances the affinity of peptide hormone amylin. However, the mechanism of how RAMP ECD association enhances amylin affinity remains elusive. Here, we report evidence supporting direct molecular interaction between an antagonistic amylin analog AC413 and RAMP2 ECD. We measured FITC-labeled peptide affinity for purified receptor ECD using fluorescence polarization (FP). We first found that RAMP2 ECD addition to maltose-binding protein (MBP)-tagged CTR ECD and an engineered MBP-tagged RAMP2 ECD-CTR ECD fusion protein (MBP-RAMP2-CTR ECD fusion) enhanced AC413 affinity. This suggests that these recombinant ECD systems represent functional amylin receptors. Interestingly, AC413 C-terminal residue Tyr25 (Y25) to Pro mutation eliminated its selective affinity for the MBP-RAMP2-CTR ECD fusion suggesting the critical role of the AC413 C-terminal residue in amylin receptor selectivity. Our structural model of the RAMP2 ECD:CTR ECD complex predicted molecular interaction of AC413 C-terminal residue Y25 with RAMP2 Glu101 (E101). Our FP peptide-binding assay showed that the RAMP2 E101A mutation of MBP-RAMP2-CTR ECD fusion decreased AC413 affinity by 7-fold, while the affinity of AC413 with the Y25P mutation was minimally changed. Consistently, AC413 binding affinity for the MBP-free RAMP2-CTR ECD fusion protein was also markedly decreased by the RAMP2 E101A mutation, while the affinity of AC413 with the Y25P mutation was moderately decreased. Together, our results support the molecular interaction between the AC413 C-terminal residue Y25 and RAMP2 E101 expanding our understanding of how the accessory protein RAMP2 enhances affinity of peptide hormone amylin for its receptor.
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  • Article
    Lannoy S, Mange J, Leconte P, Ritz L, Gierski F, Maurage P, Beaunieux H.
    Addict Behav. 2020 10;109:106477.
    Substance use in youth is a central public health concern, related to deleterious consequences at psychological, social, and cognitive/cerebral levels. Previous research has identified impulsivity and consumption motives as key factors in the emergence of excessive substance use among college students. However, most studies have focused on a specific substance and have considered this population as a unitary group, ignoring the potential heterogeneity in psychological profiles. We used a cluster analytic approach to explore the heterogeneity in a large sample (N = 2741) of substance users (i.e., tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, ecstasy, cocaine, heroin) on impulsivity and consumption motives. We identified four clusters: The first two clusters, associated with good self-esteem, low anxiety, and moderate substance use, were respectively characterized by low impulsivity and consumption motives (Cluster 1) and by high social and enhancement motives without marked impulsivity (Cluster 2). The two other clusters were conversely related to low self-esteem and high anxiety, and characterized by high consumption motives (particularly conformity) together with elevated urgency (Cluster 3) and by globally increased impulsivity and consumption motives (Cluster 4). These two clusters were also associated with higher substance use. These results highlight the existence of distinct psychological profiles of substance users and underline the need to develop targeted prevention and intervention programs (e.g., focusing on the specific impulsivity facets and consumption motives presented by each subgroup). Based on these findings, we also suggest extending the exploration of distinct profiles of substance users by targeting other psychological variables (e.g., self-esteem).
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  • Article
    Johny TK, Swaminathan TR, Sood N, Pradhan PK, Lal KK.
    J Microbiol Methods. 2022 05;196:106477.
    Disease outbreaks caused by bacterial and viral pathogens is a major impediment to the sustainable growth of aquaculture. Rapid and accurate diagnosis of pathogens is crucial for the successful maintenance of fish health and productivity in aquaculture. This review manuscript provides a brief description of conventional disease diagnosis techniques and a detailed description of immunological techniques such as ELISA, immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry and lateral flow immunoassay. Specific emphasis has been given to detail the molecular techniques, such as PCR and its variants, including the novel isothermal amplification techniques like LAMP and RPA, that can cater to the need of rapid and sensitive point-of-care diagnostics. Hybridization-based methods and molecular typing methods have also been discussed as they find specific applications in diagnostics. The potential of novel techniques such as MALDI-TOF-MS, flow cytometry, and nanotechnology-based methods have also been outlined as they are likely to revolutionise disease diagnosis in the future. This manuscript provides an update on the principle, strengths, weaknesses, applications and variations of each technique, so as to eliminate the qualms for the adoption of these techniques in aquaculture diagnostics.
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  • Article
    Zick SM, Kruger G, Harte S, Sen A, Harris RE, Pearce CL.
    Contemp Clin Trials. 2021 08;107:106477.
    Background Persistent cancer-related fatigue is one of the most common and burdensome symptoms experienced by ovarian cancer survivors. Despite the high burden of fatigue in ovarian cancer survivors, there are few available treatments. Previous research has shown self-acupressure to be a safe method for improving persistent fatigue, sleep, and quality of life among fatigued breast cancer survivors, yet there are no studies examining self-acupressure for fatigue in ovarian cancer survivors. Methods A three group parallel, randomized controlled trial will be conducted to evaluate the efficacy of self-acupressure taught and delivered via a patient-designed, custom-built mobile app ("MeTime") and accompanying hand-held device ("AcuWand") to help guide correct pressure application. A sample of 165 ovarian cancer survivors, who have completed primary cancer treatment will be recruited from tumor registries in Michigan and Los Angeles. Participants will be mailed a tablet preloaded with the app and a device, and all visits will be conducted remotely. Participants will be randomized to 6-weeks of daily self-acupressure via the app and device, or a sham app and device, or no care group. Self-report measures will be completed at baseline, 6-weeks (post-intervention), 3-, and 6-months. Primary outcome is the Brief Fatigue Inventory; secondary outcomes are sleep, quality of life, and symptoms commonly associated with persistent fatigue. Discussion An app based self-acupressure treatment may be an easily-accessible and inexpensive treatment to reduce fatigue in ovarian cancer survivors. The results of the study will provide information on the possible benefits of app-based self-acupressure for fatigue in ovarian cancer survivors. Trial registration: This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03763838, date registered on December 4, 2018.
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  • Article
    Ye H, Wang B, Xiao D, Li H, Wu D, Wang J, Cheng L, Geng F.
    Ultrason Sonochem. 2023 Aug;98:106477.
    In this study, a stable aqueous solution of paprika oleoresin (PO, the natural colorant extracted from the fruit peel of Capsicum annuum L) was constructed. The solubility of PO in an alkline aqueous solution (pH 10.95-11.10) increased rapidly. However, the aqueous solution of PO (pH 12.00) was unstable, obvious stratification was observed, and the color retention rate was only 52.99% after 28 days of storage. Chicken egg yolk low-density lipoprotein (LDL) was added combined with ultrasonic treatment to improve the stability of LDL-PO solution. The method could decrease the turbidity by 17.5 %, reduce the average particle size of the LDL-PO solution (13.9%), and enhance the interaction and combination of LDL and PO. The prepared PO aqueous solution was used in yogurt, egg white gel, fish balls and soymilk, and it could significantly improve the color of products and provided potential health benefits.
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  • Article
    Wang J, Cao H, Shi Y, Tian H, Yu F, Liu M, Gao L.
    Aquat Toxicol. 2023 May;258:106477.
    Nitrate (NO3-) is one of the ubiquitous environmental chemicals which multiplies negative impacts on aquatic life such as amphibian larvae. However, the data involving the dynamics of amphibians in response to NO3-N are scarce. This study investigated the effects of NO3-N on locomotor ability, growth performance, oxidative stress parameters, intestinal histology, and intestinal microbiota of Bufo raddei Strauch tadpoles. The tadpoles were chronically exposed to different concentrations of NO3-N (10, 50, 100, and 200 mg/L) from Gosner stage 26 to 38. Our results revealed that NO3-N exposure caused significantly reduced body weight and length, impaired locomotor activity, and severe oxidative damage to liver tissue. Moreover, the high NO3-N (50, 100, and 200 mg/L) exposure caused irregular arrangement and indistinct cell borders of mucosal epithelial cells in the tadpoles intestine. The NO3-N exposure significantly changed the structure of the intestinal microbiota. The phylum Cyanobacteria occupy the main niche of intestinal microbes and have a certain negative correlation with the growth and motility of tadpoles. In addition, the functional prediction revealed that NO3-N exposure obviously downregulated the metabolism of enzyme families in tadpoles. Our comprehensive research shows the toxicity of NO3-N exposure in B. raddei Strauch, explores the potential links between development and intestinal microbiota of tadpole, and provides a new framework for the potential health risk of nitrate in amphibians.
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  • Article
    Vu CC, Weiss J, Plé O, Amitrano D.
    Data Brief. 2020 Dec;33:106477.
    This data article provides a series of 492 stress-strain curves and compressive strength values obtained under the uniaxial compression of concrete samples fabricated from three different normal-weight concrete mixtures with four different cylindrical sample sizes ranging from 40 × 80 mm to 160 × 320 mm. These data are related to two research articles: "Revisiting statistical size effects on compressive failure of heterogeneous materials, with a special focus on concrete" (Vu et al., 2018) [1] and "Revisiting the concept of characteristic compressive strength of concrete" (Vu et al., 2020) [2]. In those papers, the strength values were used to (i) analyze and interpret statistical size effects on compressive strength of concrete (in ref. [1]), and (ii) discuss and evaluate the genuine characteristic compressive strength of concrete when size effects on strength are taken into account (in ref. [2]). This dataset could be reused for other statistical analyses on the mechanical behavior of concrete (e.g. elastic and strength properties) and associated possible mixture or size effects. In addition, the characteristic properties of the hardened concrete samples such as the apparent density, the moisture content, the modulus of elasticity as well as the internal microstructures are also provided.
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  • Article
    Wu Q, Wang L, Wei H, Li B, Yang J, Wang Z, Xu J, Zhou YL, Zhang B.
    Int Immunopharmacol. 2020 Jun;83:106477.
    BACKGROUND: Although multiple key molecules in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) have been identified in recent years, the overall tumor microenvironment (TME) immune cell infiltration characterizations mediated by multiple key molecules remain little known. This study aimed to integrate the roles of multiple key molecules to evaluate patient prognosis and TME cell infiltration characterization as well as responses to immunotherapy.
    METHODS: Using combined LUAD cancer cohorts with 228 normal samples and 913 tumor samples, we comprehensively dissected the differences of genomic and TME cell infiltration landscapes between normal lung tissues and tumor tissues. The single-sample gene-set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) was used to quantify the relative abundance of 24 cell infiltration. The riskScore signature was constructed using a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox regression mode.
    RESULTS: Seven novel key molecules with significantly up-regulated expression in LUAD were determined. Survival analyses revealed their important prognostic values. LUAD microenvironment presented a markedly decreased infiltration of immune cells compared to normal lung tissues. We found tumors with up-regulated expression of these key molecules exhibited a significantly decreased TME cell infiltration and increased immune checkpoint molecule expression. The high riskScore subtype was characterized by decreased innate and adaptive immune cell infiltration. Activation of p53 signaling pathway and regulator T cells were observed in the high riskScore subtype, which were regarded as T-cell suppressive and could be responsible for poorer prognosis in this subtype (HR 1.83(1.27-2.63)). Multivariate analyses demonstrated the riskScore was a robust and independent prognostic biomarker, and its value in predicting immunotherapeutic outcomes was also confirmed (HR 1.70(1.22-2.37)).
    CONCLUSIONS: This study reveal a novel gene signature significantly related to patient prognosis and TME cell infiltration in LUAD. We demonstrated the integrated roles of multiple key molecules played a crucial role in shaping TME cell infiltration diversity and complexity. Evaluating the integrated characterization of multiple key molecules could contribute to predicting patients' response to immunotherapy and guiding more effective immunotherapy strategies.
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  • Article
    Li Y, Jiang J, Zhang R, Qie W, Shao J, Zhu W, Xu N.
    Mar Environ Res. 2024 May;197:106477.
    Photoperiod and temperature are two main factors in the growth of macroalgae, and changes in photoperiod and diurnal temperature difference exist in natural condition. In order to study the effects of photoperiod and diurnal temperature difference on the growth of green algae Ulva prolifera, we cultured this species under three light/dark cycles (light: dark = 10:14, 12:12 and 16:08) with constant (22 °C for light and dark period, noted as 22-22 °C) and diurnal temperature difference (22 °C and 16 °C for light and dark period, respectively, noted as 22-16 °C) conditions. The results showed that: 1) Compared with 10:14 light/dark cycle, the growth of U. prolifera under 12:12 light/dark cycle was significantly enhanced by 39% and 16% for 22-22 °C and 22-16 °C treatments, respectively, while the increase proportion decreased when the daylength increase from 12 h to 16 h. 2) The enhancement in growth induced by diurnal temperature difference was observed under 10:14 light/dark cycle, but not for 12:12 and 16:08 light/dark cycle treatments. 3) The Chl a content and photosynthetic rate increased under short light period and 22-22 °C conditions, while under 22-16 °C conditions, higher photosynthetic rate was observed under 12:12 light/dark cycle and no significant difference in Chl a content was observed. 4) Under 22-22 °C conditions, compared with 10:14 (L:D) treatment, the expression levels of proteins in light-harvesting complexes, PSII and carbon fixation were down regulated, while the photorespiration and pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) were up regulated by 16:08 light dark cycle. Then we speculate that the higher photosynthetic rate may be one compensation mechanism in short photoperiod, and under long light period condition the up regulations of photorespiration and PPP can be in charge of the decrease in enhancement growth induced by longer daylength.
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  • Article
    Graham L, Gossell-Williams M, Tapper J, Melbourne-Chambers R.
    Epilepsy Behav. 2019 10;99:106477.
    Children with epilepsy (CWE) are more likely to have sleep and behavioral disorders. With differences in reports, the aim was to evaluate sleep and behavior in Jamaican CWE and determine any association with epilepsy-related variables. Children with epilepsy were identified along with age and gender-matched controls from the University Hospital of the West Indies and the Bustamante Hospital for Children. Written informed consent was obtained followed by the completion of questionnaires assessing sleep, behavior, and background of both cases and controls. Parents of 61 children (26 cases and 35 controls) participated in the study. There was no difference in sleep scores or frequency of sleep disorders between cases and controls (p > 0.05). Children with epilepsy had worse scores than controls in peer problems (3.85 vs 2.32, p < 0.01), internal problems (7.42 vs 4.71, p < 0.01), and total behavioral problem (16.27 vs 12.09, p < 0.01). When compared with controls, CWE had a higher frequency of abnormal peer problems (66% vs 32%, p < 0.05) and emotional problems score (42% vs 15%, p < 0.05). Children with learning difficulty were three times more likely to have abnormal behavioral score Odds Ratio (OR) = 3.818, p < 0.05). Jamaican CWE have similar sleep scores to their healthy peers but have a higher frequency of peer and emotional problems.
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  • Article
    Wu Q, Chen Q, Lian G, Wang X, Song X, Zhang X.
    Ultrasonics. 2021 Aug;115:106477.
    A high sensitivity air-coupled transducer with a hollow polymer microsphere filled epoxy resin matching layer is investigated. A new closed-cell porous material is introduced and a new acoustic impedance matching solution is discussed. An electrical impedance matching and parameter optimization method based on artificial bee colony algorithm is investigated which can significantly improve the sensitivity on the basis of acoustic impedance matching approach. The diameter of the piezoelectric plate and the thickness of the acoustic matching layer play an important role in this method. Experimental results are given, illustrating a 20.9 dB sensitivity enhancement by applying our acoustic impedance matching method, and an 8.4 dB additional sensitivity enhancement by applying our electrical impedance matching and parameter optimization method.
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  • Article
    Thai LM, O'Reilly L, Reibe-Pal S, Sue N, Holliday H, Small L, Schmitz-Peiffer C, Dhenni R, Wang-Wei Tsai V, Norris N, Yau B, Zhang X, Lee K, Yan C, Shi YC, Kebede MA, Brink R, Cooney GJ, Irvine KM, Breit SN, Phan TG, Swarbrick A, Biden TJ.
    iScience. 2023 Apr 21;26(4):106477.
    We have exploited islet-associated macrophages (IAMs) as a model of resident macrophage function, focusing on more physiological conditions than the commonly used extremes of M1 (inflammation) versus M2 (tissue remodeling) polarization. Under steady state, murine IAMs are metabolically poised between aerobic glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation, and thereby exert a brake on glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS). This is underpinned by epigenetic remodeling via the metabolically regulated histone demethylase Kdm5a. Conversely, GSIS is enhanced by engaging Axl receptors on IAMs, or by augmenting their oxidation of glucose. Following high-fat feeding, efferocytosis is stimulated in IAMs in conjunction with Mertk and TGFβ receptor signaling. This impairs GSIS and potentially contributes to β-cell failure in pre-diabetes. Thus, IAMs serve as relays in many more settings than currently appreciated, fine-tuning insulin secretion in response to dynamic changes in the external environment. Intervening in this nexus might represent a means of preserving β-cell function during metabolic disease.
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  • Article
    Jafari-Matanagh S, Razavi SE, Ehghaghi Bonab MB, Omidian H, Omidi Y.
    Comput Biol Med. 2023 01;152:106477.
    In this study, we examined the extravasation of pharmaceutical inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) with a new approach from the leaky endothelium of tumor microvasculature (TMV) into the tumor microenvironment (TME) multi-dimensionally. We proposed a combination of prevailing macroscopic and microscopic methods and addressed the effect of interstitial fluid (IF) retention in solid tumor as an imperative parameter in drug delivery modeling. The Navier-Stokes equations and Darcy's law were utilized for blood flow and porous media, and the Starling's law was brought in for coupling effect. The blood flow was simulated as a non-Newtonian fluid alongside the Newtonian IF. We applied the Galerkin finite element method for the simulations. Our parametric study includes examining the effect of IF retention and TMV pressure on the distribution of tumor interstitial fluid pressure (TIFP), NPs concentration, and diameter on the penetration process, together with the time effect, on two-dimensional (2D) delivery of NPs. Our findings indicate that the IF retention in tumor cells increases TIFP depending on the amount of TMV pressure and IF retained. In addition to doubling pressure in the tumor necrotic region rather than the rest of TME, it enhances the TIFP which is an important parameter in drug delivery to solid tumors. By decreasing pressure drop within the TMV, pressure distribution within the TME becomes more uniform, creating a better condition for homogeneous penetration of NPs. Increasing both inlet pressure and NPs concentration leads to a nonlinear increase in the average concentration of tumor. Decreasing the diameter of NPs increases the penetration of NPs with a higher ratio in the TME.
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  • Article
    Calamari CV, Viau P, Nichi M, Martins GS, Sobral G, Mangueira Dias JH, Alvarenga de Oliveira C.
    Domest Anim Endocrinol. 2020 07;72:106477.
    Hair is one widely used alternative matrix for endocrine studies. Not only can it maintain hormone content during storage for long periods of time, but its collection also induces little to no stress. Noninvasive techniques have broadened the opportunities for endocrine research, particularly regarding wild animals. Despite its advantages, many sources of variation may affect the steroid concentration found in hair, such as body location harvested, fur color, reproductive status, and sex. Thus, domestic species, such as the dog, are an excellent and approachable model for understanding this variability. For such, we addressed diverse sources of variation in testosterone concentrations from 24 domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) of the Poodle breed of various colors and neuter status, and from both sexes. The variation comprised the comparison between 2 different matrices (blood vs hair); 2 different extraction storage methods (refrigerator vs freezer); 3 body regions (head, torso, and limbs); 3 coat colors (black, brown, and white); different neuter status (intact vs castrated males) and, finally, sex. Our results showed no correlation between blood and hair testosterone concentrations. Additionally, we did not find differences related to the storage method, body region, or coat color. There were differences in concentration between males and females, but not between females and castrated males. We discuss hair testosterone levels exhibited reasonable stability, and we present practical applications for both domestic and wildlife animals.
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