Gammelgaardcrockett2651
Antibodies against Phlebotomus perniciosus sandfly salivary gland homogenate (SGH) and recombinant protein rSP03B, sandfly-borne Toscana virus (TOSV), Sandfly Fever Sicilian virus (SFSV) and Leishmania, as well as DNA of the latter parasite, were investigated in 670 blood samples from 575 human donors in Murcia Region, southeast Spain, in 2017 and 2018. The estimated SGH and rSP03B seroprevalences were 69% and 88%, respectively, although correlation between test results was relatively low (ρ = 0.39). Similarly, TOSV, SFSV and Leishmania seroprevalences were 26%, 0% and 1%, respectively, and Leishmania PCR prevalence was 2%. Prevalences were significantly greater in 2017, overdispersed and not spatially related to each other although both were positively associated with SGH but not to rSP03B antibody optical densities, questioning the value of the latter as a diagnostic marker for these infections in humans.
Cancer incidence and mortality have received critical attention during the long-term management of morbidities in patients with autoimmune diseases (AIDs). This study aimed to investigate and compare the risk of cancer associated with five major AIDs in a large-scale Chinese cohort.
A total of 8,120 AID patients consecutively admitted to a national tertiary referral center in China were included and followed-up for 38,726.55 patient-years, including those with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Sjögren's syndrome (SS), systemic scleroderma (SSc), and idiopathic inflammatory myositis (IIM). Demographic data, cancer incidence, predilecting sites and cancer onset time were recorded and compared among the five AIDs.
Four hundred and thirty (5.3%) patients developed cancer. Their median age was 57.5 years and AID duration was 79.8 months. The estimated total standardized incidence ratio (SIR) of cancer in AIDs patients was 3.37, with the highest SIR observed in IIM (4.31), follower onset time may vary greatly in each AID entity.
Patients with five major AIDs in China had an increased risk of developing cancer, with a predominance in women and younger patients, although cancer incidence, predilection sites and cancer onset time may vary greatly in each AID entity.
We conducted a meta-analysis of observational epidemiological studies to evaluate the association between periconceptional use of vitamin A and the risk of giving birth to a child with nonsyndromic orofacial clefts (NSOFCs).
We carried out a systematic literature search of Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and OpenGrey from inception to June 30, 2021. Two reviewers independently evaluated the studies that met the inclusion criteria and filled out an abstraction form for each study. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Assessment Scale (NOS). Adjusted estimates were pooled with an inverse variance weighting using a random-effects model. Heterogeneity and publication bias were assessed using the Cochran's Q test and funnel plot, respectively.
A total of six case-control studies with moderate risk of bias were included. The pooled OR showed a 20% reduction in the risk of NSOFCs for periconceptional use of vitamin A which was not statistically significant (OR=.80; 95% CI .54-1.17, p= .25). For nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL/P), the studies were homogenous, and the pooled estimate showed a 13% risk reduction, which was significant (OR=.87; 95% CI .77-.99, p= .03). For nonsyndromic cleft palate only (NSCPO), the pooled estimate showed a 33% lower likelihood, which was not statistically significant (OR=.67; 95% CI .42-1.08, p= .10).
Our results suggest a possible protective effect for the periconceptional use of vitamin A on the risk of NSCL/P. This finding should be investigated further in prospective studies across multiple populations.
Our results suggest a possible protective effect for the periconceptional use of vitamin A on the risk of NSCL/P. This finding should be investigated further in prospective studies across multiple populations.An 8-year-old boy recently sustained a cerebellar arteriovenous malformation rupture, and subsequently suffered from severe neurological injury and became ventilator-dependent through a tracheostomy. During a routine clinic visit, the parents reported that a loose baby tooth had fallen out and disappeared 7 days earlier. The physical examination was unremarkable, but a chest X-ray demonstrated a foreign body in the left lung and secondary atelectasis. A rigid bronchoscopy extracted what turned out to be a tooth from the left lower lobe bronchus, with no associated sequelae. Aspiration of a tooth is rare, and it is mostly seen in children and elderly patients following trauma, endotracheal intubation, and dental procedures. Only a few previous studies emphasized the increased risk of foreign body aspiration among neurological impaired children. This unique report describes a child in his physiological exfoliation period, which is characterized by the spontaneous shedding of 20 teeth over the course of several years. In severely neurologically impaired children, this period carries a risk of aspiration of teeth and secondary pulmonary damage. Therefore, treating physicians and caregivers must be aware of this risk, and routine dental check-ups are advised in a neurological impaired child during this period.
Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) is a potential mediator of exercise-induced hepatic mitochondrial adaptations.
Here, male and female hepatocyte-specific eNOS knockout (eNOS
) and intact hepatic eNOS (eNOS
) mice performed voluntary wheel-running exercise (EX) or remained in sedentary cage conditions for 10 weeks.
EX resolved the exacerbated hepatic steatosis in eNOS
male mice. Elevated hydrogen peroxide emission (~50% higher in eNOS
vs. eNOS
mice) was completely ablated with EX. Interestingly, EX increased [1-
C] palmitate oxidation in eNOS
male mice, but this was blunted in the eNOS
male mice. eNOS
mice had lower markers of the energy sensors AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/phospho- (p)AMPK and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and p-mTOR, as well as the autophagy initiators serine/threonine-protein kinase ULK1 and pULK1, compared with eNOS
mice. Females showed elevated electron transport chain protein content and markers of mitochondrial biogenesis (transcription fadrial adaptations.The method of analyzing individual resistant hepatitis C virus (HCV) by a combination of haplotyping and resistance-associated substitution (RAS) has not been fully elucidated because conventional sequencing has only yielded short and fragmented viral genomes. We performed haplotype analysis of HCV mutations in 12 asunaprevir/daclatasvir treatment-failure cases using the Oxford Nanopore sequencer. This enabled single-molecule long-read sequencing using rolling circle amplification (RCA) for correction of the sequencing error. RCA of the circularized reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction products successfully produced DNA longer than 30 kilobase pairs (kb) containing multiple tandem repeats of a target 3 kb HCV genome. The long-read sequencing of these RCA products could determine the original sequence of the target single molecule as the consensus nucleotide sequence of the tandem repeats and revealed the presence of multiple viral haplotypes with the combination of various mutations in each host. In addition to already known signature RASs, such as NS3-D168 and NS5A-L31/Y93, there were various RASs specific to a different haplotype after treatment failure. The distribution of viral haplotype changed over time; some haplotypes disappeared without acquiring resistant mutations, and other haplotypes, which were not observed before treatment, appeared after treatment. Nexturastat A Conclusion The combination of various mutations other than the known signature RAS was suggested to influence the kinetics of individual HCV quasispecies in the direct-acting antiviral treatment. HCV haplotype dynamic analysis will provide novel information on the role of HCV diversity within the host, which will be useful for elucidating the pathological mechanism of HCV-related diseases.The pangolin (Manidae family) is the world's most trafficked animal, yet very little is known about its physiology and metabolism primarily due to its inconspicuous and solitary nature. Skeletal muscle samples from the Vastus lateralis were collected postmortem from a single female Temminck's ground pangolin (Manis temminckii). Samples were analyzed for fiber type composition, fiber size and myosin heavy chain isoform content. The oxidative and glycolytic metabolic capacity was determined through citrate synthase, 3-hydroxyacetyl co A dehydrogenase, creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, phosphofructokinase and glycogen phosphorylase enzyme activities. Lastly, antioxidant capacity was determined through superoxide dismutase and catalase enzyme activities, and the total antioxidant capacity. The pangolin metabolic profile was then compared to other endurance and nonendurance mammals, in which data were standardized relative to human endurance athletes in order to provide context. Slow twitch type I fibers, rich in mitochondria were the predominant fiber type within the pangolin indicating a reliance on oxidative derived energy from fats and carbohydrates. This suggests that the pangolin has a high endurance capability when compared to other wild animals and human endurance athletes. This is the first study to investigate the skeletal muscle physiology and metabolism of any pangolin species, in an attempt to further understand this endangered animal and aid with conservation efforts.The past decade has seen an increasing demand for more complex, reproducible and physiologically relevant tissue cultures that can mimic the structural and biological features of living tissues. Monitoring the viability, development and responses of such tissues in real-time are challenging due to the complexities of cell culture physical characteristics and the environments in which these cultures need to be maintained in. Significant developments in optics, such as optical manipulation, improved detection and data analysis, have made optical imaging a preferred choice for many three-dimensional (3D) cell culture monitoring applications. The aim of this review is to discuss the challenges associated with imaging and monitoring 3D tissues and cell culture, and highlight topical label-free imaging tools that enable bioengineers and biophysicists to non-invasively characterise engineered living tissues.
Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) are popular dietary supplements for exercise. However, increased BCAA levels positively correlate with obesity and diabetes. The metabolic impact of BCAA supplementation on insulin sensitivity during exercise is less understood.
Male C57BL/6 mice were fed for 12 weeks with a high-fat diet, normal chow diet, or BCAA-restricted high-fat diet. They were subjected to running exercise with or without BCAA treatment for another 12 weeks.
Exercise reduced body weight, improved insulin sensitivity, lowered BCAAs in plasma, and inhibited the upregulation of BCAAs and metabolites caused by BCAA supplementation in the subcutaneous white adipose tissue (sWAT) of obese mice. BCAA supplementation reversed insulin sensitivity ameliorated by exercise. The phosphorylation of protein kinase B (Ser473 and Ser474) was decreased by BCAAs in the sWAT of obese mice. However, BCAA supplementation had no such effects in lean mice. BCAAs also increased the expression of fatty acid synthase and other lipogenesis genes in the sWAT of exercised obese mice.
