Mcneillbryant6471

annulata clade with good bootstrap support with other sequences from Italy, India, and Iran, indicating limited geographical and temporal genetic variability of the parasite. This study represents the first phylogenetic analysis of T. annulata in Sicily, which will be useful to improve the strategies for theileriosis control and prevention.As a major group of algae, diatoms are responsible for a substantial part of the primary production on the planet. Pennate diatoms have a predominantly benthic lifestyle and are the most species-rich diatom group, with members of the raphid clades being motile and generally having heterothallic sexual reproduction. It was recently shown that the model species Seminavis robusta uses multiple sexual cues during mating, including cyclo(l-Pro-l-Pro) as an attraction pheromone. Elaboration of the pheromone-detection system is a key aspect in elucidating pennate diatom life-cycle regulation that could yield novel fundamental insights into diatom speciation. This study reports the synthesis and bio-evaluation of seven novel pheromone analogs containing small structural alterations to the cyclo(l-Pro-l-Pro) pheromone. Toxicity, attraction, and interference assays were applied to assess their potential activity as a pheromone. Most of our analogs show a moderate-to-good bioactivity and low-to-no phytotoxicity. The pheromone activity of azide- and diazirine-containing analogs was unaffected and induced a similar mating behavior as the natural pheromone. These results demonstrate that the introduction of confined structural modifications can be used to develop a chemical probe based on the diazirine- and/or azide-containing analogs to study the pheromone-detection system of S. robusta.Eosinophils become polarized in response to cytokines such IL-5 or eotaxin prior to directional migration. Polarization is preceded by F-actin assembly, but the mechanisms that regulate these events and how the shape change influences cell migration from the peripheral blood into the lung remain unclear. In this study, we show that the prolyl isomerase, Pin1, is required for IL-5-induced Eos polarization and migration. Co-immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence analysis revealed that Pin1 directly interacts with members of Rho GTPase family. Mouse eosinophils lacking Pin1 or human cells treated with Pin1 inhibitors showed significantly reduced IL-5-induced GTPase activity and cofilin phosphorylation, resulting in reduced F-actin polymerization, cell polarization, and directional migration to chemokines. Our result suggests that Pin1 regulates cytoskeletal re-organization, eosinophil morphology, and cell migration through the modulation of Rho GTPase activity. Targeting Pin1 along with GTPases could provide a new approach to reduce pulmonary Eos accumulation during asthmatic exacerbations.Polyphosphate (polyP) is released from activated platelets and activates the intrinsic coagulation pathway. However, polyP may also be involved in various pathophysiological functions related to platelets. To clarify these functions, we established a cytochemical method to reproducibly visualize polyP in platelets. Platelets obtained from healthy non-smoking donors were suspended in phosphate-buffered saline and quickly immobilized on glass slides using a Cytospin. After fixation and membrane permeabilization, platelets were treated with 4',6- diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) and examined using a fluorescence microscope with a blue-violet excitation filter block (BV-2A). Fixed platelets were also subjected to immunocytochemical examination to visualize serotonin distribution. Under the optimized conditions for polyP visualization, immobilized platelets were fixed with 10% neutral-buffered formalin for 4 h or longer and treated with DAPI at a concentration of 10 µg/mL in 0.02% saponin- or 0.1% Tween-20-containing Hanks balanced salt solution as a permeabilization buffer for 30 min at room temperature (22-25 °C). Based on the results obtained by using activated platelets, treatment with alkaline phosphatases, and serotonin release, the DAPI+ targets were identified as polyP. Therefore, this cytochemical method is useful for determining the amount and distribution of polyP in platelets.

It has been shown that a possible pathogenetic mechanism of neurodegeneration in the mouse model of glaucoma (DBA/2J) may be an alteration of kynurenic acid (KYNA) in the retina. This study aimed to verify the hypothesis that alterations of tryptophan (TRP) metabolism in DBA/2J mice is not limited to the retina.

Samples of the retinal tissue and serum were collected from DBA/2J mice (6 and 10 months old) and control C57Bl/6 mice of the same age. The concentration of TRP, KYNA, kynurenine (KYN), and 3-hydroxykynurenine (3OH-K) was measured by HPLC. The activity of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) was also determined as a KYN/TRP ratio.

TRP, KYNA, L-KYN, and 3OH-K concentration were significantly lower in the retinas of DBA/2J mice than in C57Bl/6 mice. 3OH-K concentration was higher in older mice in both strains. Serum TRP, L-KYN, and KYNA concentrations were lower in DBA/2J than in age-matched controls. However, serum IDO activity did not differ significantly between compared groups and strains.

Alterations of the TRP pathway seem not to be limited to the retina in the murine model of hereditary glaucoma.

Alterations of the TRP pathway seem not to be limited to the retina in the murine model of hereditary glaucoma.This study aims to deepen the analysis of Studyholism (or obsession toward study) on a sample of 793 Italian adolescents (Mage = 16.30 ± 1.73; 53% boys). A path analysis model including potential antecedents (i.e., worry, study-related perfectionism, perfectionistic strivings and concerns, overstudy climate, type of school) and outcomes (e.g., grade point average, time spent studying, psychological well-being) of Studyholism was tested. In line with previous findings on college students, this study supported the conceptualization of problematic overstudying as an OCD-related disorder, since worry is the strongest predictor of Studyholism. Moreover, among the main findings, it confirmed that Studyholism is associated with negative academic outcomes, while Study Engagement predicts positive academic outcomes. Finally, it also confirmed that both Studyholism and Study Engagement predict social impairment. In conclusion, preventive interventions to favor students' academic success and well-being should reduce perfectionistic concerns and study-related perfectionism and enhance time management skills (in Engaged students too). For reducing Studyholism, instead, the primary target should be trait worry. Finally, preventive interventions should be implemented across all the school types and possibly during childhood or pre-adolescence to avoid the increase in psychological and social impairment that has been found to be associated with Studyholism in youths. It is also essential to detect potential early risk indicators (especially among individual factors) of Studyholism in childhood.Mechanisms involved in the de-acclimation of herbaceous plants caused by warm periods during winter are poorly understood. This study identifies the genes associated with this mechanism in winter barley. Seedlings of eight accessions (four tolerant and four susceptible to de-acclimation cultivars and advanced breeding lines) were cold acclimated for three weeks and de-acclimated at 12 °C/5 °C (day/night) for one week. We performed differential expression analysis using RNA sequencing. In addition, reverse-transcription quantitative real-time PCR and enzyme activity analyses were used to investigate changes in the expression of selected genes. The number of transcripts with accumulation level changed in opposite directions during acclimation and de-acclimation was much lower than the number of transcripts with level changed exclusively during one of these processes. The de-acclimation-susceptible accessions showed changes in the expression of a higher number of functionally diverse genes during de-acclimation. Transcripts associated with stress response, especially oxidoreductases, were the most abundant in this group. The results provide novel evidence for the distinct molecular regulation of cold acclimation and de-acclimation. Upregulation of genes controlling developmental changes, typical for spring de-acclimation, was not observed during mid-winter de-acclimation. Mid-winter de-acclimation seems to be perceived as an opportunity to regenerate after stress. Unfortunately, it is competitive to remain in the cold-acclimated state. This study shows that the response to mid-winter de-acclimation is far more expansive in de-acclimation-susceptible cultivars, suggesting that a reduced response to the rising temperature is crucial for de-acclimation tolerance.The insulin signaling (IIS) pathway plays an important role in the metabolism, growth, development, reproduction, and longevity of an organism. As a key member of the IIS pathway, insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs) are widely distributed a family in invertebrates and vertebrates that are critical in various aspects of physiology. As an important mariculture species, the growth of Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, is one of the most concerning characteristics in this area of study. In this study, we identified three IGFBP genes in the genome of L. vannamei and analyzed their gene structures, phylogenetics, and expression profiles. LvIGFBP1 was found to contain three domains (the insulin growth factor binding (IB) domain, the Kazal-type serine proteinase inhibitor (Kazal) domain, and the immunoglobulin C-2 (IGc2) domain), while LvIGFBP2 and LvIGFBP3 only contained a single IB domain. LvIGFBP1 exhibited high expression in most tissues and different developmental stages, while LvIGFBP2 and LvIGFBP3 were only slightly expressed in hemocytes. The RNA interference of LvIGFBP1 resulted in a significantly smaller increment of body weight than that of control groups. These results will improve our understanding of the conservative structure and function of IGFBPs and show potential applications for the growth of shrimp.Neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is defined by pathology featuring amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition in the brain. Aβ monomers themselves are generally considered to be nontoxic, but misfold into β-sheets and aggregate to form neurotoxic oligomers. One suggested strategy to treat AD is to prevent the formation of toxic oligomers. The SG inhibitors are a class of pseudopeptides designed and optimized using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations for affinity to Aβ and experimentally validated for their ability to inhibit amyloid-amyloid binding using single molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS). In this work, we provide a review of our previous MD and SMFS studies of these inhibitors and present new cell viability studies that demonstrate their neuroprotective effects against Aβ(1-42) oligomers using mouse hippocampal-derived HT22 cells. Two of the tested SG inhibitors, predicted to bind Aβ in anti-parallel orientation, demonstrated neuroprotection against Aβ(1-42). A third inhibitor, predicted to bind parallel to Aβ, was not neuroprotective. Myristoylation of SG inhibitors, intended to enhance delivery across the blood-brain barrier (BBB), resulted in cytotoxicity. This is the first use of HT22 cells for the study of peptide aggregation inhibitors. Overall, this work will inform the future development of peptide aggregation inhibitors against Aβ toxicity.The rising number of European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) admitted every year to wildlife rehabilitation centres might be a source of concern to animal and public health since transmissible diseases, such as dermatophytosis, can be easily disseminated. This study seeks to evaluate the frequency of dermatophyte detection in hedgehogs admitted to a wildlife rehabilitation centre located near Paris, France, and to assess the risk of contamination in the centre in order to adapt prevention measures. A longitudinal cohort study was performed on 412 hedgehogs hosted at the Wildlife Animal Hospital of the Veterinary College of Alfort from January to December 2016. Animals were sampled once a month for fungal culture. Dermatophyte colonies were obtained from 174 out of 686 skin samples (25.4%). Besides Trichophyton erinacei, Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Nannizzia gypsea were also found. Dermatophyte detection seemed to be associated with the presence of skin lesions, while more than one-third of T. erinacei-positive animals were asymptomatic carriers. Healing required several months of treatment with topical and systemic azoles, but dermatophytosis did not seem to reduce the probability of release. Daily disinfection procedures and early detection and treatment of infected and asymptomatic carriers succeeded in limiting dermatophyte transmission between hedgehogs and humans.The genus Diaporthe and its anamorph Phomopsis are distributed worldwide in many ecosystems. They are regarded as potential sources for producing diverse bioactive metabolites. Most species are attributed to plant pathogens, non-pathogenic endophytes, or saprobes in terrestrial host plants. They colonize in the early parasitic tissue of plants, provide a variety of nutrients in the cycle of parasitism and saprophytism, and participate in the basic metabolic process of plants. In the past ten years, many studies have been focused on the discovery of new species and biological secondary metabolites from this genus. In this review, we summarize a total of 335 bioactive secondary metabolites isolated from 26 known species and various unidentified species of Diaporthe and Phomopsis during 2010-2019. Overall, there are 106 bioactive compounds derived from Diaporthe and 246 from Phomopsis, while 17 compounds are found in both of them. They are classified into polyketides, terpenoids, steroids, macrolides, ten-membered lactones, alkaloids, flavonoids, and fatty acids. Polyketides constitute the main chemical population, accounting for 64%. Meanwhile, their bioactivities mainly involve cytotoxic, antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-algae, phytotoxic, and enzyme inhibitory activities. Diaporthe and Phomopsis exhibit their potent talents in the discovery of small molecules for drug candidates.Cooperative communication and resource limitation are two main characteristics of mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs). On one hand, communication among the nodes in MANETs highly depends on the cooperation among nodes because of the limited transmission range of the nodes, and multi-hop communications are needed in most cases. On the other hand, every node in MANETs has stringent resource constraints on computations, communications, memory, and energy. These two characteristics lead to the existence of selfish nodes in MANETs, which affects the network performance in various aspects. In this paper, we quantitatively investigate the impacts of node selfishness caused by energy depletion in MANETs in terms of packet loss rate, round-trip delay, and throughput. We conducted extensive measurements on a proper simulation platform incorporating an OMNeT++ and INET Framework. Our experimental results quantitatively indicate the impact of node selfishness on the network performance in MANETs. The results also imply that it is important to evaluate the impact of node selfishness by jointly considering selfish nodes' mobility models, densities, proportions, and combinations.The major determinants of drug or, al bioavailability are absorption and metabolism in the digestive tract. Genetic variations can cause significant differences in transporter and enzyme protein expression and function. The racial distribution of selected efflux transporter (i.e., Pgp, BCRP, MRP2) and metabolism enzyme (i.e., UGT1A1, UGT1A8) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are highly expressed in the digestive tract are reviewed in this paper with emphasis on the allele frequency and the impact on drug absorption, metabolism, and in vivo drug exposure. Additionally, preclinical and clinical models used to study the impact of transporter/enzyme SNPs on protein expression and function are also reviewed. The results showed that allele frequency of the major drug efflux transporters and the major intestinal metabolic enzymes are highly different in different races, leading to different drug disposition and exposure. The conclusion is that genetic polymorphism is frequently observed in different races and the related protein expression and drug absorption/metabolism function and drug in vivo exposure can be significantly affected, resulting in variations in drug response. Basic research on race-dependent drug absorption/metabolism is expected, and FDA regulations of drug dosing adjustment based on racial disparity are suggested.Tumour tissue as a source for molecular profiling and for in vivo models has limitations (e.g., difficult access, limited availability, single time point, potential heterogeneity between primary and metastatic sites). Conversely, liquid biopsies provide an easily accessible approach, enabling timely and longitudinal interrogation of the tumour molecular makeup, with increased ability to capture spatial and temporal intra-tumour heterogeneity compared to tumour tissue. Blood-borne biomarker assays (e.g., circulating tumour cells (CTCs), circulating free/tumour DNA (cf/ctDNA)) pose unique opportunities for aiding in the molecular characterisation and phenotypic subtyping of neuroendocrine neoplasms and will be discussed in this article.Beneficial insect populations and the services that they provide are in decline, largely due to agricultural land use and practices. Establishing perennial floral plantings in the unused margins of crop fields can help conserve beneficial pollinators and predators in commercial agroecosystems. We assessed the impacts of floral plantings on both pollinators and arthropod predators when established adjacent to conventionally managed commercial potato fields. Floral plantings significantly increased the abundance of pollinators within floral margins compared with unmanaged margins. Increased floral cover within margins led to significantly greater pollinator abundance as well. The overall abundance of arthropod predators was also significantly increased in floral plantings, although it was unrelated to the amount of floral cover. Within adjacent potato crops, the presence of floral plantings in field margins had no effect on the abundance of pollinators or predators, although higher floral cover in margins did marginally increase in-crop pollinator abundance. Establishing floral plantings of this kind on a large scale in commercial agroecosystems can help conserve both pollinators and predators, but may not increase ecosystem services in nearby crops.Glucocorticoid osteoporosis is a serious side effect of long term glucocorticoid uptake and it is caused by osteoblast apoptosis and imbalance in the major bone remodeling pathway RANK/RANKL/OPG. The impact of glucocorticoid on the maintenance of RANK/RANKL/OPG is well explored; dexamethasone was shown to disturb the ratio between OPG and RANKL level by decreasing the expression level of OPG and increasing level of RANKL. Here, were aimed to decipher whether glucocorticoid receptor directly influences RANKL promoter activity and its transcriptional regulation. We demonstrate that overexpression of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) NR3C1 increased RANKL promoter activity in human osteosarcoma, cervical cancer (2-fold) and adenocarcinoma cells (4.5-fold). Mutational analysis revealed that +352 site in the RANKL promoter is functional glucocorticoid responsive element (GRE) since the effect of GR on RANKL promoter activity was diminished by mutation at this site. Overexpression of NR3C1 upregulated RANKL mRNA expression 1.5-fold in human A549 and HOS cells. On the other hand silencing of NR3C1 caused slight decrease in RANKL mRNA level, suggesting that NR3C1 directly accounts for RANKL transcriptional regulation. Using electrophoretic mobility shift assay we demonstrate that NR3C1 binds to the proximal RANKL promoter region. Our study provides evidences that NR3C1 directly upregulates RANKL transcription in human cell lines and connects the missing link in the mechanism of RANK/RANKL/OPG imbalance of glucocorticoid induced osteoporosis.The incidence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is rapidly increasing. This study evaluates the referral pattern of patients with NAFLD. A cohort study evaluating all patients with NAFLD referred to a single Gastroenterology Department from January 2017 to June 2020. Electronic patient referral letters were reviewed, and patients with NAFLD were diagnosed using standardized tests as part of a prospective cohort study. Predictors of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) with significant (≥F2) fibrosis were evaluated in logistic regression analyses. In total, 323 (18.6%) of 1735 patients referred to the Gastro Unit during the study period were diagnosed with NAFLD. Patients were referred from general practitioners (62.5%) or other hospital departments (37.5%). Most referral letters included information suggesting a possible diagnosis of NAFLD (patient history, blood tests, or diagnostic imaging) or used the nonspecific general diagnosis suspected disease (Z.038). Out of 110 patients referred for a liver biopsy, 71 (22%) had NASH with significant fibrosis (F2 n = 39, F3 n = 19, F4 n = 13). Thirty-nine of these patients were referred from the primary sector. A logistic regression analysis (adjusted for age and gender) including all 323 patients showed that type 2 diabetes was the only significant independent predictor of NASH with fibrosis.The incidence of cancer is increasing worldwide, which is to a large extent related to the population's increasing lifespan. However, lifestyle changes in the Western world are causative as well. Exercise is intrinsically associated with what one could call a "healthy life", and physical activity is associated with a lower risk of various types of cancer. Mouse models of exercise have shown therapeutic efficacy across numerous cancer models, at least in part due to the secretion of adrenaline, which mobilizes cells of the immune system, i.e., cytotoxic T and natural killer (NK) cells, through signaling of the β-2 adrenergic receptor (β2AR). Clinical trials aiming to investigate the clinical value of exercise are ongoing. Strikingly, however, the use of β-blockers-antagonists of the very same signaling pathway-also shows signs of clinical potential in cancer therapy. Cancer cells also express β-adrenergic receptors (βARs) and signaling of the receptor is oncogenic. Moreover, there are data to suggest that β2AR signaling in T cells renders the cell functionally suppressed. In this paper, we discuss these seemingly opposing mechanisms of cancer therapy-exercise, which leads to increased β2AR signaling, and β-blocker treatment, which antagonizes that same signaling-and suggest potential mechanisms and possibilities for their combination.The aim of the research was to determine the influence of sociodemographic factors on older people's care dependency in their living environment according to the Care Dependency Scale (CDS). Methods The research was conducted in a group of 151 older people staying in their own homes. The methods applied in the research included a sociodemographic questionnaire and scales including the Abbreviated Mental Test Score (AMTS), CDS, Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living (ADL), Lawton's Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (I-ADL), Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Results Gender had a significant impact on the level of care dependency. The surveyed females obtained the medium or high level of dependency more often than males (22.4% vs. 6.1%), and the low level of dependency was significantly more frequent among men than women (p = 0.006). Moreover, the age of the respondents determined their level of care dependency. The subjects with a medium or high level of care dependency were significantly older (p = 0.001). The subjects with a low level of care dependency were more likely to be married than people with a medium/high level (p less then 0.001). The level of education had a significant impact on care dependency. A higher level of education correlated with a medium/high level of dependency (p = 0.003). Conclusions The survey results confirmed that sociodemographic factors have a significant impact on the level of care dependency. When planning care in the home environment, special attention should be paid to older women, who are more likely to lose their independence than men. These women should be given additional support.Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-positive mucocutaneous ulcer (EBVMCU) was first described as a lymphoproliferative disorder in 2010. EBVMCU is a unifocal mucosal or cutaneous ulcer that often occurs after local trauma in patients with immunosuppression; the patients generally have a good prognosis. It is histologically characterized by proliferating EBV-positive atypical B cells accompanied by ulcers. On the basis of conventional pathologic criteria, EBVMCU may be misdiagnosed as EBV-positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma or other lymphomas. However, its prognosis differs from that of EBV-associated lymphomas, in that patients with EBVMCU frequently show spontaneous regression or complete remission without chemotherapy. Therefore, EBVMCU is now recognized as a low-grade malignancy or a pseudo-malignant lesion. Avoiding unnecessary chemotherapy by distinguishing EBVMCU from other EBV-associated lymphomas will reduce the burden and unnecessary harm on patients. On the basis of these facts, EBVMCU was first described as a new clinicopathological entity by the World Health Organization in 2017. In this review, we discuss the clinicopathological characteristics of previously reported EBVMCU cases, while focusing on up-to-date clinical, pathological, and genetic aspects.(1) Background Cardiac amyloidosis or "stiff heart syndrome" is a rare condition that occurs when amyloid deposits occupy the heart muscle. Many patients suffer from it and fail to receive a timely diagnosis mainly because the disease is a rare form of restrictive cardiomyopathy that is difficult to diagnose, often associated with a poor prognosis. This research analyses the characteristics of this pathology and proposes a statistical learning algorithm that helps to detect the disease. (2) Methods The hospitalization clinical (medical and nursing ones) records used for this study are the basis of the learning and training techniques of the algorithm. The approach consisted of using the information generated by the patients in each admission and discharge episode and treating it as data vectors to facilitate their aggregation. The large volume of clinical histories implied a high dimensionality of the data, and the lack of diagnosis led to a severe class imbalance caused by the low prevalence of the disease. (3) Results Although there are few patients with amyloidosis in this study, the proposed approach demonstrates that it is possible to learn from clinical records despite the lack of data. In the validation phase, the algorithm first acted on data from the general study population. It then was applied to a sample of patients diagnosed with heart failure. The results revealed that the algorithm detects disease when data vectors profile each disease episode. (4) Conclusions The prediction levels showed that this technique could be useful in screening processes on a specific population to detect the disease.Acute graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) remains the second leading cause of death, after disease relapse, in patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). The medical records of 112 pediatric patients who underwent allo-HSCT from matched unrelated and haploidentical donors were analyzed. Patients were divided into two groups, according to the GvHD prophylactic regimen used. In the control group, GvHD prophylaxis consisted of cyclosporine A (CsA) and methotrexate (MTX) or CsA and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) at a standard daily dose of 30 mg/kg. All subjects in the study group received tacrolimus (FK506) and MMF. In this group, MMF was subjected to therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) through mycophenolic acid (MPA) area under the curve AUC0-12. We found a statistically significant difference in both overall acute GvHD (p less then 0.0001) and overall chronic GvHD (p less then 0.05) incidence between the study and the control group. The initial daily MMF dose and the age at transplant in the study group proved to be inversely correlated (r = -0.523, p less then 0.0001). The children under six years of age required a significantly higher daily MMF dose (p less then 0.008). This study showed that pharmacological monitoring of MPA AUC0-12 concentration allowed a reduction in the incidence of acute and chronic GvHD. MMF showed age-dependent pharmacokinetics due to greater drug clearance in younger children.Wild fish assemblages that aggregate within commercial marine aquaculture sites for feeding and shelter have been considered as a primary source of pathogenic parasites vectored to farmed fish maintained in net pens at an elevated density. In order to evaluate whether Ceratothoa oestroides (Isopoda, Cymothoidae), a generalist and pestilent isopod that is frequently found in Adriatic and Greek stocks of farmed European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), transfers between wild and farmed fish, a RAD-Seq (restriction-site-associated DNA sequencing)-mediated genetic screening approach was employed. The double-digest RAD-Seq of 310 C. oestroides specimens collected from farmed European sea bass (138) and different wild farm-aggregating fish (172) identified 313 robust SNPs that evidenced a close genetic relatedness between the "wild" and "farmed" genotypes. ddRAD-Seq proved to be an effective method for detecting the discrete genetic structuring of C. oestroides and genotype intermixing between two populations. The parasite prevalence in the farmed sea bass was 1.02%, with a mean intensity of 2.0 and mean abundance of 0.02, while in the wild fish, the prevalence was 8.1%; the mean intensity, 1.81; and the mean abundance, 0.15. Such differences are likely a consequence of human interventions during the farmed fish's rearing cycle that, nevertheless, did not affect the transfer of C. oestroides.The technologies of ocular imaging modalities such as optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography (OCTA) have progressed remarkably. Of these in vivo imaging modalities, recently advanced OCT technology provides high-resolution images, e.g., histologic imaging, enabling anatomical analysis of each retinal layer, including the photoreceptor layers. Recently developed OCTA also visualizes the vascular networks three-dimensionally, which provides better understanding of the retinal deep capillary layer. In addition, ex vivo analysis using autologous aqueous or vitreous humor shows that inflammatory cytokine levels including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are elevated and correlated with the severity of macular edema (ME) in eyes with retinal vein occlusion (RVO). Furthermore, a combination of multiple modalities enables deeper understanding of the pathology. Regarding therapy, intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF drugs provides rapid resolution of ME and much better visual improvements than conventional treatments in eyes with RVO. Thus, the technologies of examination and treatment for managing eyes with RVO have progressed rapidly. In this paper, we review the multimodal imaging and therapeutic strategies for eyes with RVO with the hope that it provides better understanding of the pathology and leads to the development of new therapies.The paper aims to analyze the performance of the damage identification algorithms using the directional wavelet transforms, which reveal higher sensitivity for various orientations of spatial damage together with lower susceptibility to noise. In this study, the algorithms based on the dual-tree, the double-density, and the dual-tree double-density wavelet transforms were considered and compared to the algorithm based on the discrete wavelet transform. The performed analyses are based on shearographic experimental tests of a composite plate with artificially introduced damage at various orientations. It was shown that the directional wavelet transforms are characterized by better performance in damage identification problems than the basic discrete wavelet transform. Moreover, the proposed approach based on entropic weights applicable to the resulting sets of the detail coefficients after decomposition of mode shapes can be effectively used for automatic selection and emphasizing those sets of the detail coefficients, which contain relevant diagnostic information about damage. The proposed processing method allows raw experimental results from shearography to be significantly enhanced. The developed algorithms can be successfully implemented in a shearographic testing for enhancement of a sensitivity to damage during routine inspections in various industrial sectors.Cancer is one of the leading causes of death globally, accounting for an estimated 8 million deaths each year. As a result, there have been urgent unmet medical needs to discover novel oncology drugs. Natural and synthetic lactones have a broad spectrum of biological uses including anti-tumor, anti-helminthic, anti-microbial, and anti-inflammatory activities. Particularly, several natural and synthetic lactones have emerged as anti-cancer agents over the past decades. In this review, we address natural and synthetic lactones focusing on their anti-tumor activities and synthetic routes. Moreover, we aim to highlight our journey towards chemical modification and biological evaluation of a resorcylic acid lactone, L-783277 (4). We anticipate that utilization of the natural and synthetic lactones as novel scaffolds would benefit the process of oncology drug discovery campaigns based on natural products.One of the major hallmarks of cancer is the derailment of a cell's metabolism. The multifaceted nature of cancer and different cancer types is transduced by both its transcriptomic and metabolomic landscapes. In this study, we re-purposed the publicly available transcriptomic and metabolomics data of eight cancer types (breast, lung, gastric, renal, liver, colorectal, prostate, and multiple myeloma) to find and investigate differences and commonalities on a pathway level among different cancer types. Topological analysis of inferred graphical Gaussian association networks showed that cancer was strongly defined in genetic networks, but not in metabolic networks. Using different statistical approaches to find significant differences between cancer and control cases, we highlighted the difficulties of high-level data-merging and in using statistical association networks. Cancer transcriptomics and metabolomics and landscapes were characterized by changed macro-molecule production, however, only major metabolic deregulations with highly impacted pathways were found in liver cancer. Cell cycle was enriched in breast, liver, and colorectal cancer, while breast and lung cancer were distinguished by highly enriched oncogene signaling pathways. A strong inflammatory response was observed in lung cancer and, to some extent, renal cancer. This study highlights the necessity of combining different omics levels to obtain a better description of cancer characteristics.The inadequate maternal recognition of embryonic interferon τ (IFNτ) might explain subfertility in cattle. This study aimed at modeling the inducibility of type 1 interferon receptor subunits 1/2 (IFNAR1/2), mimicking competition between IFNτ and infection-associated interferon α (IFNα), and simulating type 1 interferon pathways in vitro. Endometrial explants (n = 728 from n = 26 healthy uteri) were collected at the abattoir, challenged with IFNτ and/or IFNα in different concentrations, and incubated for 24 h. Gene expression analysis confirmed the inducibility of IFNAR1/2 within this model, it being most prominent in IFNAR2 with 10 ng/mL IFNα (p = 0.001). The upregulation of interferon-induced GTP-binding protein (MX1, classical pathway) was higher in explants treated with 300 ng/mL compared to 10 ng/mL IFNτ (p less then 0.0001), whereas the non‑classical candidate fatty acid binding protein 3 (FABP3) exhibited significant downregulation comparing 300 ng/mL to 10 ng/mL IFNτ. The comparison of explants challenged with IFNτ + IFNα indicated the competition of IFNτ and IFNα downstream of the regulatory factors. In conclusion, using this well-defined explant model, interactions between infection-associated signals and IFNτ were indicated. This model can be applied to verify these findings and to mimic and explore the embryo-maternal contact zone in more detail.Studies have shown that the qualitative process assessment of cancer couple-based psychosocial interventions is often ignored. This article aims to evaluate the implementation process of an integrated psychosocial program developed for colorectal cancer couples. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with eight colorectal cancer couple participants and two intervention facilitators. Normalization Process Theory was used to guide the data collection and analysis. Data analysis was conducted using a directed content analysis approach within a framework approach. Participants had a good understanding of the program significance. For most participants, the intervention duration was appropriate, and was well integrated into daily life. A lack of understanding of psychological nursing, and a lack of confidence in the use of online platforms and other personal factors, inhibited participants' experience of participating in the intervention. The facilitator's challenge in the implementation process was being flexible in dealing with situations occurring outside of the framework plan. Face-to-face and online psychological interventions require more flexibility, and participant cognition of psychosocial care was the key to the successful implementation of the intervention. Future research should consider raising participants' awareness of psychological care to better integrate this type of intervention into participants' daily lives and routine care.The practical implication of nanofluids is essentially dependent on their accurate modelling, particularly in comparison with the high cost of experimental investigations, yet the accuracy of different computational approaches to simulate nanofluids remains controversial to this day. Therefore, the present study is aimed at analysing the homogenous, multiphase Eulerian-Eulerian (volume of fluid, mixture, Eulerian) and Lagrangian-Eulerian approximation of nanofluids containing nonspherical nanoparticles. The heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics of the multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT)-based and multiwalled carbon nanotubes/graphene nanoplatelets (MWCNT/GNP)-based nanofluids are computed by incorporating the influence of several physical mechanisms, including interfacial nanolayering. The accuracy of tested computational approaches is evaluated by considering particle concentration and Reynolds number ranges of 0.075-0.25 wt% and 200-470, respectively. The results demonstrate that for all nanofluid combinations and operational conditions, the Lagrangian-Eulerian approximation provides the most accurate convective heat transfer coefficient values with a maximum deviation of 5.34% for 0.25 wt% of MWCNT-water nanofluid at the largest Reynolds number, while single-phase and Eulerian-Eulerian multiphase models accurately estimate the thermal fields of the diluted nanofluids at low Reynolds numbers, but overestimate the results for denser nanofluids at high Reynolds numbers.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is increasing in young people. Reporting on the processes used when developing prevention interventions is needed. We present the development of a family-based interactive lifestyle intervention for adolescents with risk factors for T2D in the future.

A multidisciplinary team in the UK site led the intervention development process with sites in Portugal, Greece, Germany and Spain. Potential programme topics and underpinning theory were gathered from literature and stakeholders. A theoretical framework based on self-efficacy theory and the COM-B (capability, opportunity, motivation, behaviour) model was developed. Sessions and supporting resources were developed and refined via two iterative cycles of session and resource piloting, feedback, reflection and refinement. Decision on delivery and content were made by stakeholders (young people, teachers, parents, paediatricians) and all sites. Materials were translated to local languages. Site-specific adaptations to the language, content and supporting resources were made.

The "PRE-STARt" programme is eight 90-min interactive sessions with supporting curriculum and resources. Iterative development work provided valuable feedback on programme content and delivery.

Reporting on the intervention development process, which includes stakeholder input, could yield a flexible approach for use in this emerging 'at risk' groups and their families.

Reporting on the intervention development process, which includes stakeholder input, could yield a flexible approach for use in this emerging 'at risk' groups and their families.Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of mortality in children. There are few studies focused on school-aged children with TBI. We conducted this study to identify the early predictors of in-hospital mortality in school-aged children with severe TBI. In this 10 year observational cohort study, a total of 550 children aged 7-18 years with TBI were enrolled. Compared with mild/moderate TBI, children with severe TBI were older; more commonly had injury mechanisms of traffic accidents; and more neuroimage findings of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), subdural hemorrhage (SDH), parenchymal hemorrhage, cerebral edema, and less epidural hemorrhage (EDH). The in-hospital mortality rate of children with severe TBI in our study was 23%. Multivariate analysis showed that falls, being struck by objects, motor component of Glasgow coma scale (mGCS), early coagulopathy, and SAH were independent predictors of in-hospital mortality. We concluded that school-aged children with severe TBI had a high mortality rate. Clinical characteristics including injury mechanisms of falls and being struck, a lower initial mGCS, early coagulopathy, and SAH are predictive of in-hospital mortality.The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of radiomics signatures derived from 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron-emission tomography (PET) in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). From April 2008 to Jan 2014, we identified CRC patients who underwent 18F-FDG-PET before starting any neoadjuvant treatments and surgery. Radiomics features were extracted from the primary lesions identified on 18F-FDG-PET. Patients were divided into a training and validation set by random sampling. A least absolute shrinkage and selection operator Cox regression model was applied for prognostic signature building with progression-free survival (PFS) using the training set. Using the calculated radiomics score, a nomogram was developed, and its clinical utility was assessed in the validation set. A total of 381 patients with surgically resected CRC patients (training set 228 vs. validation set 153) were included. In the training set, a radiomics signature labeled as a rad_score was generated using two PET-derived features, such as gray-level run length matrix long-run emphasis (GLRLM_LRE) and gray-level zone length matrix short-zone low-gray-level emphasis (GLZLM_SZLGE). Patients with a high rad_score in the training and validation set had a shorter PFS. Multivariable analysis revealed that the rad_score was an independent prognostic factor in both training and validation sets. A radiomics nomogram, developed using rad_score, nodal stage, and lymphovascular invasion, showed good performance in the calibration curve and comparable predictive power with the staging system in the validation set. Textural features derived from 18F-FDG-PET images may enable detailed stratification of prognosis in patients with CRC. Onchocerciasis is a skin and eye disease that exerts a heavy socio-economic burden, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, a region which harbours greater than 96% of either infected or at-risk populations. The elimination plan for the disease is currently challenged by many factors including amongst others; the potential emergence of resistance to the main chemotherapeutic agent, ivermectin (IVM). Novel tools, including preventative and therapeutic vaccines, could provide additional impetus to the disease elimination tool portfolio. Several observations in both humans and animals have provided evidence for the development of both natural and artificial acquired immunity. In this study, immuno-informatics tools were applied to design a filarial-conserved multi-epitope subunit vaccine candidate, (designated Ov-DKR-2) consisting of B-and T-lymphocyte epitopes of eight immunogenic antigens previously assessed in pre-clinical studies. The high-percentage conservation of the selected proteins and epitopes predicted in related nematode parasitic species hints that the generated chimera may be instrumental for cross-protection. Bioinformatics analyses were employed for the prediction, refinement, and validation of the 3D structure of the Ov-DKR-2 chimera. In-silico immune simulation projected significantly high levels of IgG1, T-helper, T-cytotoxic cells, INF-γ, and IL-2 responses. Preliminary immunological analyses revealed that the multi-epitope vaccine candidate reacted with antibodies in sera from both onchocerciasis-infected individuals, endemic normals as well as loiasis-infected persons but not with the control sera from European individuals. These results support the premise for further characterisation of the engineered protein as a vaccine candidate for onchocerciasis.This work aimed to evaluate the effect of adding two different commercial antioxidants (AOX) products to pre-starter and starter diets using low vitamin E (Vit E as DL-α-tocopheryl acetate) levels on the growth performance and oxidative stress of piglets for the first six weeks post-weaning (PW). They were sorted by initial body weight (BW 6.175 ± 0.931 kg) and randomly allotted to four dietary treatments (with six replicates per treatment) a positive control (PC) and a negative control (NC) diet, with normal and low dose of vitamin E (80 and 15 mg kg-1, respectively), both without AOX; the other two experimental diets with a low dose of vitamin E (LVE) plus LOXIDAN VD100 (LVE + AOX1) or LOXIDAN E Ros (LVE + AOX2). Growth data were recorded, and blood samples were taken, at the beginning (day 0) and at the end of each feeding period pre-starter and starter (at days 14 and 42, respectively). No differences among dietary treatments were found with respect to growth performance in the pre-starter period (p ≥ 0.0respect to growth performance in the starter phase. The use of AOXs or usual levels of Vit E in feed constitutes a key factor in achieving optimal growth performance of piglets in the PW period.Heavy metal ions and pesticides are extremely dangerous for human health and environment and an accurate detection is an essential step to monitor their levels in water. The standard and most used methods for detecting these pollutants are sophisticated and expensive analytical techniques. However, recent technological advancements have allowed the development of alternative techniques based on optical properties of noble metal nanomaterials, which provide many advantages such as ultrasensitive detection, fast turnover, simple protocols, in situ sampling, on-site capability and reduced cost. This paper provides a review of the most common photo-physical effects impact on the fluorescence of metal nanomaterials and how these processes can be exploited for the detection of pollutant species. The final aim is to provide readers with an updated guide on fluorescent metallic nano-systems used as optical sensors of heavy metal ions and pesticides in water.The prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors has increased in Slovakian adolescents as a result of serious lifestyle changes. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the prevalence of insulin resistance (IR) and the associations with cardiometabolic and selected lifestyle risk factors in a sample of Slovak adolescents. In total, 2629 adolescents (45.8% males) aged between 14 and 18 years were examined in the study. Anthropometric parameters, blood pressure (BP), and resting heart rate were measured; fasting venous blood samples were analyzed; and homeostasis model assessment (HOMA)-insulin resistance (IR) was calculated. For statistical data processing, the methods of descriptive and analytical statistics for normal and skewed distribution of variables were used. The mean HOMA-IR was 2.45 ± 1.91, without a significant sex differences. IR (cut-off point for HOMA-IR = 3.16) was detected in 18.6% of adolescents (19.8% males, 17.6% females). IR was strongly associated with overweight/obesity (especially central) and with almost all monitored cardiometabolic factors, except for total cholesterol (TC) and systolic BP in females. The multivariate model selected variables such as low level of physical fitness, insufficient physical activity, breakfast skipping, a small number of daily meals, frequent consumption of sweetened beverages, and low educational level of fathers as significant risk factors of IR in adolescents. Recognizing the main lifestyle risk factors and early IR identification is important in terms of the performance of preventive strategies. Weight reduction, regular physical activity, and healthy eating habits can improve insulin sensitivity and decrease the incidence of metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (CVD).Pharmacodynamic interactions between plant isolated compounds are important to understand the mode of action of an herbal extract to formulate or create better standardized extracts, phytomedicines, or phytopharmaceuticals. In this work, we propose binary mixtures using a leader compound to found pharmacodynamic interactions in inhibition of the NF-κB/AP-1 pathway using RAW-Blue™ cells. Eight compounds were isolated from Castilleja tenuiflora, four were new furofuran-type lignans for the species magnolin, eudesmin, sesamin, and kobusin. Magnolin (60.97%) was the most effective lignan inhibiting the NF-κB/AP-1 pathway, followed by eudesmin (56.82%), tenuifloroside (52.91%), sesamin (52.63%), and kobusin (45.45%). Verbascoside, a major compound contained in wild C. tenuiflora showed an inhibitory effect on NF-κB/AP-1. This polyphenol was chosen as a leader compound for binary mixtures. Verbacoside-aucubin and verbascoside-kobusin produced synergism, while verbascoside-tenuifloroside had subadditivity in all concentrations.