Notes

The Bifunctional NAD+ regarding Profiling Poly-ADP-Ribosylation-Dependent Communicating Meats.
007). In summary, our cross-sectional results verify that higher cobalt levels are associated with a higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease.The layout of urban spatial functions may play an important role in sustainable regional development. Given the rapid development of urbanization in China, this study attempts to analyze how functional specialization affects coordinated regional development. To quantitatively measure the degree of coordinated development within different regions, the coordinated degree index is used to calculate the degree of coordinated development of four Chinese metropolitan areas from 2008 to 2019. The panel vector autoregressive (PVAR) model is employed to empirically test the impact of urban functional specialization on coordinated regional development. The results indicate that high market activity is conducive to the formation of functional specialization synergy in space, and the level of social productivity directly affects the functional specialization and the level of synergy within a region. With the continuous strengthening of the implementation of local government policies, the functional specialization and synergy in metropolitan areas have gradually strengthened. However, the promotion effects and the expression of functional specialization, the coordinated development of government actions, and spatial functions differ across metropolitan areas in China.Denitrification and NH3 volatilization are the main removal processes of nitrogen in coastal saline soils. In this incubation study, the effects of wheat straw biochar application at rates of 0, 2, 5, 10 and 15% by weight to saline soil with two salt gradients of 0 and 1‰ on denitrification and NH3 volatilization were investigated. The results showed that the denitrification rates with 2, 5 and 10% biochar amendments decreased by 25.26, 33.07 and 17.50%, respectively, under salt-free conditions, and the denitrification rates with 2 and 5% biochar amendments under 1‰ salt conditions decreased by 17.74 and 17.39%, respectively. However, the NH3 volatilization rates increased by 8.05-61.73% after biochar application. The path analysis revealed the interactions of overlying water-sediment system environmental factors in biochar-amended saline soils and their roles in denitrification and NH3 volatilization. Environmental factors in sediment exerted much greater control over denitrification than those in overlying water. In addition, environmental factors exhibited an indirect negative influence on denitrification by negatively influencing the abundance of the nosZ gene. The comprehensive effects of the environmental factors in overlying water on NH3 volatilization were greater than those in sediment. The NH4+-N content, pH of overlying water and sediment salinity were the main controlling factors for NH3 volatilization in saline soils. Biochar application effectively regulated the denitrification rate by changing the environmental factors and denitrifying functional gene abundance, but its application posed a risk of increased NH3 volatilization mainly by increasing NH4+-N, EC and pH in overlying water.Global warming is one of the most serious environmental problems that the world faces today. Millions of human lives are at risk, hence the subject has gained enormous attention within academia and the research arena. Literature shows that the primary cause of global climate change or global warming is carbon (CO2) emissions. In the literature, a number of studies have investigated the factors affecting the overall level of carbon emission. However, in recent years, consumption-based carbon emissions have occupied the center stage in research related to international trade and environmental concerns. The recently emerged idea of carbon emissions based on consumption differs from conventional accounting (i.e., carbon emissions based on production) in that it highlights the importance of international trade in national carbon emissions. Unlike the previous studies that examined the symmetric effect of international trade on consumption-based carbon emission, the present study examines the asymmetric effect of international trade on consumption-based carbon emissions of emerging economies. To get empirical estimates, the study applies a Nonlinear Panel Autoregressive Distributive Lag (NPARDL) approach. The estimates show that both in the short and long run, a positive shock in exports significantly reduces consumption-based carbon emissions in developing economies. Whereas, a negative shock in exports has an insignificant impact on carbon emissions. For imports, the results show that, over time, positive shocks in imports significantly increase consumption-based carbon emissions, while the impact of negative shocks is insignificant. Finally, it is recommended for the policymakers to target the export industries for relevant policy interventions, which are less polluting but crucial for economic growth.Pathogenic bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in urban landscape waters may pose a potential threat to human health. However, the investigation of their occurrence in the urban landscape waters replenished by reclaimed water (RW) and surface water (SW) is still insufficient. The water samples collected from six urban landscape waters replenished by RW or SW were used to analyze bacterial diversity using high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene and to detect 18 ARGs and 2 integron-integrase genes by means of quantitative PCR array. Results indicated that Proteobacteria was the dominant phylum in all six urban landscape waters. The bacterial species richness was lower in urban landscape waters replenished by RW than that by SW. Sulfonamide resistance genes (sulI and sulIII) were the major ARGs in these urban landscape waters. No significant difference in the relative abundance of sulfonamide resistance genes, tetracycline resistance genes, and most of beta-lactam resistance genes was observed between RW-replenished and SW-replenished urban landscape waters. By contrast, the relative abundance of blaampC gene and qnrA gene in RW-replenished urban landscape waters was significantly higher than that in SW-replenished urban landscape waters (p less then 0.05), which suggested that use of RW may increase the amount of specific ARGs to urban landscape waters. Interestingly, among six urban landscape waters, RW-replenished urban landscape waters had a relatively rich variety of ARGs (12-15 of 18 ARGs) but a low relative abundance of ARGs (458.90-1944.67 copies/16S × 106). The RW replenishment was found to have a certain impact on the bacterial diversity and prevalence of ARGs in urban landscape waters, which provide new insight into the effect of RW replenishment on urban landscape waters.Arsenic, an omnipresent environmental contaminant, is regarded as a potent hepatotoxin. Nigella sativa oil (NSO) consumption has been shown to improve hepatic functions in various in vivo models of acute hepatic injury. The present study evaluates the protective efficacy of NSO against sodium arsenate (As)-induced deleterious alterations in the liver. Male Wistar rats were divided into four groups, namely, control, As, NSO, and AsNSO. After pre-treating rats in AsNSO and NSO groups with NSO (2 mL/kg bwt, orally) for 14 days, NSO treatment was further extended for 30 days, with and without As treatment (5 mg/kg bwt, orally), respectively. As induced an upsurge in serum ALT and AST activities indicating liver injury, as also confirmed by the histopathological findings. As caused significant alterations in the activities of membrane marker enzymes and carbohydrate metabolic enzymes, and in the vital components of antioxidant defense system. Marked DNA damage and hepatic arsenic accumulation were also observed in As-treated rats. Oral NSO administration ameliorated these deleterious alterations and improved overall hepatic antioxidant and metabolic status in As-treated rats. Prevention of oxidative damage could be the underlying mechanism of NSO-mediated protective effects. The results suggest that NSO could be a useful dietary supplement in the management of arsenic hepatotoxicity.In order to improve the utilization rate of expensive and very limited urban land, a new structure system, underground metro depot, has been developed and applied in several cities in China. The underground metro depot, which is built underground, can be multiple stories, and allows other developments on top, has become increasingly popular in recent years. Since there are other developments on top, the vibration induced by the trains frequently entering and exiting the depot cannot be ignored. To better understand the characteristics of the train-induced vibration in the underground metro depot, a series of field tests were conducted on a two-story underground depot which is the largest underground metro depot in Asia. The results show that the main frequency components of vibration source are between 50 and 200 Hz and the level of that in the first floor underground is larger than that in the second floor underground due to the train floor structure interaction when the train running on the first floor undein 30 m from the track to avoid potential later vibration problem.In vulnerable subjects, the increase in air pollution worsens the signs of myocardial ischemia. Lockdown during COVID-19 pandemics substantially cleaned the air. The objective of this is to assess the effects of air cleaning due to lockdown on stress echocardiography (SE) results. We enrolled 19 patients with chronic coronary artery disease and/or heart failure referred to SE (semi-supine bicycle exercise, n = 8, or dipyridamole, n = 11). Before and soon after lockdown, we assessed regional wall motion abnormalities (abnormal value worsening of ≥ 2 segments), B-lines (a sign of pulmonary congestion, 4-site simplified scan, abnormal value ≥ 2), and coronary flow velocity reserve in left anterior descending artery (CFVR, abnormal value less then 2.0). Local air quality indicators (same day of SE) of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) were obtained from publicly available data sets of the regional authority of environmental protection. After lockdown, NO2 concentration decreased from 19 ± 10 to 10 ± 4 μg/m3 (p = 0.006). After lockdown, abnormal responses remained unchanged for ischemia (21% vs 16%, p = ns) and decreased for B-lines (42% vs 5%, p = 0.008) and CFVR (84 vs 42%, p = 0.007). Changes in coronary flow velocity reserve (CFVR) were correlated to same-day variations in NO2 (r = -0.578, p = 0.010) and preceding 30-day changes in PM2.5 (r = -0.518, p = 0.023). After lockdown, air cleaning was associated with a beneficial effect on coronary small vessel dysfunction and alveolar-capillary barrier distress mirrored by improvement of CFVR and B-lines during SE in vulnerable patients. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT 030.49995.Over the last decades, the demographic changes have all altered the population structure and influenced the social, economic, and political characteristics of countries over the world. Therefore, the creation of novel ecosystems, new clusters and systems which involved technology and industry, business, education, science, and innovation are increased rapidly. However, in order to solve the future global challenges, the created various types of clusters, public and private sector systems should cooperate and work together as a unit. Therefore, one of the proposed solutions is unified regional ecosystems' building. The Interreg European Life Science Ecosystems (ELISE) project addresses the societal challenge which is common to the European regions to promote better health for all. This covers the need to improve health and well-being outcomes, to promote market growth, job creation, and EU competitiveness. Based on the project, three different regions of the European countries-Poland, Italy, and Germany-are selected in order to perform the analysis of drivers directly influencing the move from the existing clusters to unified regional ecosystem. The performed analysis showed that the government of a country and regional public authorities have the direct influence and play the central role in shaping unified regional ecosystems. The common economic, social, and political situation in a country is dependent on the government and it is influenced by the regional public authorities. Therefore, the collaboration and conversation among such institutions is the important factor defining how quickly different countries will create unified ecosystems and will solve the future problems.Life cycle assessment (LCA) is widely used to quantify the environmental performance of buildings. Recently, the potential temporal variations in the lifetime of buildings and their influences on assessment results have attracted considerable attention. Dynamic LCA (DLCA) is an emerging research topic. This study provides an overview of the current scenario of DLCA studies in the building field. A literature survey was conducted by searching through scientific literature databases; 48 articles met the inclusion criteria. Eleven dynamic variables as well as their addressing approaches were summarized and analyzed. A few typical dynamic assessment models were synthesized and compared to present the methodology progress. Finally, considering the existing limitations, a few research directions were recommended setting cutoff criteria for dynamic variables, developing a dynamic database, and considering the interactions between dynamic variables. The analyses in this study indicate that research on the DLCA of buildings needs interdisciplinary cooperation. This review promotes in-depth understanding about DLCA research of buildings and offers valuable implications for environmental practice. The highlighted future research directions facilitate further explorations in this research area.Impact assessment of building materials is a focused topic in the field of radioecology. A radiological survey has conducted to monitor radioactivity of most common building materials in Semnan Province, Iran, and assess the radiation risk. Activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K were measured in 29 samples including nine commonly used building materials that were collected from local suppliers and manufacturers, using a high purity germanium gamma-ray detector. The activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K varied from 6.7±1 to 43.6±9, 5.9±1 to 60±11, and 28.5±3 to 1085±113 Bq kg-1 with averages of 26.8±5, 22.7±4, and 322.4±4 Bq kg-1, respectively. By applying multivariate statistical approach (Pearson correlation, cluster, and principal component analyses (PCA)), the radiological health hazard parameters were analyzed to obtain similarities and correlations between the various samples. The Pearson correlation showed that the 226Ra distribution in the samples is controlled by changing the 232Th concentration. The variance of 95.58% obtained from PCA resulted that the main radiological health hazard parameters exist due to the concentration of 226Ra and 232Th. The resulting dendrogram of cluster analysis also shows a well coincidence with the correlation analysis.In aquacultures, heavy metals could be accumulated in fish tissues from natural and human-related sources depending on different factors. This study aims to estimate the level of bioaccumulation of heavy metals in cultured Gilt-head sea bream Sparusaurata. In this regard, heavy metals concentrations were measured in both water and fish musculature that were collected from a private fish farm in Kafr ElSheikh, Egypt. Regarding the water samples, heavy metals were within the permissible limits with exception of Cd, Cu, and Zn. In fish musculature, all heavy metals were within the WHO/FAO permissible limits. The bioaccumulation factor (BAF) indicated that mostly all heavy metals accumulation in the Gilt-head sea bream musculature decreased with time which may be correlated with the increase in water pH, calcium, and other cations concentrations. The hazard index (HI) calculations indicate no adverse health effects of heavy metals on humans through daily fish consumption so far. However, health risks are not negligible making the regular monitoring of metal contaminants in the studied area a necessity.Disposable plastic bags of two different chemical compositions and colors were remediated by the application of novel mesophilic group of bacteria isolated from the banks of sea water, using a 10 week soil burial method. The new strain, LNDR-1, was identified as Alcaligens faecalis by its morphological features and 16S rRNA sequencing. LNDR-1 was able to produce extracellular enzymes such as lipase, CMCase, xylanase, and protease, having PET surface degrading activity. It was found that LNDR-1 had a better decay rate of 15.25 ± 1% and 21.72 ± 2.1% for black and white plastic bags respectively in 10 weeks without prior oxidation as compared to S. marcescens. Polyethylene degradation was confirmed by substantial weight loss, alterations in surface topology, and hydrophobicity index and was found to be directly proportional to the ability to form biofilm on the plastic surface. FTIR results suggest presence of different metabolites in the bags treated with bacterial biofilm in comparison to the control setup inferring various types of metabolic pathways. Present study also reveals the ability of the strain to utilize the used polyethylene bag as the carbon source, without any prior treatment, and as per the literature survey, the working strain is with the capacity to biodegrade plastic at a considerably appreciable rate. This study suggests effectual method for the mechanism of biodegradation of plastic mediated by extracellular enzymes and formation of biofilm.Homocysteine is a sulfur amino acid that does not occur in the diet, but it is an essential intermediate in normal mammalian metabolism of methionine. Hyperhomocysteinemia results from dietary intakes of Met, folate, and vitamin B12 and lifestyle or from the deficiency of specific enzymes, leading to tissue accumulation of this amino acid and/or its metabolites. Severe hyperhomocysteinemic patients can present neurological symptoms and structural brain abnormalities, of which the pathogenesis is poorly understood. Moreover, a possible link between homocysteine (mild hyperhomocysteinemia) and neurodegenerative/neuropsychiatric disorders has been suggested. In recent years, increasing evidence has emerged suggesting that astrocyte dysfunction is involved in the neurotoxicity of homocysteine and possibly associated with the physiopathology of hyperhomocysteinemia. This review addresses some of the findings obtained from in vivo and in vitro experimental models, indicating high homocysteine levels as an important neurotoxin determinant of the neuropathophysiology of brain damage. Recent data show that this amino acid impairs glutamate uptake, redox/mitochondrial homeostasis, inflammatory response, and cell signaling pathways. Therefore, the discussion of this review focuses on homocysteine-induced gliotoxicity, and its impacts in the brain functions. Through understanding the Hcy-induced gliotoxicity, novel preventive/therapeutic strategies might emerge for these diseases.Birth prevalence of congenital anomalies (CA) in Argentina is estimated around 1.7%. CA are the second leading cause of infant mortality. Poverty and other adverse socioeconomic conditions have been associated with birth defects. To describe the prevalence at birth of CA, according to the two proxy variables of socioeconomic level the health subsector of the hospital where the cases were born (PUB-public versus PRI-private or social security) and its geographical location. The design of the study was ecological using the data of the National Network of Congenital Anomalies of Argentina (RENAC); from October 2010 to December 2018. CA birth prevalence was estimated using the Poisson regression. We used a logistic regression model to analyze the association birth prevalence to health subsector and geographical region. A total of 2,202,994 births were examined in the study period, with a global CA prevalence of 1.69% (95% CI 1.68-1.71). The highest prevalence was observed in PUB hospitals when comparing to PRI hospitals at the country level and in all regions. There were differences in the prevalence of selected congenital anomalies with a statistically significant association to PUB (observed in anencephaly, encephalocele, hydrocephalus, microcephaly, holoprosencephaly, microtia/anotia, cleft lip and palate, postaxial polydactyly, talipes equinovarus, talipes calcaneovalgus, and gastroschisis). The prevalence of critical heart defects and chromosomal anomalies was significantly higher in PRI hospitals. Although this is an ecological study with no information on socioeconomic status at individual level, we found an association between CA frequency and selected CA with the PUB subsector. Vulnerable populations affected with CA require a greater effort from policy makers and health care providers to allocate more resources and design strategies to access to health.It is challenging to elucidate the effects of changes in external influences (such as economic or policy) on the rate of US drug approvals. Here, a novel approach-termed the Chronological Hurst Exponent (CHE)-is proposed, which hypothesizes that changes in the long-range memory latent within the dynamics of time series data may be temporally associated with changes in such influences. Using the monthly number FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) approvals from 1939 to 2019 as the data source, it is demonstrated that the CHE has a distinct S-shaped structure demarcated by an 8-year (1939-1947) Stagnation Period, a 27-year (1947-1974) Emergent Period, and a 45-year (1974-2019) Saturation Period. Further, dominant periodicities (resolved via wavelet analyses) are identified during the most recent 45-year CHE Saturation Period at 17, 8 and 4 years; thus, US drug approvals have been following a Juglar/Kuznet mid-term cycle with Kitchin-like bursts. As discussed, this work suggests that (1) changes in extrinsic factors (e.g., of economic and/or policy origin) during the Emergent Period may have led to persistent growth in US drug approvals enjoyed since 1974, (2) the CHE may be a valued method to explore influences on time series data, and (3) innovation-related economic cycles exist (as viewed via the proxy metric of US drug approvals).
Drug survival analysis of biologic agents in psoriasis is of extreme importance, as it allows not only the evaluation of objective clinical outcomes (such as effectiveness and safety) but also of factors that are associated with patients' adherence to treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the drug survival of the most recent biologic agents approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis-ustekinumab, secukinumab, ixekizumab, brodalumab, guselkumab, and risankizumab-and to identify clinical predictors that can influence the drug survival of these drugs.

This retrospective multicentric cohort study from 16 dermatology centers in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Canada, and the United States included patients that started IL-12/23, IL-17 (IL-17A and IL-17R) and IL-23 inhibitors for the treatment of psoriasis between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2019. Survival analysis was performed using a Kaplan-Meier estimator, to obtain descriptive survival curves,years of follow-up, the cumulative probability of drug survival for all drugs was >79% at 18 months. Prescribed biologic, female sex, higher BMI, and previous exposure to biologic agents were predictors of drug discontinuation. Drug survival of guselkumab and risankizumab was higher than that of ustekinumab, and secukinumab was lower.
79% at 18 months. Prescribed biologic, female sex, higher BMI, and previous exposure to biologic agents were predictors of drug discontinuation. Drug survival of guselkumab and risankizumab was higher than that of ustekinumab, and secukinumab was lower.Reading difficulties have been associated with problems in psychological functioning, including challenges in both anxiety and self-efficacy. This study was designed to determine whether such psychological functioning problems are specific to the academic sphere or more global. First-year undergraduate students with and without a history of reading difficulties (n = 40 and 46, respectively) completed standardized questionnaires on general and academic anxiety, and social and academic self-efficacy. Students with a history of reading difficulties reported higher academic anxiety, but comparable general anxiety, relative to those with no such history. Students with a history of reading difficulties also reported lower academic self-efficacy, but comparable social self-efficacy, relative to those with no such history. These findings suggest that students with a history of reading difficulties, as compared to those without such history, experience academic-specific mental health symptoms involving heightened anxiety and low self-efficacy as they enter university. These results point to the need for focused and targeted assessments to be able to capture difficulties they experience with anxiety and self-efficacy and interventions to help them cope with these difficulties. More broadly, the findings have implications for how universities assess academic vulnerabilities and provide access to specific course accommodations.Multiple-object tracking (MOT) involves keeping track of the positions of multiple independent target items as they move among distractors. According to Pylyshyn (Cognition, 80, 127-158, 2001), the item individuation mechanism used in MOT is also used in visually guided touch. To test this, we compared single-task MOT (MOT alone) with dual-task MOT (MOT while touching items that changed colour), looking for interference cases where single-task performance was worse than dual-task. Touching items that changed colour interfered with MOT, but effects varied depending on whether the item touched was a target or distractor in MOT. Touching distractors always reduced MOT performance more than touching targets. Touching targets during MOT did not interfere when there was only a single target to track but interfered more once there were two or more targets. We also measured interference based on latencies to touch items that changed colour, comparing single and dual-task conditions (touch alone, touch + track). MOT interfered with touch, increasing RT to touch items that changed colour, with latencies significantly higher when those items were distractors rather than targets. Overall, there was general interference (differences between single and dual-task performance), as might be expected if coordinating the two tasks required a common limited resource such as general attention or working memory. However, there was also differential interference that varied based on whether the touched item was a target or distractor in MOT. This differential interference suggests the specific mechanisms used in MOT may also play a role in visually guided touch.One of the most influential ideas within the domain of cognition is that of embodied cognition, in which the experienced world is the result of an interplay between an organism's physiology, sensorimotor system, and its environment. An aspect of this idea is that linguistic information activates sensory representations automatically. For example, hearing the word 'red' would automatically activate sensory representations of this color. But does linguistic information prioritize access to awareness of congruent visual information? Here, we show that linguistic verbal cues accelerate matching visual targets into awareness by using a breaking continuous flash suppression paradigm. In a speeded reaction time task, observers heard spoken color labels (e.g., red) followed by colored targets that were either congruent (red), incongruent (green), or neutral (a neutral noncolor word) with respect to the labels. Importantly, and in contrast to previous studies investigating a similar question, the incidence of congruent trials was not higher than that of incongruent trials. Our results show that RTs were selectively shortened for congruent verbal-visual pairings, and that this shortening occurred over a wide range of cue-target intervals. We suggest that linguistic verbal information preactivates sensory representations, so that hearing the word 'red' preactivates (visual) sensory information internally.Histamine H2 receptor (HRH2) is closely associated with the development of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. However, systematic Hrh2 knockout mice did not exactly reflect the HRH2 function in specific cell or tissue types. To better understand the physiological and pathophysiological functions of endothelial HRH2, this study constructed a targeting vector that contained loxp sites flanking the ATG start codon located in Hrh2 exon 2 upstream and a neomycin (Neo) resistance gene flanked by self-deletion anchor sites within the mouse Hrh2 allele. The targeting vector was then electroporated into C57BL/6J embryonic stem (ES) cells, and positively targeted ES cell clones were micoinjected into C57BL/6J blastocysts, which were implanted into pseudopregnant females to obtain chimeric mice. The F1 generation of Hrh2flox/+ mice was generated via crossing chimeric mice with wild-type mice to excise Neo. We also successfully generated endothelial cell-specific knockout (ECKO) mice by crossing Hrh2flox/+ mice with Cdh5-Cre mice that specifically express Cre in endothelial cells and identified that Hrh2 deletion was only observed in endothelial cells. Hrh2flox/+ and Hrh2ECKO mice were normal, healthy and fertile and did not display any obvious abnormalities. These novel animal models will create new prospects for exploring roles of HRH2 during the development and treatment of related diseases.
To retrospectively analyse data obtained from the multi-domain assessment of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, to describe their health status at discharge, and to investigate whether subgroups of patients, more specific ICU patients and older adults (> 70years), had more (or less) risk to experience specific impairments.

Retrospective case series in the University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium of confirmed COVID-19 patients 'after surviving an ICU-stay', 'aged ≥ 70years', or 'aged < 70years with a length of hospitalization > 7days'. Exclusion criteria were 'unwilling to cooperate', 'medically unstable', or 'palliative care policy'. Following tests were used 'Five Times Sit To Stand Test', 'hand grip dynamometry', 'Barthel index', 'Swallowing screening', 'Montreal Cognitive Assessment', 'Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale', and 'Nutritional Risk Screening 2002'.

One or more tests were obtained in 135/163 patients (83.3%). Physical impairments were present in 43.2-82.8% of the patients. Median BI wtation and follow-up is essential for these patients. This paper proposes a short, workable assessment composed with known outcome measures to assess different domains of COVID-19 patients.The majority of chronic conditions that plague the USA are modifiable by lifestyle change. Lifestyle interventions that incorporate family members for social support and that use game design elements to engage family members have the potential to improve upon traditional interventions, which have largely been unsustainable. Determining the populations where family member support in a lifestyle intervention are present and the extent of gamification of lifestyle intervention components that engage these family members is an important and underexplored area of work. A systematic review of lifestyle interventions involving family members were reviewed for game design elements using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework. Game design elements related to engaged learning and motivational affordances from previous literature were included. Sixty-one studies met inclusion criteria. These studies reported on 50 independent interventions that were reviewed. Thirty-one of these interventions addressed lifestyle in those with a chronic condition, and 19 addressed lifestyle in those at high risk for chronic conditions. The majority of the lifestyle interventions included at least one game design element, yet overall there were limited elements utilized together. Compared with successful gamified programs that have greatly impacted a population's health behaviors, there were relatively a limited number of elements reported, particularly those that support social relatedness, such as meaningful storylines. Meaningfulness of the game design elements chosen and their arrangement was not apparent. Technology was under-utilized as a potential modality for intervention component delivery. Developing products to train researchers to properly apply game design elements to intervention components, as well as test their effectiveness, are areas for future research.Glioma is the main brain tumor worldwide and has a worse prognosis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are proved to involve in massive malignant tumors including glioma. In this study, we tried to detect the microRNA-939-5p (miR-939-5p) expression pattern and explore its prognostic significance in glioma. We performed the quantitative real-time PCR to examine the relative expression of miR-939-5p in glioma. The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analysis were used to reveal the prognostic importance of miR-939-5p. The influence of miR-939-5p on cell proliferation, migration, and invasion was investigated by the Cell Counting kit-8 (CCK-8), colony formation assay, and Transwell assay. Besides, the target gene of miR-939-5p was provided by luciferase reporter assay. Our data substantiated the expression of miR-939-5p was obviously increased in glioma tissues and cell lines. The upregulation of miR-939-5p predicted a poor survival rate and might act as an alternative prognostic indicator in glioma. The elevated expression of miR-939-5p boosted proliferation, migration, and invasion in glioma cell lines. The alternation of miR-939-5p changed the protein expression of TIMP metallopeptidase inhibitor 2 (TIMP2). These findings indicated the overexpression of miR-939-5p was associated with the poor prognosis of glioma patients. MiR-939-5p may function as an oncogene by targeting TIMP2.
Bariatric surgery may shift food preferences towards less energy-dense foods. Eating behavior is multifactorial, and the mechanisms driving changes in food preferences could be a combination of a physiological response to surgery and social and psychological factors. This exploratory study aimed to identify potential factors explaining the variation in changes in food preferences after bariatric surgery.

Physiological, social, and psychological data were collected before, 6 weeks or 6 months after surgery. All variables were analyzed in combination using LASSO regression to explain the variation in changes in energy density at an ad libitum buffet meal 6 months after bariatric surgery (n=39).

The following factors explained 69% of the variation in changes in food preferences after surgery and were associated with more favorable changes in food preferences (i.e., a larger decrease in energy density) female gender, increased secretion of glicentin, a larger decrease in the hedonic rating of sweet and fat and a fatty cocoa drink, a lower number of recent life crises, a low degree of social eating pressure, fulfilling the diagnostic criteria for binge eating disorder, less effort needed to obtain preoperative weight loss, a smaller household composition, a lower degree of self-efficacy and a higher degree of depression, nutritional regime competence, and psychosocial risk level.

Factors explaining the variation in altered food preferences after bariatric surgery not only include a physiological response to surgery but also social and psychological factors.
Factors explaining the variation in altered food preferences after bariatric surgery not only include a physiological response to surgery but also social and psychological factors.
Pooling population-based data from all national bariatric registries may provide international real-world evidence for outcomes that will help establish a universal standard of care, provided that the same variables and definitions are used. Therefore, this study aims to assess the concordance of variables across national registries to identify which outcomes can be used for international collaborations.

All 18 countries with a national bariatric registry who contributed to The International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO) Global Registry report 2019 were requested to share their data dictionary by email. The primary outcome was the percentage of perfect agreement for variables by domain patient, prior bariatric history, screening, operation, complication, and follow-up. Perfect agreement was defined as 100% concordance, meaning that the variable was registered with the same definition across all registries. Secondary outcomes were defined as variables having "substant comparison.Glaucoma is a blindness-causing disease that involves selective damage to retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and their axons. A subset of RGCs expressing the photopigment melanopsin regulates non-image-forming visual system functions, such as pupillary light reflex and circadian rhythms. We analyzed the effect of melatonin on the non-image-forming visual system alterations induced by experimental glaucoma. For this purpose, male Wistar rats were weekly injected with vehicle or chondroitin sulfate into the eye anterior chamber. The non-image-forming visual system was analyzed in terms of (1) melanopsin-expressing RGC number, (2) anterograde transport from the retina to the olivary pretectal nucleus and the suprachiasmatic nuclei, (3) blue- and white light-induced pupillary light reflex, (4) light-induced c-Fos expression in the suprachiasmatic nuclei, (5) daily rhythm of locomotor activity, and (6) mitochondria in melanopsin-expressing RGC cells. Melatonin prevented the effect of experimental glaucoma on melanopsin-expressing RGC number, blue- and white light-induced pupil constriction, retina-olivary pretectal nucleus, and retina- suprachiasmatic nuclei communication, light-induced c-Fos expression in the suprachiasmatic nuclei, and alterations in the locomotor activity daily rhythm. In addition, melatonin prevented the effect of glaucoma on melanopsin-expressing RGC mitochondrial alterations. These results support that melatonin protected the non-image-forming visual system against glaucoma, probably through a mitochondrial protective mechanism.Coronary artery diseases are the major causes of disabilities and death worldwide. Evidence from the literature has demonstrated that Origanum majorana L. (marjoram) acts as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiplatelet, and assists in hormonal regulation. However, there is limited scientific evidence describing the signaling pathways associated with the marjoram's positive effect on cardiac injury. Therefore, we aimed to understand the mechanistic protective effects of marjoram on isoproterenol (ISO)-induced myocardial injury in rats. Sprague Dawley rats were randomly assigned into six groups. Marjoram was administrated by oral gavage and isoproterenol was administrated subcutaneously (ISO; 85 mg/kg). Heart weight, cardiac enzymes, inflammatory, and oxidative stress biomarkers were measured. The ISO-induced cardiac injury was confirmed by the significant increase in the levels of cardiac enzymes (P value  less then  0.05), whereas pre-treatment with marjoram normalized these cardiac injury parameters. We also determined that marjoram had a protective effect against ISO-induced increase in C-reactive protein (CRP), IL-6, IL-13, and TNF-α. Additionally, marjoram significantly decreased cardiac thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) levels (P value  less then  0.05) and protected against ISO-induced oxidative stress. We have demonstrated that marjoram decreased both cardiac oxidative stress and inflammation, thus establishing the beneficial effects of marjoram on ISO-induced cardiac injury in rats.Candida tropicalis can metabolize alkanes or fatty acids to produce long-chain dicarboxylic acids (DCAs). Fatty acid transporters located on the cell or peroxisome membrane may play an important role in this process. Using amino acid sequence homologous alignment, two putative proteins, CtFat1p and CtPxa1p, located on the cell and peroxisome membrane were found, respectively. Moreover, single- and double-knockout homologous recombination technology was used to study ctfat1p and ctpxa1p gene effects on DCA synthesis. In comparison to the wild-type strain, long-chain DCA yield decreased by 65.14%, 88.38% and 56.19% after single and double-copy knockout of ctfat1p genes and double-copy knockout of ctpxa1p genes, respectively, indicating that the knockout of ctfat1p and ctpxa1p genes had a significant effect on the conversion of oils and fats into long-chain DCAs by C. tropicalis. However, the yield of long-chain DCAs increased by 21.90% after single-knockout of the ctpxa1p gene, indicating that the single-knockout of the ctpxa1p gene may reduce fatty acid transport to peroxisome for further oxidation. Moreover, to improve the intracellular transport rate of fatty acids, ctfat1p copy number increased, increasing DCA yield by 30.10%. These results may provide useful information for enhancing the production of long-chain DCAs by C. tropicalis.
Human DP and EP2 receptors are two of the most homologically related receptors coupling with G
s-protein, which stimulate adenylyl cyclase to produce cAMP. Indeed, both receptors are considered to be generated by tandem duplication. It has been reported that other highly homologous and closely related β1- and β2-adrenergic receptors interact distinctly with and differentially regulate cAMP-specific phosphodiesterase (PDE) 4 recruitment.

First, we focused on the cAMP degradation pathways of DP and EP2 receptors stimulated by prostaglandin (PG) D
or PGE
using HEK cells stably expressing either human DP receptors or EP2 receptors. Then, distances between ligands and amino acids of the receptors were evaluated by molecular dynamics (MD) analysis.

We found that PGD
/EP2 receptors exerted a greater effect on PDE4 activity than PGE
/EP2 receptors. Moreover, by MD analysis, either the PGD
or EP2 receptor was moved and the distance was shortened between them. According to the results, DP receptors retain reactivity for PGE
, but EP2 receptors may be activated only by PGE
, at least in terms of cAMP formation, through the differential functional coupling of PDE4 probably with β-arrestin.

Since DP receptors and EP2 receptors are considered to be duplicated genes, DP receptors may still be in a rapid evolutionary stage as a duplicated copy of EP2 receptors and have not yet sufficient selectivity for their cognate ligand, PGD
.
Since DP receptors and EP2 receptors are considered to be duplicated genes, DP receptors may still be in a rapid evolutionary stage as a duplicated copy of EP2 receptors and have not yet sufficient selectivity for their cognate ligand, PGD2.
This study aimed to examine the factor structure, reliability, inter-rater agreement and convergent validity of the child and parent Italian versions of the paediatric quality of life inventory multidimensional fatigue scale (PedsQL-MFS) in paediatric inpatients with obesity and one of their parents.

100 pairs of children/adolescents (64% female, mean age = 15.34) with obesity and one of their parents completed the PedsQL-MFS and the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) or the Youth Self Report.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis indicated that the three correlated first-order factors model corresponding to the published subscales demonstrated acceptable fit and achieved strict invariance across parent and child informants. Bifactor Analysis supported the multidimensionality and the reliability of the total and subscale scores as multidimensional composites. Parent-child agreement was low with latent means higher for parent reports. PedsQL-MFS total scores were strongly correlated with Somatic Complaints scores on the CBCL, and moderately associated with anxiety, depression, social problems and school problems.

Total scores of the child and parent Italian versions of the PedsQL-MFS demonstrated good reliability and convergent validity in paediatric inpatients with obesity and their parents, and are complementary rather than interchangeable.

No level of evidence.
No level of evidence.
Ramadan intermittent fasting may affect whole-body metabolism by affecting appetite-related hormones. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to clarify the possible effects of Ramadan intermittent fasting on the main hormones regulating appetite and satiety, including leptin and adiponectin.

All English language papers in the PubMed, Scopus, and Embase databases were searched using the keywords "Ramadan fasting", "adiponectin", and "leptin", up to 2020. Data extraction was conducted based on the main data of the studies; the primary outcomes of the analysis were mean changes of adiponectin and leptin levels during the holy month of Ramadan in fasted subjects.

Data of 16 eligible studies, conducted between 2003 and 2020, were included in the systematic review. Of these, 10 studies with complete data on leptin and adiponectin were included in the meta-analysis. A significant decrease in leptin levels was observed after Ramadan fasting (WMD = -2.28 ng/ml, 95% CI = -3.72, -0.84). Ramadan fasting had no significant effect on adiponectin levels (WMD = 2.19 ng/ml, 95% CI = -0.29, 4.67). Sub-group analysis demonstrated a greater decrease in leptin levels among normal-weight subjects compared to those of overweight/obese subjects (WMD = -4.67 ng/ml, 95% CI = -6.03, -3.31 vs. WMD = -3.43 ng/ml, 95% CI = -5.69, -1.17).

Ramadan fasting may decrease leptin levels, especially in normal-weight subjects. There was high heterogeneity, which may be explained by the differences between the wide ranges of study conditions.
Ramadan fasting may decrease leptin levels, especially in normal-weight subjects. There was high heterogeneity, which may be explained by the differences between the wide ranges of study conditions.
Cryopreserved ovarian tissue transplant restores ovarian function in young cancer patients after gonadotoxic treatment. However, leukemia is associated with increased risk of malignant cell transmission. We aimed to assess the tumor-inducing potential of two different leukemic cell lines when xenografted to immunodeficient mice.

Fifty-four female immunodeficient mice were grafted with either 100, 200, 500, 1000, and 10,000 chronic myeloid leukemia in blast crisis (BV-173) cells or relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia (RCH-ACV) cells, embedded inside a fibrin scaffold along with 50,000 human ovarian stromal cells. Two mice per cell line received the fibrin matrix without leukemic cells as negative controls. Clinical signs of disease were monitored for 20 weeks. Grafts, liver tissue, and masses were collected for macroscopic analysis and gene expression of BCR-ABL1 and E2A-PBX fusion transcripts present in BV-173 and RCH-ACV respectively.

BV-173 cells Mice grafted with 100, 200, or 500 cells showed no sign of disease after and were negative for BCR-ABL1 expression. Three of the 5 animals grafted with 1000 cells and all mice with 10,000 cells developed disease and showed BCR-ABL1-positive expression. RCH-ACV cells Two out of 4 mice grafted with 100 cells developed disease and were E2A-PBX1-positive. All the animals grafted with higher cell doses showed signs of disease and all but one were E2A-PBX1-positive.

The present work proves that the disease-inducing potential of BV-173 and RCH-ACV leukemic cells xenografted to SCID mouse peritoneum differs between cell lines, depending on cell number, type, status, and cytogenetic disease profile when ovarian tissue is harvested.
The present work proves that the disease-inducing potential of BV-173 and RCH-ACV leukemic cells xenografted to SCID mouse peritoneum differs between cell lines, depending on cell number, type, status, and cytogenetic disease profile when ovarian tissue is harvested.
To investigate the biological networks associated with DOR in young women and the subsequent molecular impact on preimplantation embryos.

Whole peripheral blood was collected from patients young women presenting with diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) and age-matched young women with normal ovarian reserve. Maternal exome sequencing was performed on the NovaSEQ 6000 and sequencing validation was completed using Taqman® SNP Genotyping Assays. Blastocyst global methylome and transcriptome sequencing were also analyzed.

Exome sequencing revealed 730 significant DNA variants observed exclusively in the young DOR patients. Bioinformatic analysis revealed a significant impact to the Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) signaling pathway and each young DOR female had an average of 6.2 deleterious DNA variants within this pathway. Additional stratification based on patient age resulted in a cut-off at 31 years for young DOR discrimination. Embryonic global methylome sequencing resulted in only a very small number of totaow for earlier identification and clinical intervention for this patient population.
To report experience designing and establishing a reproductive registry and sample biorepository and to describe initial subject characteristics and biospecimens.

Beginning in December 2017, patients presenting for reproductive care at the University of Michigan were approached for study enrollment. Following consent, subjects completed detailed reproductive and health questionnaires. A variety of reproductive specimens and tissues were collected and processed for multiple downstream applications.

Subject enrollment began in December of 2017. There are currently 1798 subjects enrolled. Female participants report a variety of reproductive disorders. Available samples include semen, sperm, follicular fluid, granulosa cells, immature oocytes, ovarian and uterine tissue, and blood samples.

We report the successful establishment of a reproductive registry and sample biorepository. Furthermore, we describe methods for collection and storage of a variety of reproductive tissue processed for multiple downstream translational applications.
We report the successful establishment of a reproductive registry and sample biorepository. Furthermore, we describe methods for collection and storage of a variety of reproductive tissue processed for multiple downstream translational applications.
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