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Bioremoval of lead (pb) salts from synbiotic milk by lactic acid bacteria
ZIP13 marks muscle satellite cells and contributes to their quiescent and active phase balance
Exploring mitochondrial and ferroptotic mechanisms for systemic lupus erythematosus biomarker identification and therapy
Construction of a diagnostic model utilizing m7G regulatory factors for the characterization of diabetic nephropathy and the immune microenvironment
Mental health outcomes following a four week online training on social emotional and ethical learning for public school teachers
Blood pressure waveform morphology assessed using a transmission line model and harmonic distortion analysis
Research on movie rating based on BERT-base model
Full-speed sensorless control system of synchronous reluctance motor with flux saturation model
Atherogenic index of plasma identifies subjects with severe liver steatosis
Abstract The Atherogenic Index of Plasma (AIP), calculated by log (Triglycerides/HDL-C), has been proposed as a marker of atherogenic and cardiovascular risk. Atherosclerosis and Metabolic Dysfunction—Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) share some pathogenic features and may be considered clinical manifestations of Metabolic Syndrome. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of increased AIP as a putative metabolic biomarker for MASLD. 1,496 individuals (49% males and 51% females) underwent clinical examination for Metabolic Syndrome at Internal Medicine Division “C. Frugoni” of University Hospital of Bari, Italy in the period between January 2016 and April 2024. Clinical history was recorded, and physical examination, anthropometric measures, biochemical assessment, and abdomen ultrasound were performed. In the overall population, AIP significantly correlated with fasting glycemia (FPG, r = 0.26, p < 0.0001), HbA1c (r = 0.20, p < 0.0001), LDL (r = 0.11, p < 0.0001) and total cholesterol (r = 0.09; p < 0.0001), and anthropometric measures of obesity BMI (r = 0.37, p < 0.0001) and Waist Circumference (r = 0.44; p < 0.001). We then investigated AIP values in patients with and without dysmetabolic conditions, finding that AIP significantly increased as steatosis worsened (p < 0.001). ROC curves identified an optimal cut-off of 0.31 for accurately diagnosing severe steatosis and AIP values above this cut-off discriminated patients with significantly increased (p < 0.0001) fasting glycemia, LDL, and waist circumference, and were strongly associated (p < 0.0001) with MASLD (LLR 85.3), type 2 diabetes (LLR 85.5), abdominal obesity (LLR 72.9), overweight (LLR 151.8), and systemic obesity (LLR 178.4). The risk for being diagnosed with such conditions was found to be even higher in the subpopulation of patients with severe liver steatosis. To validate our findings, we considered another cohort of patients with and without biopsy-proven liver steatosis (public dataset GSE89632), confirming that a significant increase (p < 0.001) in AIP values could be found in patients with liver steatosis compared to healthy controls. AIP can be considered a specific biomarker of fatty liver disease with high sensitivity for the diagnosis of the severe form of liver steatosis. Considering AIP in the evaluation of patients with liver steatosis may augment the accuracy for diagnosing metabolic impairment and MASLD.
Lead biosorption and chemical composition of extracellular polymeric substances isolated from mixotrophic microalgal cultures
Abstract Extracellular polymers (EPS) produced by microalgae are considered an important factor in the process of biosorption of environmental contaminants. The study investigated the impact of mixotrophic cultivation of unicellular algae Chlorella vulgaris, Parachlorella kessleri, and Vischeria magna on the specific productivity and yield of total and soluble EPS as well as the biochemical composition and sorption properties of extracellular polymers in order to explore their potential to be used for biosorption. The results showed that the mixotrophic conditions enhanced the productivity and contributed to changes in the biochemical and monomer composition of EPS. Higher levels of total sugars, reducing sugars, protein, and phenolic compounds and reduced content of uronic acids were observed in the EPS isolated in the mixotrophic conditions. Rhamnose, xylose, mannose, glucose, and galactose were detected in the mixotrophic EPS samples. FTIR and ICP-OES were applied to characterise the structure of EPS and their role in Pb(II) removal. The results showed that the carboxyl groups and hydroxyl groups observed in the mixotrophic EPS played an important role in the Pb(II) sorption process. The EPS from the mixotrophic C. vulgaris cultures showed the highest potential for the removal of Pb(II) and the highest sorption capacity.
MYBL2 promotes cell proliferation and inhibits cell apoptosis via PI3K/AKT and BCL2/BAX/Cleaved-caspase-3 signaling pathway in gastric cancer cells
Addressing data imbalance in collision risk prediction with active generative oversampling
The canine vibrissal system as a highly innervated and functional sensory organ
Abstract Little is known about the importance of the vibrissae in domestic dogs and no studies have been published to date. The shaving of the vibrissae is still common in dogs, particularly in preparation for dog shows. In this publication, we show how dogs use their vibrissae with 17 video clips from 11 individuals. We also performed histological, transmission electron microscopic and immunohistochemical analyses to characterise the histomorphology of canine follicle-sinus complex (FSC). Tissue samples were taken from six dog carcasses. The videos show that dogs respond to mechanical stimulation of their vibrissae. Touching the superciliary and mystacial vibrissae induces a reflex blinking of the eyelids. Dogs also move their mystacial vibrissae forward to explore objects. Histomorphological and ultrastructural analyses confirmed that canine mystacial FSCs have the typical general histomorphology of mammalian sinusoidal vibrissae with dense innervation and specific mechanoreceptor structures. The follicles of the small hairs on the upper lip also have the typical canine FSC structure and, therefore, can be identified as ‘microvibrissae’. In conclusion, there is sufficient evidence to suggest that the vibrissae of the domestic dog are a functional sensory organ and should not be shaved for cosmetic reasons to protect the physical integrity of the dog.
Unraveling the intricate molecular landscape and potential biomarkers in lung adenocarcinoma through integrative epigenomic and transcriptomic profiling
Abstract Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortalities, characterized by substantial genetic heterogeneity that challenges a comprehensive understanding of its progression. This study employs next-generation sequencing data analysis to transform our comprehension of LUAD pathogenesis. Integrating epigenetic and transcriptomic data of LUAD patients, this approach assessed the critical regulatory occurrences, identified therapeutic targets, and offered profound insights into cancer molecular foundations. We employed the DNA methylation data to identify differentially methylated CpG sites and explored the transcriptome profiles of their adjacent genes. An intersectional analysis of gene expression profiles uncovered 419 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) influenced by smoke-induced differential DNA methylation, among which hub genes, including mitochondrial ribosomal proteins (MRPs), and ribosomal proteins (RPs) such as MRPS15, MRPS5, MRPL33, RPL24, RPL7L1, MRPL15, TUFM, MRPL22, and RSL1D1, were identified using a network-based approach. These hub genes were overexpressed and enriched to RNA processing, ribosome biogenesis, and mitochondrial translation, which is critical in LUAD progression. Enhancer Linking Methylation/Expression Relationship (ELMER) analysis revealed transcription factor (TF) binding motifs, such as JUN, NKX23, FOSB, RUNX3, and FOSL1, which regulated these hub genes through methylation-dependent enhancer dynamics. Predominant hypomethylation of MRPs and RPs disrupted mitochondrial function, contributed to oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and metabolic reprogramming, favoring cancer cell survival. The survival analysis validated the clinical relevance of these hub genes, with high-expression cohorts exhibiting poor overall survival (OS) outcomes enlightened their relevance in LUAD pathogenesis and presented the potential for developing novel targeted therapeutic strategies.