Greater male variability in daily energy expenditure develops through puberty.

There is considerably greater variation in metabolic rates between men than between women, in terms of basal, activity and total (daily) energy expenditure (EE). One possible explanation is that EE is associated with male sexual characteristics (which are known to vary more than other traits) such as musculature and athletic capacity. Such traits might be predicted to be most prominent during periods of adolescence and young adulthood, when sexual behaviour develops and peaks.

A targeted sequencing extension for transcript genotyping in single-cell transcriptomics.

As no existing methods within the single-cell RNA sequencing repertoire combine genotyping of specific genomic loci with high throughput, we evaluated a straightforward, targeted sequencing approach as an extension to high-throughput droplet-based single-cell RNA sequencing. Overlaying standard gene expression data with transcript level genotype information provides a strategy to study the impact of genetic variants. Here, we describe this targeted sequencing extension, explain how to process the data and evaluate how technical parameters such as amount of input cDNA, number of amplification rounds, and sequencing depth influence the number of transcripts detected.

Correction: Schroyen et al. Neuroinflammation and Its Association with Cognition, Neuronal Markers and Peripheral Inflammation after Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer. 2021, , 4198.

In the original publication [...

AI-Based Gut-Brain Axis Digital Twins.

More than 40% of the adult population suffers from functional gastrointestinal disorders, now considered disorders of the "gut-brain axis" (GBA) interactions, a very complex bidirectional neural, endocrine, immune, and humoral communication system modulated by the microbiota. To help discover, understand, and manage GBA disorders, the OnePlanet research center is developing digital twins focused on the GBA, combining novel sensors with artificial intelligence algorithms, providing descriptive, diagnostic, predictive or prescriptive feed-back.