Comparative gut microbiome research through the lens of ecology: theoretical considerations and best practices.

Comparative approaches in animal gut microbiome research have revealed patterns of phylosymbiosis, dietary and physiological convergences, and environment-host interactions. However, most large-scale comparative studies, especially those that are highly cited, have focused on mammals, and efforts to integrate comparative approaches with existing ecological frameworks are lacking. While mammals serve as useful model organisms, developing generalised principles of how animal gut microbiomes are shaped and how these microbiomes interact bidirectionally with host ecology and evolution requires a more complete sampling of the animal kingdom.

ScreenDMT reveals DiHOMEs are replicably inversely associated with BMI and stimulate adipocyte calcium influx.

Activating brown adipose tissue (BAT) improves systemic metabolism, making it a promising target for metabolic syndrome. BAT is activated by 12,13-dihydroxy-9Z-octadecenoic acid (12,13-diHOME), which we previously identified to be inversely associated with BMI and which directly improves metabolism in multiple tissues. Here we profile plasma lipidomics from 83 people and test which lipids' association with BMI replicates in a concordant direction using our novel tool ScreenDMT, whose power and validity we demonstrate via mathematical proofs and simulations.

Unraveling the assembloid: Real-time monitoring of dopaminergic neurites in an inter-organoid pathway connecting midbrain and striatal regions.

Modern technologies for preclinical research, including organ-on-a-chip, organoids- and assembloid-based systems, have rapidly emerged as pivotal tools for elucidating disease mechanisms and assessing the efficacy of putative therapeutics. In this context, advanced models of Parkinson's Disease (PD) offer the potential to accelerate drug discovery by enabling effective platforms that recapitulate both physiological and pathological attributes of the environment. Although these systems often aim at replicating the PD-associated loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons, only a few have modelled the degradation of dopaminergic pathways as a way to mimic the disruption of downstream regulation mechanisms that define the characteristic motor symptoms of the disease.

ScreenDMT reveals linoleic acid diols replicably associate with BMI and stimulate adipocyte calcium fluxes.

Activating brown adipose tissue (BAT) improves systemic metabolism, making it a promising target for metabolic syndrome. BAT is activated by 12, 13-dihydroxy-9Z-octadecenoic acid (12, 13-diHOME), which we previously identified to be inversely associated with BMI and which directly improves metabolism in multiple tissues. Here we profile plasma lipidomics from a cohort of 83 people and test which lipids' association with BMI replicates in a concordant direction using our novel tool ScreenDMT, whose power and validity we demonstrate via mathematical proofs and simulations.

Quantum critical dynamics in a 5,000-qubit programmable spin glass.

Experiments on disordered alloys suggest that spin glasses can be brought into low-energy states faster by annealing quantum fluctuations than by conventional thermal annealing. Owing to the importance of spin glasses as a paradigmatic computational testbed, reproducing this phenomenon in a programmable system has remained a central challenge in quantum optimization. Here we achieve this goal by realizing quantum-critical spin-glass dynamics on thousands of qubits with a superconducting quantum annealer.

Transplantation of Brown Adipose Tissue with the Ability of Converting Omega-6 to Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Counteracts High-Fat-Induced Metabolic Abnormalities in Mice.

A balanced omega (ω)-6/ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) ratio has been linked to metabolic health and the prevention of chronic diseases. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) specializes in energy expenditure and secretes signaling molecules that regulate metabolism via inter-organ crosstalk. Recent studies have uncovered that BAT produces different PUFA species and circulating oxylipin levels are correlated with BAT-mediated energy expenditure in mice and humans.

Scaling advantage over path-integral Monte Carlo in quantum simulation of geometrically frustrated magnets.

The promise of quantum computing lies in harnessing programmable quantum devices for practical applications such as efficient simulation of quantum materials and condensed matter systems. One important task is the simulation of geometrically frustrated magnets in which topological phenomena can emerge from competition between quantum and thermal fluctuations. Here we report on experimental observations of equilibration in such simulations, measured on up to 1440 qubits with microsecond resolution.

Prefrontal mechanisms of comorbidity from a transdiagnostic and ontogenic perspective.

Accumulating behavioral and genetic research suggests that most forms of psychopathology share common genetic and neural vulnerabilities and are manifestations of a relatively few core underlying processes. These findings support the view that comorbidity mostly arises, not from true co-occurrence of distinct disorders, but from the behavioral expression of shared vulnerability processes across the life span. The purpose of this review is to examine the role of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in the shared vulnerability mechanisms underlying the clinical phenomena of comorbidity from a transdiagnostic and ontogenic perspective.

Demographic correlates of attenuated positive psychotic symptoms.

It is now well established that the utilization of standardized clinical criteria can enhance prediction of psychosis. These criteria are primarily concerned with the presence and severity of attenuated positive symptoms. Because these symptom criteria are used to derive algorithms for designating clinical high risk (CHR) status and for maximizing prediction of psychosis risk, it is important to know whether the symptom ratings vary as a function of demographic factors that have previously been linked with symptoms in diagnosed psychotic patients.

The prodrome and clinical risk for psychotic disorders.

The psychosis prodrome offers great promise for identifying neural mechanisms involved in psychotic disorders and offers an opportunity to implement empirical interventions to delay, and ultimately ameliorate, illness onset. This article summarizes the literature on individuals in the putatively prodromal phase of psychosis/deemed at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis onset. Standardized measurement and manifestation of the CHR syndromes are discussed, followed by empirical findings that highlight the psychological deficits and biological abnormalities seen in CHR syndromes and psychotic disorders.

The development of psychotic disorders in adolescence: a potential role for hormones.

This article is part of a Special Issue "Puberty and Adolescence". The notion that adolescence is characterized by dramatic changes in behavior, and often by emotional upheaval, is widespread and longstanding in popular western culture. In recent decades, this notion has gained increasing support from empirical research showing that the peri- and post-pubertal developmental stages are associated with a significant rise in the rate of psychiatric symptoms and syndromes.

Characteristics of noise exposure during solitary trumpet playing: immediate impact on distortion-product otoacoustic emissions and long-term implications for hearing.

Objectives: The objectives of this investigation were to quantify noise exposures generated during a 1 hr trumpet practice session and to determine whether distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) are affected by such exposure, to describe the distribution of intensity levels and temporal characteristics of noise produced by trumpet practice, and to determine the effect of earplug use on generated noise levels and DPOAEs.

Design: In experiment 1, eight college-age trumpeters underwent an otoscopic inspection, tympanometry, and pure-tone threshold testing. Using a Grason-Stadler 60 DPOAE system, DPOAEs were recorded just before a 1 hr practice session, at 2 min after the practice session, 4 min after the session, and at 4 min intervals thereafter for a total period of 1 hr.

School experiences of families of children with brain tumors.

Families and children often report a diverse range of academic achievements and challenges after undergoing treatment for a brain tumor. This study explores the experiences of children, youth, and their families as they seek to reintegrate into mainstream educational systems. Despite the variable experiences, there are many common strategies that could positively influence the child's success in school.