Relationship between Saturated Fatty Acid Intake and Blood Pressure in Healthy Japanese Women with the Fat Mass and Obesity-Associated Gene Variant.

Hypertension is one of the most prevalent diseases and a risk factor for stroke and cardiovascular disease. Our previous study indicated a negative correlation between fat intake and blood pressure in subjects with a fat mass and obesity-associated gene variant. We investigated the effects of four fatty acid groups on blood pressure in healthy Japanese women with the gene variants, including the involvement of body mass index.

Influence of gap junctions upon Ca propagation from stimulated keratinocytes to DRG neurons.

Epidermal cells, such as keratinocytes, are regarded as the first sensory cells to transmit nociception and mechanoreception to free nerve endings extended from the dorsal root ganglion (DRG). Previous studies suggested that this transmission occurs as Ca propagation via ATP receptors. Conversely, the influence of gap junctions on this Ca propagation is largely unknown.

Connected in health: Place-to-place commuting networks and COVID-19 spillovers.

Biweekly county COVID-19 data were linked with Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics data to analyze population risk exposures enabled by pre-pandemic, country-wide commuter networks. Results from fixed-effects, spatial, and computational statistical approaches showed that commuting network exposure to COVID-19 predicted an area's COVID-19 cases and deaths, indicating spillovers. Commuting spillovers between counties were independent from geographic contiguity, pandemic-time mobility, or social media ties.

KOMB: K-core based de novo characterization of copy number variation in microbiomes.

Characterizing metagenomes via kmer-based, database-dependent taxonomic classification has yielded key insights into underlying microbiome dynamics. However, novel approaches are needed to track community dynamics and genomic flux within metagenomes, particularly in response to perturbations. We describe KOMB, a novel method for tracking genome level dynamics within microbiomes.

Perceived risk, political polarization, and the willingness to follow COVID-19 mitigation guidelines.

Objective: Risk assessment and response is important for understanding human behavior. The divisive context surrounding the coronavirus pandemic inspires our exploration of risk perceptions and the polarization of mitigation practices (i.e.