Exposure to arsenic at different life-stages and DNA methylation meta-analysis in buccal cells and leukocytes.

Background: Arsenic (As) exposure through drinking water is a global public health concern. Epigenetic dysregulation including changes in DNA methylation (DNAm), may be involved in arsenic toxicity. Epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) of arsenic exposure have been restricted to single populations and comparison across EWAS has been limited by methodological differences.

Studies on Neotropical crickets: New species and notes on the classification of Field Crickets genera Anurogryllus and Gryllus (Orthoptera: Gryllidae: Gryllinae).

In this contribution to the American Field and Short-tail crickets, two new species from the continental and insular area of Colombia are described. Anurogryllus (Urogryllus) edithsantosum n. sp.

Studies on Neotropical crickets: The continental Otteiini taxa (Orthoptera: Phalangopsidae), those cave crickets are not confined to the West Indies.

The tribe Otteiini is a group of cave crickets, that were believed only to inhabit the Greater Antilles (Cuba, Cayman Islands, and Hispaniola). However, when reviewing and studying similar cave crickets in Mexico, their relationship was proven with island taxa, expanding their distribution to the continental area, from the Yucatan Peninsula to the Gulf and Northeast of Mexico. Herein, the genus Paracophus is divided, and three additional genera are described: Hubbellcophus n.

Detecting cord blood cell type-specific epigenetic associations with gestational diabetes mellitus and early childhood growth.

Background: Epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) have provided opportunities to understand the role of epigenetic mechanisms in development and pathophysiology of many chronic diseases. However, an important limitation of conventional EWAS is that profiles of epigenetic variability are often obtained in samples of mixed cell types. Here, we aim to assess whether changes in cord blood DNA methylation (DNAm) associated with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) exposure and early childhood growth markers occur in a cell type-specific manner.

Prenatal exposure to a mixture of elements and neurobehavioral outcomes in mid-childhood: Results from Project Viva.

Background: Lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), selenium (Se) and methylmercury (MeHg) can be neurotoxic individually, despite Mn and Se also being essential elements. Little is known about the joint effects of essential and non-essential elements on neurobehavior, particularly for prenatal exposures.

Objectives: To evaluate associations of prenatal exposure to multiple elements with executive function and neurobehavior in children.

Insights into the Cultured Bacterial Fraction of Corals.

Bacteria associated with coral hosts are diverse and abundant, with recent studies suggesting involvement of these symbionts in host resilience to anthropogenic stress. Despite their putative importance, the work dedicated to culturing coral-associated bacteria has received little attention. Combining published and unpublished data, here we report a comprehensive overview of the diversity and function of culturable bacteria isolated from corals originating from tropical, temperate, and cold-water habitats.

Inflammatory myophibroblastic tumor of the proximal ileon in a patient with complicated umbilical hernia: A case report and literature review.

Introduction: Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors are neoplasms that occur infrequently, mainly affects children and young adults. It is an intermediate grade fibrotic multinodular neoplasm.

Description Of The Case: We present the case of a 47-year-old female patient, who underwent emergency umbilical hernioplasty, later developed intestinal obstruction secondary to an inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor.

The role of medial prefrontal cortex projections to locus ceruleus in mediating the sex differences in behavior in mice with inflammatory pain.

We tested the hypothesis that the cognitive impairment associated with inflammatory pain may result from dysregulation of the top-down control of locus ceruleus's (LC) activity by the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Injection of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) served as a model for inflammatory pain. The CFA injection decreased the thermal thresholds in both sexes but only the male mice showed increased anxiety-like behavior and diminished cognition, while the females were not affected.

Early pregnancy exposure to metal mixture and birth outcomes - A prospective study in Project Viva.

Background: Prenatal exposure to metals has been individually associated with birth outcomes. However, little is known about the effect of metal mixture, particularly at low exposure levels.

Objectives: To estimate individual and joint effects of metal mixture components on birth outcomes.

Early pregnancy essential and non-essential metal mixtures and gestational glucose concentrations in the 2nd trimester: Results from project viva.

Metals are involved in glucose metabolism, and some may alter glycemic regulation. However, joint effects of essential and non-essential metals on glucose concentrations during pregnancy are unclear. This study explored the joint associations of pregnancy exposures to essential (copper, magnesium, manganese, selenium, zinc) and non-essential (arsenic, barium, cadmium, cesium, lead, mercury) metals with gestational glucose concentrations using 1,311 women enrolled 1999-2002 in Project Viva, a Boston, MA-area pregnancy cohort.

A biomechanical analysis of active vs static office chair designs.

The objective of this study was to provide a biomechanical comparison of two different types of active chairs (AC1 & AC2) versus a static chair (NAC). Thirty healthy participants were recruited: fifteen healthy females and fifteen healthy males. Participants worked at a computer workstation (1-h per chair).

Diet and erythrocyte metal concentrations in early pregnancy-cross-sectional analysis in Project Viva.

Background: Dietary sources of metals are not well established among pregnant women in the United States.

Objective: We aimed to perform a diet-wide association study (DWAS) of metals during the first trimester of pregnancy.

Methods: In early pregnancy (11.

Pancreatic cancer prognosis is predicted by an ATAC-array technology for assessing chromatin accessibility.

Unlike other malignancies, therapeutic options in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) are largely limited to cytotoxic chemotherapy without the benefit of molecular markers predicting response. Here we report tumor-cell-intrinsic chromatin accessibility patterns of treatment-naïve surgically resected PDAC tumors that were subsequently treated with (Gem)/Abraxane adjuvant chemotherapy. By ATAC-seq analyses of EpCAM PDAC malignant epithelial cells sorted from 54 freshly resected human tumors, we show here the discovery of a signature of 1092 chromatin loci displaying differential accessibility between patients with disease free survival (DFS) < 1 year and patients with DFS > 1 year.

Fast and pervasive transcriptomic resilience and acclimation of extremely heat-tolerant coral holobionts from the northern Red Sea.

Corals from the northern Red Sea and Gulf of Aqaba exhibit extreme thermal tolerance. To examine the underlying gene expression dynamics, we exposed from the Gulf of Aqaba to short-term (hours) and long-term (weeks) heat stress with peak seawater temperatures ranging from their maximum monthly mean of 27 °C (baseline) to 29.5 °C, 32 °C, and 34.

Surface Topography, Bacterial Carrying Capacity, and the Prospect of Microbiome Manipulation in the Sea Anemone Coral Model Aiptasia.

Aiptasia is an emerging model organism to study cnidarian symbioses due to its taxonomic relatedness to other anthozoans such as stony corals and similarities of its microalgal and bacterial partners, complementing the existing (Hydrozoa) and (Anthozoa) model systems. Despite the availability of studies characterizing the microbiomes of several natural Aiptasia populations and laboratory strains, knowledge on basic information, such as surface topography, bacterial carrying capacity, or the prospect of microbiome manipulation is lacking. Here we address these knowledge gaps.

Extra virgin olive oil improved body weight and insulin sensitivity in high fat diet-induced obese LDLr-/-.Leiden mice without attenuation of steatohepatitis.

Dietary fatty acids play a role in the pathogenesis of obesity-associated non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is associated with insulin resistance (IR). Fatty acid composition is critical for IR and subsequent NAFLD development. Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) is the main source of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) in Mediterranean diets.

Flexibility in Red Sea -Symbiodiniaceae associations supports environmental niche adaptation.

Giant clams (Tridacninae) are important members of Indo-Pacific coral reefs and among the few bivalve groups that live in symbiosis with unicellular algae (Symbiodiniaceae). Despite the importance of these endosymbiotic dinoflagellates for clam ecology, the diversity and specificity of these associations remain relatively poorly studied, especially in the Red Sea. Here, we used the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) rDNA gene region to investigate Symbiodiniaceae communities associated with Red Sea clams.

Invasive Procedures in Patients with Cirrhosis: A Clinical Approach Based on Current Evidence.

The aim on of this article is to provide an update on the coagulation disturbances of patients with cirrhosis. It summarizes basic concepts of coagulation in cirrhosis, available tests used to predict bleeding, procedures and risk of bleeding, and the rationale and expert-based recommendations of prophylactic measures for patients with cirrhosis who undergo invasive procedures.

Effect of Addition of Dimethyl Sulfoxide to Simplified Adhesives on Dentin Bond Durability after Three Years of Water Storage.

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of inclusion of two dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) concentrations in simplified etch-and-rinse adhesives on dentin bonding durability after three years of water storage.

Materials And Methods: Forty-two caries-free third molars were divided into six experimental groups (n = 7) according to the following factors: 1) adhesive (Adper Single Bond 2 [SB], 3M Oral Care; Prime&Bond 2.1 [PB], Dentsply Sirona); 2) concentration of DMSO (control group: 0.

Adopting a "Compound" Exposome Approach in Environmental Aging Biomarker Research: A Call to Action for Advancing Racial Health Equity.

Background: In June 2020, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine hosted a virtual workshop focused on integrating the science of aging and environmental health research. The concurrent COVID-19 pandemic and national attention on racism exposed shortcomings in the environmental research field's conceptualization and methodological use of race, which have subsequently hindered the ability of research to address racial health disparities. By the workshop's conclusion, the authors deduced that the utility of environmental aging biomarkers-aging biomarkers shown to be specifically influenced by environmental exposures-would be greatly diminished if these biomarkers are developed absent of considerations of broader societal factors-like structural racism-that impinge on racial health equity.

Associations of DNA Methylation Mortality Risk Markers with Congenital Microcephaly from Zika Virus: A Study of Brazilian Children Less than 4 Years of Age.

Background: Zika virus (ZIKV)-associated congenital microcephaly is an important contributor to pediatric death, and more robust pediatric mortality risk metrics are needed to help guide life plans and clinical decision making for these patients. Although common etiologies of pediatric and adult mortality differ, early life health can impact adult outcomes-potentially through DNA methylation. Hence, in this pilot study, we take an early step in identifying pediatric mortality risk metrics by examining associations of ZIKV infection and associated congenital microcephaly with existing adult DNA methylation-based mortality biomarkers: GrimAge and Zhang's mortality score (ZMS).