Identifying functionally relevant candidate genes for inflexible ethanol intake in mice and humans using a guilt-by-association approach.

Gene prioritization approaches are useful tools to explore and select candidate genes in transcriptome studies. Knowing the importance of processes such as neuronal activity, intracellular signal transduction, and synapse plasticity to the development and maintenance of compulsive ethanol drinking, the aim of the present study was to explore and identify functional candidate genes associated with these processes in an animal model of inflexible pattern of ethanol intake. To do this, we applied a guilt-by-association approach, using the GUILDify and ToppGene software, in our previously published microarray data from the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and striatum of inflexible drinker mice.

Development and comparison of RNA-sequencing pipelines for more accurate SNP identification: practical example of functional SNP detection associated with feed efficiency in Nellore beef cattle.

Background: Optimization of an RNA-Sequencing (RNA-Seq) pipeline is critical to maximize power and accuracy to identify genetic variants, including SNPs, which may serve as genetic markers to select for feed efficiency, leading to economic benefits for beef production. This study used RNA-Seq data (GEO Accession ID: PRJEB7696 and PRJEB15314) from muscle and liver tissue, respectively, from 12 Nellore beef steers selected from 585 steers with residual feed intake measures (RFI; n = 6 low-RFI, n = 6 high-RFI). Three RNA-Seq pipelines were compared including multi-sample calling from i) non-merged samples; ii) merged samples by RFI group, iii) merged samples by RFI and tissue group.

Assessing sleep-wake survival dynamics in relation to sleep quality in a placebo-controlled pharmacological intervention study with people with insomnia and healthy controls.

Rationale: The mechanisms underlying impaired sleep quality in insomnia are not fully known, but an important role for sleep fragmentation has been proposed.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to explore potential mechanisms of sleep fragmentation influencing alterations of perceived sleep quality.

Methods: We analyzed polysomnography (PSG) recordings from a double-blind crossover study with zopiclone 7.

Comparison between Erich arch bars and intermaxillary screws in maxillofacial fractures involving the dental occlusion: a meta-analysis.

This systematic review aimed to compare the Erich arch bars (EABs) with intermaxillary fixation (IMF) screws in maxillofacial fractures involving dental occlusion on perioperative parameters. Four electronic databases were searched: MedLine (Pubmed), Web of Science, VHL, and Cochrane Library. Inclusion criteria comprised clinical trials comparing the two IMF methods, assessing at least one of the outcomes: occlusal stability, oral hygiene, quality of life, time to apply and remove IMF appliances, and complications.

Wearable monitoring of sleep-disordered breathing: estimation of the apnea-hypopnea index using wrist-worn reflective photoplethysmography.

A large part of the worldwide population suffers from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a disorder impairing the restorative function of sleep and constituting a risk factor for several cardiovascular pathologies. The standard diagnostic metric to define OSA is the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), typically obtained by manually annotating polysomnographic recordings. However, this clinical procedure cannot be employed for screening and for long-term monitoring of OSA due to its obtrusiveness and cost.

The Anatomic Pathology laboratory adjustments in the era of COVID-19 pandemic: The experience of a laboratory in a Portuguese central hospital.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has dramatically changed the world over the past weeks, with already 8,25 million infections and 445,000 deaths worldwide, leading to an unprecedented international global effort to contain the virus and prevent its spread. The emergence of novel respiratory viruses such as the SARS-CoV-2 creates dramatic challenges to the healthcare services, including surgical pathology laboratories, despite their extensive daily experience in dealing with biological and chemical hazards. Here, we cover important aspects on the knowledge on COVID-19 gathered during the first six months of the pandemic and address relevant issues on human biological sample handling in the Anatomic Pathology laboratory in the context of COVID-19 global threat.

Novel mutations in the bone morphogenetic protein 6 gene in patients with iron overload and non-homozygous genotype for the HFE p.Cys282Tyr mutation.

Background: Five main genes are associated with hemochromatosis; however, current studies show that, in addition to these genes, others may be associated with primary iron overload (IO). One of these is the bone morphogenetic protein 6 (BMP6), which encodes a protein that modulates hepcidin synthesis and, consequently, iron homeostasis.

Aim: To identify BMP6 gene pathogenic variants in patients with IO and non-homozygous genotype for the HFE p.

Comparison of upper limb kinematics in two activities of daily living with different handling requirements.

Introduction: Recently, kinematic analysis of the drinking task (DRINK) has been recommended to assess the quality of upper limb (UL) movement after stroke, but the accomplishment of this task may become difficult for poststroke patients with hand impairment. Therefore, it is necessary to study ADLs that involve a simpler interaction with a daily life target, such as the turning on a light task (LIGHT). As the knowledge of movement performed by healthy adults becomes essential to assess the quality of movement of poststroke patients, the main goal of this article was to compare the kinematic strategies used by healthy adults in LIGHT with those that are used in DRINK.

Respiratory activity extracted from wrist-worn reflective photoplethysmography in a sleep-disordered population.

Objective: Respiratory activity is an essential parameter to monitor healthy and disordered sleep, and unobtrusive measurement methods have important clinical applications in diagnostics of sleep-related breathing disorders. We propose a respiratory activity surrogate extracted from wrist-worn reflective photoplethysmography validated on a heterogeneous dataset of 389 sleep recordings.

Approach: The surrogate was extracted by interpolating the amplitude of the PPG pulses after evaluation of pulse morphological quality.

Weighted Gene Correlation Network Meta-Analysis Reveals Functional Candidate Genes Associated with High- and Sub-Fertile Reproductive Performance in Beef Cattle.

Improved reproductive efficiency could lead to economic benefits for the beef industry, once the intensive selection pressure has led to a decreased fertility. However, several factors limit our understanding of fertility traits, including genetic differences between populations and statistical limitations. In the present study, the RNA-sequencing data from uterine samples of high-fertile (HF) and sub-fertile (SF) animals was integrated using co-expression network meta-analysis, weighted gene correlation network analysis, identification of upstream regulators, variant calling, and network topology approaches.

Immunoreactivity of proteins within 30-40 kDa range during the acute and the recovery phases in rats experimentally infected with Strongyloides venezuelensis.

In experimental infection with Strongyloides venezuelensis, the acute and recovery phases can be distinguished, unlike human infections caused by Strongyloides stercoralis. The objective of this study was to evaluate the production of anti-Strongyloides IgG antibodies and the recognition of immunogenic protein bands during the acute and the recovery phases in rats experimentally infected with S. venezuelensis.

Noise-induced hearing loss in zebrafish: investigating structural and functional inner ear damage and recovery.

Exposure to continuous moderate noise levels is known to impair the auditory system leading to Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) in animals including humans. The mechanism underlying noise-dependent auditory Temporary Threshold Shifts (TTS) is not fully understood. In fact, only limited information is available on vertebrates such as fishes, which share homologous inner ear structures to mammals and have the ability to regenerate hair cells.

Artificial Intelligence to Detect Papilledema from Ocular Fundus Photographs.

Background: Nonophthalmologist physicians do not confidently perform direct ophthalmoscopy. The use of artificial intelligence to detect papilledema and other optic-disk abnormalities from fundus photographs has not been well studied.

Methods: We trained, validated, and externally tested a deep-learning system to classify optic disks as being normal or having papilledema or other abnormalities from 15,846 retrospectively collected ocular fundus photographs that had been obtained with pharmacologic pupillary dilation and various digital cameras in persons from multiple ethnic populations.

Mitigation of diffuse CH and HS emissions from the liquid phase of UASB-based sewage treatment plants: challenges, techniques, and perspectives.

Upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors are considered to be a sustainable and well-established technology for sewage treatment in warm climate countries. However, gases dissolved in the effluent of these reactors, CH and HS in some instances, are a major drawback. These dissolved gases can be emitted into the atmosphere downstream of the anaerobic reactors, resulting in odour nuisance and, in the case of HS, corrosion, while in the case of CH, increasing greenhouse gas emissions with a significant loss of potentially recoverable energy.

Automatic sleep staging using heart rate variability, body movements, and recurrent neural networks in a sleep disordered population.

Study Objectives: To validate a previously developed sleep staging algorithm using heart rate variability (HRV) and body movements in an independent broad cohort of unselected sleep disordered patients.

Methods: We applied a previously designed algorithm for automatic sleep staging using long short-term memory recurrent neural networks to model sleep architecture. The classifier uses 132 HRV features computed from electrocardiography and activity counts from accelerometry.

Sound production in the Meagre, (Asso, 1801): intraspecific variability associated with size, sex and context.

Background: Many fish taxa produce sound in voluntary and in disturbance contexts but information on the full acoustic repertoire is lacking for most species. Yet, this knowledge is critical to enable monitoring fish populations in nature through acoustic monitoring.

Methods: In this study we characterized the sounds emitted during disturbance and voluntary contexts by juvenile and adult meagre, , in laboratory conditions.

[Factors associated with dietary patterns in the second half of life].

The aim of this paper is to identify eating patterns of children aged 6, 9 and 12 months and their association with socioeconomic, behavioral, birth and nutrition variables. Cross-sectional study with children from a cohort in Viçosa-MG, with 112 children at 6 months, 149 at 9 months and 117 at 12 months. Food intake was assessed by a 24-hour recall and patterns extracted by cluster analysis.

Lying Awake at Night: Cardiac Autonomic Activity in Relation to Sleep Onset and Maintenance.

Insomnia, i.e., difficulties initiating and/or maintaining sleep, is one of the most common sleep disorders.

Transcriptomic Profiles of Monocyte-Derived Macrophages in Response to Escherichia coli is Associated with the Host Genetics.

Reactive Nitrogen Species (RNS) are a group of bactericidal molecules produced by macrophages in response to pathogens in a process called oxidative burst. Nitric oxide (NO) is a member of RNS produced from arginine by inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase (iNOS) enzyme. The activity of iNOS and production of NO by macrophages following stimulation is one of the indicators of macrophage polarization towards M1/proinflammatory.

Shotgun proteomics of Strongyloides venezuelensis infective third stage larvae: Insights into host-parasite interaction and novel targets for diagnostics.

Strongyloides venezuelensis is an important alternative source of antigen for the serologic diagnosis of human strongyloidiasis. Proteomics techniques applied to the analysis of the protein content of infective third stage larvae (iL3) of S. venezuelensis provide a powerful tool for the discovery of new candidates for immunodiagnosis.

Assessment of fighting ability in the vocal cichlid in face of incongruent audiovisual information.

Information transfer between individuals typically depends on multiple sensory channels. Yet, how multi-sensory inputs shape adaptive behavioural decisions remains largely unexplored. We tested the relative importance of audio and visual sensory modalities in opponent size assessment in the vocal cichlid fish, , by playing back mismatched agonistic sounds mimicking larger or smaller opponents during fights of size-matched males.