A Moderate Intake of Beer Improves Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) in a High-Fat Diet (HFD)-Induced Mouse Model.

Beer and its components show potential for reducing hepatic steatosis in rodent models through multiple mechanisms. This study aimed to evaluate beer's anti-steatotic effects in a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced mouse model of Metabolic dysfunction-Associated Liver Disease (MASLD) and to explore the underlying mechanisms. In the HFD group, steatosis was confirmed by altered blood parameters, weight gain, elevated liver lipid content, and histological changes.

Effect of Sprouting, Fermentation and Cooking on Antioxidant Content and Total Antioxidant Activity in Quinoa and Amaranth.

The study of different processing techniques, such as sprouting, cooking and fermentation, can help to develop new products for human health. In this work, raw, cooked and fermented seeds and germinated seeds of Willd. var.

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles enhance the detrimental effect of polystyrene nanoplastics on cell and plant physiology of (L.) Coss. & Germ. seedlings.

Polystyrene nanoplastics and titanium dioxide nanoparticles are widely spread in all environments, often coexisting within identical frameworks. Both these contaminants can induce negative effects on cell and plant physiology, giving concerns on their possible interaction which could increase each other's harmful effects on plants. Despite the urgency of this issue, there is very little literature addressing it.

Systematic assessment of ISWI subunits shows that NURF creates local accessibility for CTCF.

Catalytic activity of the imitation switch (ISWI) family of remodelers is critical for nucleosomal organization and DNA binding of certain transcription factors, including the insulator protein CTCF. Here we define the contribution of individual subcomplexes by deriving a panel of isogenic mouse stem cell lines, each lacking one of six ISWI accessory subunits. Individual deletions of subunits of either CERF, RSF, ACF, WICH or NoRC subcomplexes only moderately affect the chromatin landscape, while removal of the NURF-specific subunit BPTF leads to a strong reduction in chromatin accessibility and SNF2H ATPase localization around CTCF sites.

Assessment of the Antioxidant and Hypolipidemic Properties of for the Prevention of TAFLD in Rats.

Halophyte species represent valuable reservoirs of natural antioxidants, and, among these, stands out as a promising edible plant. In this study, young and old leaves were compared for the content of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity to assess changes in different growth phases; then, the potential protective effects against low-dose CCl-induced toxicant-associated fatty liver disease (TAFLD) were investigated by administering an aqueous suspension of young leaves to rats daily for two weeks. Quantification of total and individual phenolic compounds and in vitro antioxidant activity assays (DPPH, FRAP, and ORAC) showed the highest values in young leaves compared to mature ones.

Automatic quantification of REM sleep without atonia reliably identifies patients with REM sleep behavior disorder: a possible screening tool?

Background: REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD) is characterized by absence of physiological muscle atonia during REM sleep (REM sleep without atonia, RWA). Nigro-striatal dopaminergic impairment is a feature of Parkinson disease (PD) and can be identified in prodromal stages as well, such as idiopathic RBD (iRBD). Aims of this study are to explore the efficacy of an automatic RWA quantification in identifying RBD patients and the correlation between RWA and nigro-striatal dopaminergic function.

EEG-based machine learning models for the prediction of phenoconversion time and subtype in isolated rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder.

Study Objectives: Isolated rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) is a prodromal stage of α-synucleinopathies and eventually phenoconverts to overt neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson's disease (PD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and multiple system atrophy (MSA). Associations of baseline resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) with phenoconversion have been reported. In this study, we aimed to develop machine learning models to predict phenoconversion time and subtype using baseline EEG features in patients with iRBD.

Integrative approaches to study enhancer-promoter communication.

The spatiotemporal control of gene expression in complex multicellular organisms relies on noncoding regulatory sequences such as enhancers, which activate transcription of target genes often over large genomic distances. Despite the advances in the identification and characterization of enhancers, the principles and mechanisms by which enhancers select and control their target genes remain largely unknown. Here, we review recent interdisciplinary and quantitative approaches based on emerging techniques that aim to address open questions in the field, notably how regulatory information is encoded in the DNA sequence, how this information is transferred from enhancers to promoters, and how these processes are regulated in time.

Early Physiological, Cytological and Antioxidative Responses of the Edible Halophyte Exposed to Salt Stress.

Quinoa ( Willd.) is a plant of South American origin recently valorized for its nutritional and nutraceutical properties in human diet. Quinoa is cultivated in many parts of the world, with a selection of varieties with good adaptability to extreme climatic conditions and salt stress.

Cohesin and CTCF control the dynamics of chromosome folding.

In mammals, interactions between sequences within topologically associating domains enable control of gene expression across large genomic distances. Yet it is unknown how frequently such contacts occur, how long they last and how they depend on the dynamics of chromosome folding and loop extrusion activity of cohesin. By imaging chromosomal locations at high spatial and temporal resolution in living cells, we show that interactions within topologically associating domains are transient and occur frequently during the course of a cell cycle.

Derivation and Validation of a Phenoconversion-Related Pattern in Idiopathic Rapid Eye Movement Behavior Disorder.

Background: Idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) represents the prodromal stage of α-synucleinopathies. Reliable biomarkers are needed to predict phenoconversion.

Objective: The aim was to derive and validate a brain glucose metabolism pattern related to phenoconversion in iRBD (iRBDconvRP) using spatial covariance analysis (Scaled Subprofile Model and Principal Component Analysis [SSM-PCA]).

Design, Labeling, and Application of Probes for RNA smFISH.

Visualization of single mRNA molecules in fixed cells can be achieved using single molecule fluorescent in situ hybridization (smFISH). This approach enables accurate quantification of mRNA numbers and localization at a single-cell level. To ensure reliable results using smFISH, it is critical to use fluorescent probes that are highly specific to their RNA target.

The Role of Monoaminergic Tones and Brain Metabolism in Cognition in De Novo Parkinson's Disease.

Background: Cognitive impairment is frequent in Parkinson's disease (PD) and several neurotransmitter changes have been reported since the time of diagnosis, although seldom investigated altogether in the same patient cohort.

Objective: Our aim was to evaluate the association between neurotransmitter impairment, brain metabolism, and cognition in a cohort of de novo, drug-naïve PD patients.

Methods: We retrospectively selected 95 consecutive drug-naïve PD patients (mean age 71.

Early evidence of the impacts of microplastic and nanoplastic pollution on the growth and physiology of the seagrass Cymodocea nodosa.

Microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) are ubiquitous in natural habitats and the risks their presence poses to marine environments and organisms are of increasing concern. There is evidence that seagrass meadows are particularly prone to accumulate plastic debris, including polystyrene particles, but the impacts of this pollutant on seagrass performance are currently unknown. This is a relevant knowledge gap as seagrasses provide multiple ecosystem services and are declining globally due to anthropogenic impact and climate-change-related stressors.

VisuStatR: visualizing motility and morphology statistics on images in R.

Motivation: Live-cell microscopy has become an essential tool for analyzing dynamic processes in various biological applications. Thereby, high-throughput and automated tracking analyses allow the simultaneous evaluation of large numbers of objects. However, to critically assess the influence of individual objects on calculated summary statistics, and to detect heterogeneous dynamics or possible artifacts, such as misclassified or -tracked objects, a direct mapping of gained statistical information onto the actual image data would be necessary.

Inversion of a topological domain leads to restricted changes in its gene expression and affects interdomain communication.

The interplay between the topological organization of the genome and the regulation of gene expression remains unclear. Depletion of molecular factors (e.g.

Nonlinear control of transcription through enhancer-promoter interactions.

Chromosome structure in mammals is thought to regulate transcription by modulating three-dimensional interactions between enhancers and promoters, notably through CTCF-mediated loops and topologically associating domains (TADs). However, how chromosome interactions are actually translated into transcriptional outputs remains unclear. Here, to address this question, we use an assay to position an enhancer at large numbers of densely spaced chromosomal locations relative to a fixed promoter, and measure promoter output and interactions within a genomic region with minimal regulatory and structural complexity.

Polystyrene nanoplastics affect seed germination, cell biology and physiology of rice seedlings in-short term treatments: Evidence of their internalization and translocation.

Agroecosystems represent more and more a huge long-term sink for plastic compounds which inevitably undergo fragmentation, generating micro- and nano-plastics, with potential adverse effects on soil chemistry and living organisms. The present work was focused on the short-term effects of two different concentrations of polystyrene nanoplastics (PSNPs) (0.1 or 1 g L suspensions) on rice seedlings starting from seed germination, hypothesizing that possible acute effects on seedlings could depend on oxidative damage trigged by PSNPs internalization.

Cannabis sativa L. and Brassica juncea L. grown on arsenic-contaminated industrial soil: potentiality and limitation for phytoremediation.

Phytoremediation represents a natural method to remove contaminants from soil. The goal of this study was to investigate the potential of phosphate-assisted phytoremediation by two energy crops, Cannabis sativa L. and Brassica juncea L.

Polysomnographic correlates of sleep disturbances in de novo, drug naïve Parkinson's Disease.

Background: Sleep disturbances are common non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's Disease (PD).

Methods: The aim of this study was to investigate the polysomnographic correlates of sleep changes, as investigated by the Parkinson's Disease Sleep Scale-2 (PDSS-2), in a cohort of sixty-two consecutive de novo, drug naïve PD patients (71.40 ± 7.

Phase and amplitude electroencephalography correlations change with disease progression in people with idiopathic rapid eye-movement sleep behavior disorder.

Study Objectives: Increased phase synchronization in electroencephalography (EEG) bands might reflect the activation of compensatory mechanisms of cognitive decline in people with neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we investigated whether altered large-scale couplings of brain oscillations could be linked to the balancing of cognitive decline in a longitudinal cohort of people with idiopathic rapid eye-movement sleep behavior disorder (iRBD).

Methods: We analyzed 18 patients (17 males, 69.

Polymer Folding Simulations from Hi-C Data.

In the absence of a clear molecular understanding of the mechanism that stabilizes specific contacts in interphasic chromatin, we resort to the principle of maximum entropy to build a polymeric model based on the Hi-C data of the specific system one wants to study. The interactions are set by an iterative Monte Carlo algorithm to reproduce the average contacts summarized by the Hi-C map. The study of the ensemble of conformations generated by the algorithm can report a much richer set of information than the experimental map alone, including colocalization of multiple sites, fluctuations of the contacts, and kinetical properties.