IL-1β-driven NF-κB transcription of ACE2 as a Mechanism of Macrophage Infection by SARS-CoV-2.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by infection with the enveloped RNA betacoronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, led to a global pandemic involving over 7 million deaths. Macrophage inflammatory responses impact COVID-19 severity; however, it is unclear whether macrophages are infected by SARS-CoV-2. We sought to identify mechanisms regulating macrophage expression of ACE2, the primary receptor for SARS-CoV-2, and to determine if macrophages are susceptible to productive infection.

Fluorescence-activated nuclear sorting (FANS) of nuclei from in vitro-generated syncytiotrophoblast.

Large, multinucleated cells, like syncytiotrophoblasts (STB), are not readily analyzed by standard methods used for single cells, such as single-cell RNA-sequencing and fluorescence-activated cellular sorting (FACS). Here we have demonstrated that fluorescence-activated nuclear sorting (FANS) is suitable to analyze nuclei from STB. Human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) can be differentiated into a mixed trophoblast populations comprising approximately 20 % STB by treatment with BMP4 (Bone Morphogenetic Protein-4), plus A83-01 and PD173074, inhibitors of activin and FGF2 signaling, respectively (the BAP model) in about a week.

RADON INFILTRATION BUILDING ENVELOPE TEST SYSTEM: EVALUATION OF BARRIER MATERIALS.

The performance of radon barrier materials currently available for housing foundations was evaluated using a unique radon infiltration building envelope test system that was designed to test radon prevention and mitigation systems using real world construction techniques. The reduction in radon concentration measured across the air barrier in the foundations has been used to evaluate five representative barrier materials installed in the radon infiltration building envelope test facility. The reduction in radon concentration in the mock house varied from 68% for 6 mil polyethylene to 98% for the spray polyurethane foam.

A Comparative Study of Radon Levels in Federal Buildings and Residential Homes in Canada.

Shortly after revision of the Canadian radon guideline from 800 to 200 Bq m, Health Canada established the Federal Building Testing Program in 2007 to demonstrate federal leadership in raising awareness about radon risk and the need for testing. By the end of 2017, more than 7,600 federal workplaces had been tested for radon. As is the case in all radon surveys, radon levels vary widely; federal building results ranged from below the detection limit to more than 2,500 Bq m in a few rooms of a few buildings.

Inactivation of porcine interleukin-1β results in failure of rapid conceptus elongation.

Conceptus expansion throughout the uterus of mammalian species with a noninvasive epitheliochorial type of placentation is critical establishing an adequate uterine surface area for nutrient support during gestation. Pig conceptuses undergo a unique rapid morphological transformation to elongate into filamentous threads within 1 h, which provides the uterine surface to support development and maintain functional corpora lutea through the production of estrogen. Conceptus production of a unique interleukin 1β, IL1B2, temporally increases during the period of trophoblast remodeling during elongation.

Precision control of flow rate in microfluidic channels using photoresponsive soft polymer actuators.

A novel approach that allows control of flow in microfluidic channels with unsurpassed performance using light is described. Valve structures have been created using photoresponsive hydrogels based on spiropyran-functionalised pNIPAAm hydrogels photopolymerised around pillar structures within the channels. Valve actuation is controlled from outside the fluidic system using externally located LEDs.

Rapid conceptus elongation in the pig: An interleukin 1 beta 2 and estrogen-regulated phenomenon.

Establishment and maintenance of pregnancy in the pig involves activating many physiological, cellular, and molecular signaling pathways between the developing conceptus and hormonally regulated maternal endometrium. Rapid elongation of the pig trophoblast allows for the establishment of sufficient placental surface area for the transport of nutrients to the fetus throughout pregnancy. Estrogens secreted by the conceptus during elongation act on uterine epithelia to induce secretion of uterine factors required for conceptus development and for preventing endocrine secretion of prostaglandin F2α, which would cause luteolysis.

Evaluation of potential mechanisms of atrazine-induced reproductive impairment in fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) and Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes).

Atrazine has been implicated in reproductive dysfunction of exposed organisms, and previous studies documented decreased egg production in Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) and fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) during 30-d to 38-d exposures to 0.5 µg/L, 5 µg/L, and 50 µg/L atrazine. The authors evaluated possible mechanisms underlying the reduction in egg production.

Cytokines from the pig conceptus: roles in conceptus development in pigs.

Establishment of pregnancy in pigs involves maintaining progesterone secretion from the corpora lutea in addition to regulating a sensitive interplay between the maternal immune system and attachment of the rapidly expanding trophoblast for nutrient absorption. The peri-implantation period of rapid trophoblastic elongation followed by attachment to the maternal uterine endometrium is critical for establishing a sufficient placental-uterine interface for subsequent nutrient transport for fetal survival to term, but is also marked by the required conceptus release of factors involved with stimulating uterine secretion of histotroph and modulation of the maternal immune system. Many endometrial genes activated by the conceptus secretory factors stimulate a tightly controlled proinflammatory response within the uterus.

Atrazine reduces reproduction in Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes).

Atrazine is an effective broadleaf herbicide and the second most heavily used herbicide in the United States. Effects along the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonad axis in a number of vertebrate taxa have been demonstrated. Seasonally elevated concentrations of atrazine in surface waters may adversely affect fishes, but only a few studies have examined reproductive effects of this chemical.

Methylated DNA immunoprecipitation and high-throughput sequencing (MeDIP-seq) using low amounts of genomic DNA.

DNA modifications, such as methylation and hydroxymethylation, are pivotal players in modulating gene expression, genomic imprinting, X-chromosome inactivation, and silencing repetitive sequences during embryonic development. Aberrant DNA modifications lead to embryonic and postnatal abnormalities and serious human diseases, such as cancer. Comprehensive genome-wide DNA methylation and hydroxymethylation studies provide a way to thoroughly understand normal development and to identify potential epigenetic mutations in human diseases.

Production of biallelic CMP-Neu5Ac hydroxylase knock-out pigs.

After the knock-out (KO) of α1,3 galactosyltransfease (Gal-T), the Hanganutziu-Deicher antigen became a major antigen of the "non-Gal antigen" that is implicated in subsequent xenograft rejection. For deletion of non-Gal antigen, we successfully produced zinc finger nuclease (ZFN)-mediated monoallelic/biallelic male and female CMP-N-acetylneuraminic acid hydroxylase (CMAH) KO miniature pigs: the efficiency of the gene targeting (41.7%) was higher when donor DNA was used with the ZFN than those of ZFN alone (9.

Human insulin fibril-assisted synthesis of fluorescent gold nanoclusters in alkaline media under physiological temperature.

Fluorescent insulin fibrils gold nanoclusters (Au NCs) have been synthesized through the reduction of gold by human insulin in fibrillated form. Likewise, nanocluster formation has been regulated by insulin, working as a protein-based template. Environment- and surface-controlled experiments have shown the optimized synthesis conditions is comprised of a pure aqueous alkaline solvent for insulin under constant heat at physiological temperature (37°C) prior to addition of the Au precursor (HAuCl4), followed by subsequent heating (37°C) and vigorous stirring after the addition of HAuCl4 until the completion of the synthetic approach.

Genetically engineered pig models for human diseases.

Although pigs are used widely as models of human disease, their utility as models has been enhanced by genetic engineering. Initially, transgenes were added randomly to the genome, but with the application of homologous recombination, zinc finger nucleases, and transcription activator-like effector nuclease (TALEN) technologies, now most any genetic change that can be envisioned can be completed. To date these genetic modifications have resulted in animals that have the potential to provide new insights into human diseases for which a good animal model did not exist previously.

Surface chemistry and spectroscopy of human insulin Langmuir monolayer.

The human insulin (HI) protein was examined to elucidate its structure at the air-water interface. Optimal experimental conditions were determined to prepare a homogeneous and stable human insulin (HI) Langmuir monolayer. HI insulin Langmuir monolayer can be used to study interactions of HI with a membrane as Langmuir monolayers are used as an in vitro model of biological membranes.

Human islet amyloid polypeptide at the air-aqueous interface: a Langmuir monolayer approach.

Human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) is the source of the major component of the amyloid deposits found in the islets of Langerhans of around 95 per cent type 2 diabetic patients. The formation of aggregates and mature fibrils is thought to be responsible for the dysfunction and death of the insulin-producing pancreatic β-cells. Investigation on the conformation, orientation and self-assembly of the hIAPP at time zero could be beneficial for our understanding of its stability and aggregation process.

Study of the aggregation of human insulin Langmuir monolayer.

The human insulin (HI) Langmuir monolayer at the air-water interface was systematically investigated in the presence and absence of Zn(II) ions in the subphase. HI samples were dissolved in acidic (pH 2) and basic (pH 9) aqueous solutions and then spread at the air-water interface. Spectroscopic data of aqueous solutions of HI show a difference in HI conformation at different pH values.

Interaction of the CdSe quantum dots with plant cell walls.

There is an increasing application of quantum dots (QDs) in plant science, as markers for the cells or their cell walls (CWs). In a plant cell the CW is a first target place for external agents. We studied interaction of CdSe QDs with CWs isolated from a conifer -Picea omorika (Panč) Purkynĕ branch.

Genetic modifications of pigs for medicine and agriculture.

Genetically modified swine hold great promise in the fields of agriculture and medicine. Currently, these swine are being used to optimize production of quality meat, to improve our understanding of the biology of disease resistance, and to reduced waste. In the field of biomedicine, swine are anatomically and physiologically analogous to humans.

Vascular effects of exercise: endothelial adaptations beyond active muscle beds.

Endothelial adaptations to exercise training are not exclusively conferred within the active muscle beds. Herein, we summarize key studies that have evaluated the impact of chronic exercise on the endothelium of vasculatures perfusing nonworking skeletal muscle, brain, viscera, and skin, concluding with discussion of potential mechanisms driving these endothelial adaptations.

Impact of exercise training on endothelial transcriptional profiles in healthy swine: a genome-wide microarray analysis.

While the salutary effects of exercise training on conduit artery endothelial cells have been reported in animals and humans with cardiovascular risk factors or disease, whether a healthy endothelium is alterable with exercise training is less certain. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of exercise training on transcriptional profiles in normal endothelial cells using a genome-wide microarray analysis. Brachial and internal mammary endothelial gene expression was compared between a group of healthy pigs that exercise trained for 16-20 wk (n = 8) and a group that remained sedentary (n = 8).

Radiostrontium and radium analysis in low-level environmental samples following a multi-stage semi-automated chromatographic sequential separation.

Strontium isotopes, (89)Sr and (90)Sr, and (226)Ra being radiotoxic when ingested, are routinely monitored in milk and drinking water samples collected from different regions in Canada. In order to monitor environmental levels of activity, a novel semi-automated sensitive method has been developed at the Radiation Protection Bureau of Health Canada (Ottawa, Canada). This method allows the separation and quantification of both (89)Sr and (90)Sr and has also been adapted to quantify (226)Ra during the same sample preparation procedure.

Effect of epigenetic regulation during swine embryogenesis and on cloning by nuclear transfer.

Swine play important roles as models of human disease. A combination of genetic modification with somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) holds the promise of uncovering the pathogenesis of human diseases and then of developing therapeutic protocols. Unfortunately, the mechanism(s) of nuclear remodeling (a change in the structure of the nucleus) and reprogramming (a change in the transcriptional profile) during SCNT remains unclear.