Creating pathways to just and sustainable food systems with citizen assemblies.

Food systems affect and are affected by the interrelated crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, resource depletion and health, amongst others. Transforming to sustainable approaches is vital, yet entangled with uncertainties, complexity and a great value diversion with stakeholders. Deliberative processes such as citizen assemblies offer a valuable contribution to such a transformation, since the crises and their responses affect everyday life, and therefore inviting individual and collective action.

Generation of an A549 ISRE-luciferase stable cell line.

With its human lung origin, A549 cell line is a designated cellular model for viral respiratory infections studies. As such infections are known to lead to innate immune responses, various IFN signaling modifications occur in infected cells and have to be considered in respiratory viruses experiments. Here, we describe the generation of an A549 stable cell line that expresses firefly luciferase upon interferon-β stimulation, as well as upon RIG-I transfection and upon influenza A virus infection.

Reverse Takutsubo Cardiomyopathy in a Patient with Phlegmasia Cerulea Dolens.

Reverse takotsubo cardiomyopathy (rTTC) is a rare variant of takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) which is characterized by reversible left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. Emotional and physical stress have been implicated in triggering TTC especially in postmenopausal women. TTC and its variants are becoming more recognized due to the widespread adoption of early coronary angiography in the setting of acute coronary syndromes.

How Influenza A Virus NS1 Deals with the Ubiquitin System to Evade Innate Immunity.

Ubiquitination is a post-translational modification regulating critical cellular processes such as protein degradation, trafficking and signaling pathways, including activation of the innate immune response. Therefore, viruses, and particularly influenza A virus (IAV), have evolved different mechanisms to counteract this system to perform proper infection. Among IAV proteins, the non-structural protein NS1 is shown to be one of the main virulence factors involved in these viral hijackings.

Global map and indicators of food system sustainability.

This paper presents the first global map of food systems sustainability based on a rigorous protocol. The choice of the metric dimensions, as well as the individual indicators included in the metric, were initially identified from a thorough review of the existing literature. A rigorous inclusion/exclusion protocol was then used to refine the list and shorten it to a sub-set of 27 indicators.

An evaluation of sampling methods used to produce insect growth models for postmortem interval estimation.

Many authors produced carrion insect development data for predicting the age of an insect from a corpse. Under some circumstances, this age value is a minimum postmortem interval. There are no standard protocols for such experiments, and the literature includes a variety of sampling methods.

Innate mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are activated in inflammatory bowel diseases.

Inflammatory bowel diseases are characterized by a deregulated immune response targeting the gut bacterial flora. Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class Ib-restricted innate-like lymphocytes with anti-bacterial functions. They display an effector/memory phenotype and are found in large numbers in the blood, mucosae and liver.

Modulation of gut-specific mechanisms by chronic δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol administration in male rhesus macaques infected with simian immunodeficiency virus: a systems biology analysis.

Our studies have demonstrated that chronic Δ(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) administration results in a generalized attenuation of viral load and tissue inflammation in simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-infected male rhesus macaques. Gut-associated lymphoid tissue is an important site for HIV replication and inflammation that can impact disease progression. We used a systems approach to examine the duodenal immune environment in 4- to 6-year-old male rhesus monkeys inoculated intravenously with SIVMAC251 after 17 months of chronic THC administration (0.

Identification of SLAMF3 (CD229) as an inhibitor of hepatocellular carcinoma cell proliferation and tumour progression.

Although hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies and constitutes the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. In the present study, we demonstrate for the first time that hepatocytes express signalling lymphocytic activation molecule family member 3 (SLAMF3/CD229) but not other SLAMF members. We provide evidence to show that SLAMF3 is involved in the control of hepatocyte proliferation and in hepatocellular carcinogenesis.

Social engagement and health in younger, older, and oldest-old adults in the Louisiana Healthy Aging Study.

Social support has been shown to influence health outcomes in later life. In this study, we focus on social engagement as an umbrella construct that covers select social behaviors in a life span sample that included oldest-old adults, a segment of the adult population for whom very little data currently exist. We examined relationships among social engagement, positive health behaviors, and physical health to provide new evidence that addresses gaps in the extant literature concerning social engagement and healthy aging in very old adults.

Locally expressed IGF1 propeptide improves mouse heart function in induced dilated cardiomyopathy by blocking myocardial fibrosis and SRF-dependent CTGF induction.

Cardiac fibrosis is critically involved in the adverse remodeling accompanying dilated cardiomyopathies (DCMs), which leads to cardiac dysfunction and heart failure (HF). Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), a profibrotic cytokine, plays a key role in this deleterious process. Some beneficial effects of IGF1 on cardiomyopathy have been described, but its potential role in improving DCM is less well characterized.

Cannabinoid administration attenuates the progression of simian immunodeficiency virus.

Δ(9)-Tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ(9)-THC), the primary psychoactive component in marijuana, is FDA approved to ameliorate AIDS-associated wasting. Because cannabinoid receptors are expressed on cells of the immune system, chronic Δ(9)-THC use may impact HIV disease progression. We examined the impact of chronic Δ(9)-THC administration (0.

Acute alcohol intoxication impairs the hematopoietic precursor cell response to pneumococcal pneumonia.

Background: Alcohol abuse is associated with an increased incidence and severity of pneumonia. In both the general population and individuals consuming excess alcohol, Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most frequent lung infection pathogen. Alcoholic patients with pneumonia frequently present with granulocytopenia, which is predictive of increased mortality.

Daily variations in oligosaccharides of human milk determined by microfluidic chips and mass spectrometry.

Human milk is a complex biological fluid that provides not only primary nourishment for infants but also protection against pathogens and influences their metabolic, immunologic, and even cognitive development. The presence of oligosaccharides in remarkable abundance in human milk has been associated to provide diverse biological functions including directing the development of an infant's intestinal microflora and immune system. Recent advances in analytical tools offer invaluable insights in understanding the specific functions and health benefits these biomolecules impart to infants.

Steady-state asymmetric nanospray dual ion source for accurate mass determination within a chromatographic separation.

Here we report the design, implementation, and initial use of an asymmetric steady-state continuous dual-nanospray ion source. This new source design consists of two independently controlled and continuously operating nanospray interfaces with funnel shaped counter electrodes. A steady-state ion mixing region combines the ions from the two sources into a single ion beam in the intermediate region after ion extraction from the nanospray sources but before the bulk of the pressure gradient of the vacuum interface.

Transgenic expression of human INS gene in Ins1/Ins2 double knockout mice leads to insulin underproduction and diabetes in some male mice.

We have generated transgenic mouse lines expressing exclusively a human INS transgene on an Ins1/Ins2 double knockout (mIKO) background. The transgene expression was driven by either a 4000 bp or a 353 bp promoter. These transgenic lines, designated mIKO:INS4000 and mIKO:INS353, were viable and fertile.

Conditional inactivation of the murine serum response factor in the pancreas leads to severe pancreatitis.

The Serum Response Factor (SRF) is widely expressed transcription factor acting at the confluence of multiple signaling pathways and has been implicated in the control of differentiation, growth, and cell death. In the present study, we found that SRF is expressed in the developing and adult pancreas. To explore the possible role of SRF in this organ, we have generated mutant mice with conditional disruption of the Srf gene.

Interplay between FGF10 and Notch signalling is required for the self-renewal of pancreatic progenitors.

Recent studies have shown that persistent expression of FGF10 in the developing pancreas of transgenic mice results in enhanced and prolonged proliferation of pancreatic progenitors, pancreatic hyperplasia and impaired pancreatic differentiation. These studies have also suggested that FGF10 prevents the differentiation of pancreatic progenitors by maintaining persistent Notch signalling. Here, we provide experimental evidence sustaining the capacity of FGF10 to induce the proliferation of pancreatic precursors, while preventing their differentiation.

Atmospheric pressure MALDI Fourier transform mass spectrometry of labile oligosaccharides.

An atmospheric pressure matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (AP MALDI) source coupled to Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT ICR MS) under UV laser and solid matrix conditions has been demonstrated to analyze a variety of labile oligosaccharides including O-linked and N-linked complex glycans released from glycoproteins. Spectra were acquired by both AP MALDI and vacuum MALDI and directly compared. The results presented here confirm that AP MALDI can generate significantly less energetic ions than vacuum MALDI and is able to produce the intact molecular ions with little or no fragmentation in both positive and negative ion mode analyses.

L-carnitine supplementation does not promote weight loss in ovariectomized rats despite endurance exercise.

In this five-week study, we tested the hypotheses that free access to a maintenance diet supplemented with L-carnitine (L-C) would reduce body fat in adult, sedentary, ovariectomized (OVX) rats, and that there would be an additive effect of L-C on weight reduction in swim-trained animals. As expected, serum carnitine was higher in rats fed the L-C diet, and the OVX-induced weight gain and abdominal fat were counteracted by swimming. L-C supplementation did not reduce the weight gain or abdominal fat in these adult female rats, Moreover, though not reaching statistical significance, rats that were fed L-C demonstrated a tendency for greater weight gain than their basal-fed counterparts despite no difference in energy intake.

Cotton boll age influences feeding preference by brown stink bug (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae).

Cotton plants were infested with brown stink bug, Euschistus servus (Say), to define cotton boll age classes (based on heat unit accumulation beyond anthesis) that are most frequently injured during each of the initial 5 wk of flowering. Bolls from each week were grouped into discrete age classes and evaluated for the presence of stink bug injury. Brown stink bug injured significantly more bolls of age class B (approximately 165-336 heat units), age class C (approximately 330-504 heat units), and age class D (approximately 495-672 heat units) during the initial 3 wk in both years and in week 5 in 2002 compared with other boll ages.

Boll injury and yield losses in cotton associated with brown stink bug (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) during flowering.

Brown stink bug, Euschistus servus (Say), was infested on cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., plants during reproductive stages to determine the effects on boll injury and seedcotton yield. During each week in 2002 and 2003, significantly more bolls with > or = 1 injured locule, bolls with > or = 2 injured locules, and bolls with discolored lint were recorded on stink bug-infested plants compared with that on noninfested plants.

Knock-in of diphteria toxin A chain gene at Ins2 locus: effects on islet development and localization of Ins2 expression in the brain.

We report here knock-in of diphteria toxin A chain (dta) gene at the Ins2 locus, using the strategy previously employed to insert lacZ under control of the Ins2 promoter. Mutant Ins2(dta/+), Ins2(dta/lacZ) or Ins2(lacZ/+) mouse pups were generated by breeding and analyzed to study the effects of toxigenetic beta-cell ablation on islet development and to localize the extrapancreatic Ins2 expression site in the brain. Ins2(dta/+) and Ins2(dta/lacZ) pups developed a severe diabetic ketoacidosis and died rapidly.

Capillary-channeled polymer fibers as stationary phases in liquid chromatography separations.

A method utilizing capillary-channeled polymer (C-CP) fibers as stationary phases in high-performance liquid chromatographic separations has been investigated. Polymeric fibers of differing backbones (polypropylene and polyester) having nominal diameters of approximately 50 and approximately 35 microm and a channeled structure on their periphery were packed into stainless steel tubing (305 x 4.6 mm I.