Maternal consumption of yoghurt activating the aryl hydrocarbon receptor increases group 3 innate lymphoid cells in murine offspring.

Unlabelled: Indole derivatives are microbial metabolites of the tryptophan pathway involved in gut immune homeostasis. They bind to the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), thereby modulating development of intestinal group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3) and subsequent interleukin-22 production. In mice, indole derivatives of the maternal microbiota can reach the milk and drive early postnatal ILC3 development.

Essential Role of the RIα Subunit of cAMP-Dependent Protein Kinase in Regulating Cardiac Contractility and Heart Failure Development.

Background: The heart expresses 2 main subtypes of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA; type I and II) that differ in their regulatory subunits, RIα and RIIα. Embryonic lethality of RIα knockout mice limits the current understanding of type I PKA function in the myocardium. The objective of this study was to test the role of RIα in adult heart contractility and pathological remodeling.

Curved Toroidal Row Column Addressed Transducer for 3D Ultrafast Ultrasound Imaging.

3D Imaging of the human heart at high frame rate is of major interest for various clinical applications. Electronic complexity and cost has prevented the dissemination of 3D ultrafast imaging into the clinic. Row column addressed (RCA) transducers provide volumetric imaging at ultrafast frame rate by using a low electronic channel count, but current models are ill-suited for transthoracic cardiac imaging due to field-of-view limitations.

Root-exuded specialized metabolites reduce arsenic toxicity in maize.

By releasing specialized metabolites, plants modify their environment. Whether and how specialized metabolites protect plants against toxic levels of trace elements is not well understood. We evaluated whether benzoxazinoids, which are released into the soil by major cereals, can confer protection against arsenic toxicity.

Isolation and Structure Determination of Drought-Induced Multihexose Benzoxazinoids from Maize ().

Benzoxazinoids (BXDs) are plant specialized metabolites exerting a pivotal role in plant nutrition, allelopathy, and defenses. Multihexose benzoxazinoids were previously observed in cereal-based food products such as whole-grain bread. However, their production in plants and exact structure have not been fully elucidated.

The Chemical Ecology of Benzoxazinoids.

Benzoxazinoids are specialized metabolites that modulate plant physiology and plant interactions with their environment. In this review, we synthesize their multiple functions and ecological relevance. We first provide an overview of benzoxazinoid biosynthesis and highlight known regulatory elements involved in modulating their production.

Bacterial tolerance to host-exuded specialized metabolites structures the maize root microbiome.

Plants exude specialized metabolites from their roots, and these compounds are known to structure the root microbiome. However, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. We established a representative collection of maize root bacteria and tested their tolerance against benzoxazinoids (BXs), the dominant specialized and bioactive metabolites in the root exudates of maize plants.

Modulation of cardiac cAMP signaling by AMPK and its adjustments in pressure overload-induced myocardial dysfunction in rat and mouse.

The beta-adrenergic system is a potent stimulus for enhancing cardiac output that may become deleterious when energy metabolism is compromised as in heart failure. We thus examined whether the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) that is activated in response to energy depletion may control the beta-adrenergic pathway. We studied the cardiac response to beta-adrenergic stimulation of AMPKα2-/- mice or to pharmacological AMPK activation on contractile function, calcium current, cAMP content and expression of adenylyl cyclase 5 (AC5), a rate limiting step of the beta-adrenergic pathway.

EPAC1 inhibition protects the heart from doxorubicin-induced toxicity.

Anthracyclines, such as doxorubicin (Dox), are widely used chemotherapeutic agents for the treatment of solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. However, they frequently induce cardiotoxicity leading to dilated cardiomyopathy and heart failure. This study sought to investigate the role of the exchange protein directly activated by cAMP (EPAC) in Dox-induced cardiotoxicity and the potential cardioprotective effects of EPAC inhibition.

Assessment of coronary microcirculation alterations in a porcine model of no-reflow using ultrasound localization microscopy: a proof of concept study.

Background: Coronary microvascular obstruction also known as no-reflow phenomenon is a major issue during myocardial infarction that bears important prognostic implications. Alterations of the microvascular network remains however challenging to assess as there is no imaging modality in the clinics that can image directly the coronary microvascular vessels. Ultrasound Localization Microscopy (ULM) imaging was recently introduced to map microvascular flows at high spatial resolution (∼10 μm).

A multistate model and its standalone tool to predict hospital and ICU occupancy by patients with COVID-19.

Objective: This study aims to build a multistate model and describe a predictive tool for estimating the daily number of intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital beds occupied by patients with coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19).

Material And Methods: The estimation is based on the simulation of patient trajectories using a multistate model where the transition probabilities between states are estimated via competing risks and cure models. The input to the tool includes the dates of COVID-19 diagnosis, admission to hospital, admission to ICU, discharge from ICU and discharge from hospital or death of positive cases from a selected initial date to the current moment.

Turnover of Benzoxazinoids during the Aerobic Deterioration of Maize Silage ().

While plant-specialized metabolites can affect mammal health, their fate during the aerobic deterioration of crop silage remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the metabolization of benzoxazinoids (BXs) in silages of two maize genotypes (W22 wild type and mutant line) during aerobic deterioration. In W22 plants, concentrations of the aglucone BXs DIMBOA and HMBOA in silage decreased over time upon air exposure, while concentrations of MBOA and BOA increased.

An online survey of the Spanish Lupus Patient Association (FELUPUS): patient perceptions and experiences.

Objectives: A survey conducted by the Spanish Lupus Federation (FELUPUS) shows the results on perceptions and experiences of the people who live with lupus in Spain. The information was gathered anonymously from May 21 to June 30, 2020. The aim of the study was to monitor the impact of the disease on quality of life, as well as to measure the impact of organ damage in lupus patients.

Coronary Flow Assessment Using 3-Dimensional Ultrafast Ultrasound Localization Microscopy.

Background: Direct assessment of the coronary microcirculation has long been hampered by the limited spatial and temporal resolutions of cardiac imaging modalities.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to demonstrate 3-dimensional (3D) coronary ultrasound localization microscopy (CorULM) of the whole heart beyond the acoustic diffraction limit (<20 μm resolution) at ultrafast frame rate (>1000 images/s).

Methods: CorULM was performed in isolated beating rat hearts (N = 6) with ultrasound contrast agents (Sonovue, Bracco), using an ultrasonic matrix transducer connected to a high channel-count ultrafast electronics.

Lithic cyanobacterial communities in the polyextreme Sahara Desert: implications for the search for the limits of life.

The hyperarid Sahara Desert presents extreme and persistent dry conditions with a limited number of hours during which the moisture availability, temperature and light allow phototrophic growth. Some cyanobacteria can live in these hostile conditions by seeking refuge under (hypolithic) or inside (endolithic) rocks, by colonizing porous spaces (cryptoendoliths) or fissures in stones (chasmoendoliths). Chroococcidiopsis spp.

Pulmonary Thromboendarterectomy in Klinefelter Syndrome. Literature Review.

Klinefelter syndrome  is a form of male hypogonadism due to testicular sclerohyalinosis with atrophy and azoospermia, which is the most common cause of male infertility. The syndrome is usually accompanied by metabolic, morphological, and neurobehavioral manifestations; Venous thromboembolic diseases such as deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. The existence of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension in patients with Klinefelter syndrome   is scarce in the literature.

Climate Change Modulates Multitrophic Interactions Between Maize, A Root Herbivore, and Its Enemies.

How climate change will modify belowground tritrophic interactions is poorly understood, despite their importance for agricultural productivity. Here, we manipulated the three major abiotic factors associated with climate change (atmospheric CO, temperature, and soil moisture) and investigated their individual and joint effects on the interaction between maize, the banded cucumber beetle (Diabrotica balteata), and the entomopathogenic nematode (EPN) Heterorhabditis bacteriophora. Changes in individual abiotic parameters had a strong influence on plant biomass, leaf wilting, sugar concentrations, protein levels, and benzoxazinoid contents.

Impaired Binding to Junctophilin-2 and Nanostructural Alteration in CPVT Mutation.

[Figure: see text].

SARS-CoV-2 congenital infection and pre-eclampsia-like syndrome in dichorionic twins: A case report and review of the literature.

Description of a case of probable transplacental transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 to both twins and development of pre‐eclampsia‐like syndrome in the mother.

Microenvironmental Conditions Drive the Differential Cyanobacterial Community Composition of Biocrusts from the Sahara Desert.

The Sahara Desert is characterized by extreme environmental conditions, which are a unique challenge for life. Cyanobacteria are key players in the colonization of bare soils and form assemblages with other microorganisms in the top millimetres, establishing biological soil crusts (biocrusts) that cover most soil surfaces in deserts, which have important roles in the functioning of drylands. However, knowledge of biocrusts from these extreme environments is limited.

SARS-CoV-2 immunochromatographic IgM/IgG rapid test in pregnancy: A false friend?

Background: An increasing body of evidence has revealed that SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnant women could increase the risk of adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. Careful monitoring of pregnancies with COVID-19 and measures to prevent neonatal infection are warranted. Therefore, rapid antibody tests have been suggested as an efficient screening tool during pregnancy.