Urinary concentrations of phthalate and phthalate alternative metabolites and sperm DNA methylation: A multi-cohort and meta-analysis of men in preconception studies.

Phthalates are ubiquitous pollutants in the environment; however, the mechanisms of phthalate-associated reproductive disorders in men are not fully understood. The aim of this study is to investigate associations between urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations and sperm DNA methylation. The study was conducted on 697 men from three prospective pregnancy cohorts: Longitudinal Investigation of Fertility and the Environment (LIFE) Study, Sperm Environmental Epigenetics and Development Study (SEEDS), and Environment and Reproductive Health (EARTH) Study.

Mixtures of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) alter sperm methylation and long-term reprogramming of offspring liver and fat transcriptome.

Male fertility has been declining worldwide especially in countries with high levels of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl Substances (PFAS) have been classified as EDCs and have been linked to adverse male reproductive health. The mechanisms of these associations and their implications on offspring health remain unknown.

Associations between Sperm Epigenetic Age and Semen Parameters: An Evaluation of Clinical and Non-Clinical Cohorts.

The well-documented relationship between chronological age and the sperm methylome has allowed for the construction of epigenetic clocks that estimate the biological age of sperm based on DNA methylation, which we previously termed sperm epigenetic age (SEA). Our lab demonstrated that SEA is positively associated with the time taken to achieve pregnancy; however, its relationship with semen parameters is unknown. A total of 379 men from the Longitudinal Investigation of Fertility and Environment (LIFE) study, a non-clinical cohort, and 192 men seeking fertility treatment from the Sperm Environmental Epigenetics and Development Study (SEEDS) were included in the study.

Quantification of changes in myocardial T * values with exercise cardiac MRI using a free-breathing non-electrocardiograph radial imaging.

Purpose: To develop and evaluate a free breathing non-electrocardiograph (ECG) myocardial T * mapping sequence using radial imaging to quantify the changes in myocardial T * between rest and exercise (T * ) in exercise cardiac MRI (Ex-CMR).

Methods: A free-running T * sequence was developed using a saturation pulse followed by three Look-Locker inversion-recovery experiments. Each Look-Locker continuously acquired data as radial trajectory using a low flip-angle spoiled gradient-echo readout.

Highly accelerated free-breathing real-time phase contrast cardiovascular MRI via complex-difference deep learning.

Purpose: To develop and evaluate a real-time phase contrast (PC) MRI protocol via complex-difference deep learning (DL) framework.

Methods: DL used two 3D U-nets to separately filter aliasing artifact from radial real-time velocity-compensated and complex-difference images. U-nets were trained with synthetic real-time PC generated from electrocardiograph (ECG) -gated, breath-hold, segmented PC (ECG-gated segmented PC) acquired at the ascending aorta of 510 patients.

Free-breathing simultaneous myocardial T and T mapping with whole left ventricle coverage.

Purpose: To develop a free-breathing sequence, that is, Multislice Joint T -T , for simultaneous measurement of myocardial T and T for multiple slices to achieve whole left-ventricular coverage.

Methods: Multislice Joint T -T adopts slice-interleaved acquisition to collect 10 single-shot electrocardiogram-triggered images for each slice prepared by saturation and T preparation to simultaneously estimate myocardial T and T and achieve whole left-ventricular coverage. Prospective slice-tracking using a respiratory navigator and retrospective image registration are used to reduce through-plane and in-plane motion, respectively.

Association Between Left Ventricular Mechanical Deformation and Myocardial Fibrosis in Nonischemic Cardiomyopathy.

Background In patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy, nonischemic fibrosis detected by late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) cardiovascular magnetic resonance is related to adverse cardiovascular outcomes. However, its relationship with left ventricular (LV) mechanical deformation parameters remains unclear. We sought to investigate the association between LV mechanics and the presence, location, and extent of fibrosis in patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy.

Cortisol regulates insulin-like growth-factor binding protein (igfbp) gene expression in Atlantic salmon parr.

The growth hormone (Gh)/insulin-like growth-factor (Igf)/Igf binding protein (Igfbp) system regulates growth and osmoregulation in salmonid fishes, but how this system interacts with other endocrine systems is largely unknown. Given the well-documented consequences of mounting a glucocorticoid stress response on growth, we hypothesized that cortisol inhibits anabolic processes by modulating the expression of hepatic igfbp mRNAs. Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) parr were implanted intraperitoneally with cortisol implants (0, 10, and 40 μg g body weight) and sampled after 3 or 14 days.

Free-breathing whole-heart multi-slice myocardial T mapping in 2 minutes.

Purpose: To develop and validate a saturation-delay-inversion recovery preparation, slice tracking and multi-slice based sequence for measuring whole-heart native T .

Method: The proposed free-breathing sequence performs T mapping of multiple left-ventricular slices by slice-interleaved acquisition to collect 10 electrocardiogram-triggered single-shot slice-selective images for each slice. A saturation-delay-inversion recovery pulse is used for T preparation.

Deep complex convolutional network for fast reconstruction of 3D late gadolinium enhancement cardiac MRI.

Several deep-learning models have been proposed to shorten MRI scan time. Prior deep-learning models that utilize real-valued kernels have limited capability to learn rich representations of complex MRI data. In this work, we utilize a complex-valued convolutional network (ℂNet) for fast reconstruction of highly under-sampled MRI data and evaluate its ability to rapidly reconstruct 3D late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) data.

Atomic Absorbance Spectroscopy to Measure Intracellular Zinc Pools in Mammalian Cells.

Transition metals are essential micronutrients for organisms but can be toxic to cells at high concentrations by competing with physiological metals in proteins and generating redox stress. Pathological conditions that lead to metal depletion or accumulation are causal agents of different human diseases. Some examples include anemia, acrodermatitis enteropathica, and Wilson's and Menkes' diseases.

Differential expression of zinc transporters accompanies the differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts.

Zinc transporters facilitate metal mobilization and compartmentalization, playing a key role in cellular development. Little is known about the mechanisms and pathways of Zn movement between Zn transporters and metalloproteins during myoblast differentiation. We analyzed the differential expression of ZIP and ZnT transporters during C2C12 myoblast differentiation.

Dynamic changes in copper homeostasis and post-transcriptional regulation of Atp7a during myogenic differentiation.

Copper (Cu) is an essential metal required for activity of a number of redox active enzymes that participate in critical cellular pathways such as metabolism and cell signaling. Because it is also a toxic metal, Cu must be tightly controlled by a series of transporters and chaperone proteins that regulate Cu homeostasis. The critical nature of Cu is highlighted by the fact that mutations in Cu homeostasis genes cause pathologic conditions such as Menkes and Wilson diseases.

Casein kinase 2-mediated phosphorylation of Brahma-related gene 1 controls myoblast proliferation and contributes to SWI/SNF complex composition.

Transcriptional regulation is modulated in part by chromatin-remodeling enzymes that control gene accessibility by altering chromatin compaction or nucleosome positioning. Brahma-related gene 1 (Brg1), a catalytic subunit of the mammalian SWI/SNF chromatin-remodeling enzymes, is required for both myoblast proliferation and differentiation, and the control of Brg1 phosphorylation by calcineurin, PKCβ1, and p38 regulates the transition to differentiation. However, we hypothesized that Brg1 activity might be regulated by additional kinases.