KCNB1-Leptin receptor complexes couple electric and endocrine function in the melanocortin neurons of the hypothalamus.

The neurons of the melanocortin system regulate feeding and energy homeostasis through a combination of electrical and endocrine mechanisms. However, the molecular basis for this functional heterogeneity is poorly understood. Here, a voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channel named KCNB1 (alias Kv2.

Intestinal Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase-1 Regulates Energy Balance via Alterations in Bile Acid Homeostasis.

Background & Aims: Stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD1) converts saturated fatty acids into monounsaturated fatty acids and plays an important regulatory role in lipid metabolism. Previous studies have demonstrated that mice deficient in SCD1 are protected from diet-induced obesity and hepatic steatosis due to altered lipid assimilation and increased energy expenditure. Previous studies in our lab have shown that intestinal SCD1 modulates intestinal and plasma lipids and alters cholesterol metabolism.

Gut Microbiota Fermentation of Digested Almond-Psyllium-Flax Seed-Based Artisan Bread Promotes Mediterranean Diet-Resembling Microbial Community.

Different modifications of the standard bread recipe have been proposed to improve its nutritional and health benefits. Here, we utilized the Human Gut Simulator (HGS) to assess the fermentation of one such artisan bread by human gut microbiota. Dried and milled bread, composed of almond flour, psyllium husks, and flax seeds as its three main ingredients, was first subjected to an protocol designed to mimic human oro-gastro-intestinal digestion.

A Comprehensive Clinical Outcome Analysis of Endoscopic Vessel Harvesting for Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery.

The long saphenous vein is routinely used for coronary bypass graft (CABG) surgery, and two primary techniques are commonly utilized: endoscopic vessel harvesting (EVH) and open vessel harvesting (OVH). The aim of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes of the EVH and OVH techniques used for CABG within the confines of a tertiary hospital. The clinical data of all patients subjected to either EVH or OVH for CABG surgery between 2014 and 2018 were retrospectively analyzed.

Genetic Foundation of Prostaglandin Metabolism Influences Patent Ductus Arteriosus Closure in Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants.

Objective:  Prostaglandins (PGs) play a major role in maintaining patency of the ductal arteriosus (DA). Pulmonary 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (PGDH), which is ecoded by the hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase () gene, is the primary enzyme responsible for PG breakdown. Animal studies have shown -knockout mice have significantly higher prostaglandin E2 levels and no ductal remodeling.

Intestinal stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 regulates energy balance via alterations in bile acid homeostasis.

Background And Aims: Stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD1) converts saturated fatty acids into monounsaturated fatty acids and plays an important regulatory role in lipid metabolism. Previous studies have demonstrated that mice deficient in SCD1 are protected from diet-induced obesity and hepatic steatosis due to altered lipid esterification and increased energy expenditure. Previous studies in our lab have shown that intestinal SCD1 modulates intestinal and plasma lipids and alters cholesterol metabolism.

Revisiting delusion subtypes in schizophrenia based on their underlying structures.

A clear understanding of the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and related spectrum disorders has been limited by clinical heterogeneity. We investigated whether relative severity and predominance of one or more delusion subtypes might yield clinically differentiable patient profiles. Patients (N = 286) with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) completed the 21-item Peters et al.

Catalytic activity of OGG1 is impaired by Zinc deficiency.

Oxidative stress-induced DNA base modifications, if unrepaired, can increase mutagenesis and genomic instability, ultimately leading to cell death. Cells predominantly use the base excision repair (BER) pathway to repair oxidatively-induced non-helix distorting lesions. BER is initiated by DNA glycosylases, such as 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase (OGG1), which repairs oxidatively modified guanine bases, including 7,8-dihydro-8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG) and ring-opened formamidopyrimidine lesions, 2,6-diamino-4-hydroxy-5-formamidopyrimidine (FapyG).

Cyberbullying: A study of its extent, coping resources, and psychological impact among college students.

Introduction: Bullying is an aggressive act with a hostile intent to dominate, abuse, or intimidate an individual(s) with a lesser social or physical power, repeatedly over a period of time. Though bullying can manifest in any social situation, its pernicious presence in the educational institutions has become a source of concern to all stakeholders. With their self-esteem and world view entwined in cyberspace, the present generation of young adults derive their social status and self-worth through affirmations through the internet via social networking sites.

Effects of independent versus dependent stressful life events on major symptom domains of schizophrenia.

We evaluated two models to link stressful life events (SLEs) with the psychopathology of schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD). We separated SLEs into independent (iSLEs, unlikely influenced by one's behavior) and dependent (dSLEs, likely influenced by one's behavior). Stress-diathesis and stress generation models were evaluated for the relationship between total, i- and d- SLEs and the severity of positive, negative, and depressive symptoms in participants with SSD.

Routine preoperative screening computed tomography of the thorax for cardiac surgery.

Introduction: This study aimed to evaluate the role of screening computed tomography (CT) of the thorax in cardiac surgery by analysing the presence of CT aortic calcifications in association with changes in operative strategy and postoperative stroke, and the CT features of emphysema with development of pneumonia.

Methods: All patients who underwent cardiac surgery from January 2013 to October 2017 by a single surgeon were retrospectively studied. Patients who underwent screening CT thorax before cardiac surgery (CT group) were compared to those who did not (no CT group).

GCN2 is required to maintain core body temperature in mice during acute cold.

Nonshivering thermogenesis in rodents requires macronutrients to fuel the generation of heat during hypothermic conditions. In this study, we examined the role of the nutrient sensing kinase, general control nonderepressible 2 (GCN2) in directing adaptive thermogenesis during acute cold exposure in mice. We hypothesized that GCN2 is required for adaptation to acute cold stress via activation of the integrated stress response (ISR) resulting in liver production of FGF21 and increased amino acid transport to support nonshivering thermogenesis.

Spontaneous allelic variant in deafness-blindness gene Ush1g resulting in an expanded phenotype.

Relationships between novel phenotypic behaviors and specific genetic alterations are often discovered using target-specific, directed mutagenesis or phenotypic selection following chemical mutagenesis. An alternative approach is to exploit deficiencies in DNA repair pathways that maintain genetic integrity in response to spontaneously induced damage. Mice deficient in the DNA glycosylase NEIL1 show elevated spontaneous mutations, which arise from translesion DNA synthesis past oxidatively induced base damage.

Fecal Microbiota, Forage Nutrients, and Metabolic Responses of Horses Grazing Warm- and Cool-Season Grass Pastures.

Integrating warm-season grasses into cool-season equine grazing systems can increase pasture availability during summer months. The objective of this study was to evaluate effects of this management strategy on the fecal microbiome and relationships between fecal microbiota, forage nutrients, and metabolic responses of grazing horses. Fecal samples were collected from 8 mares after grazing cool-season pasture in spring, warm-season pasture in summer, and cool-season pasture in fall as well as after adaptation to standardized hay diets prior to spring grazing and at the end of the grazing season.

Cortical connectomic mediations on gamma band synchronization in schizophrenia.

Aberrant gamma frequency neural oscillations in schizophrenia have been well demonstrated using auditory steady-state responses (ASSR). However, the neural circuits underlying 40 Hz ASSR deficits in schizophrenia remain poorly understood. Sixty-six patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and 85 age- and gender-matched healthy controls completed one electroencephalography session measuring 40 Hz ASSR and one imaging session for resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) assessments.

Metabolic protection by the dietary flavonoid 7,8-dihydroxyflavone requires an intact gut microbiome.

Background: 7,8-dihydroxyflavone (DHF) is a naturally occurring flavonoid found in , , and species that confers protection against high-fat diet (HFD) induced metabolic pathologies selectively in female mice. We have previously reported that this metabolic protection is associated with early and stable remodeling of the intestinal microbiome, evident in female but not male DHF-supplemented mice. Early changes in the gut microbiome in female DHF-fed mice were highly predictive of subsequent metabolic protection, suggesting a causative association between the gut microbiome and the metabolic effects of DHF.

Retinoic acid regulates pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 (Pdk4) to modulate fuel utilization in the adult heart: Insights from wild-type and β-carotene 9',10' oxygenase knockout mice.

Regulation of the pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) complex by the pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase PDK4 enables the heart to respond to fluctuations in energy demands and substrate availability. Retinoic acid, the transcriptionally active form of vitamin A, is known to be involved in the regulation of cardiac function and growth during embryogenesis as well as under pathological conditions. Whether retinoic acid also maintains cardiac health under physiological conditions is unknown.

Oxidized DNA fragments exit mitochondria via mPTP- and VDAC-dependent channels to activate NLRP3 inflammasome and interferon signaling.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) escaping stressed mitochondria provokes inflammation via cGAS-STING pathway activation and, when oxidized (Ox-mtDNA), it binds cytosolic NLRP3, thereby triggering inflammasome activation. However, it is unknown how and in which form Ox-mtDNA exits stressed mitochondria in non-apoptotic macrophages. We found that diverse NLRP3 inflammasome activators rapidly stimulated uniporter-mediated calcium uptake to open mitochondrial permeability transition pores (mPTP) and trigger VDAC oligomerization.

Psychosocial quality-of-life correlates in functional gastrointestinal disorders.

Introduction And Aim: Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) are complex illnesses characterized by gastrointestinal symptoms, with no underlying organic pathology. They are common, chronic, recurrent, and disabling disorders that significantly impair quality of life (QoL). The aim of the present cross-sectional analytical study was to assess QoL and its correlates in adult patients with FGIDs.

SCD1 is nutritionally and spatially regulated in the intestine and influences systemic postprandial lipid homeostasis and gut-liver crosstalk.

Stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 is an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-membrane resident protein that inserts a double bond into saturated fatty acids, converting them into their monounsaturated counterparts. Previous studies have demonstrated an important role for SCD1 in modulating tissue and systemic health. Specifically, lack of hepatic or cutaneous SCD1 results in significant reductions in tissue esterified lipids.

Internalized and Perceived Stigma and Depression in Pulmonary Tuberculosis: Do They Explain the Relationship Between Drug Sensitivity Status and Adherence?

Background: Adherence to medication for tuberculosis (TB) has been found to be deleteriously affected by psychosocial issues, including internalized and perceived stigma (IPS) and depression, usually resulting in the emergence of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB). The objective of the study was to find the prevalence of depression among patients receiving treatment for pulmonary TB, and how stigma and depression affect the relationship between drug sensitivity status (DSS) and treatment adherence.

Method: It was a cross-sectional observational study conducted between January 2019 and July 2020 in two centers in Sikkim, India.

Gut Microbiota and Phenotypic Changes Induced by Ablation of Liver- and Intestinal-Type Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins.

Intestinal fatty acid-binding protein (IFABP; FABP2) and liver fatty acid-binding protein (LFABP; FABP1) are small intracellular lipid-binding proteins. Deficiency of either of these proteins in mice leads to differential changes in intestinal lipid transport and metabolism, and to markedly divergent changes in whole-body energy homeostasis. The gut microbiota has been reported to play a pivotal role in metabolic process in the host and can be affected by host genetic factors.