The Psychopharmacology of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Preclinical Roadmap.

This review evaluates current knowledge about obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), with the goal of providing a roadmap for future directions in research on the psychopharmacology of the disorder. It first addresses issues in the description and diagnosis of OCD, including the structure, measurement, and appropriate description of the disorder and issues of differential diagnosis. Current pharmacotherapies for OCD are then reviewed, including monotherapy with serotonin reuptake inhibitors and augmentation with antipsychotic medication and with psychologic treatment.

Development and validation of LC-ESI-MS/MS methods for quantification of 27 free and conjugated estrogen-related metabolites.

An imbalance in the estrogen metabolism has been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer development. Evaluation of the estrogen biotransformation capacity requires monitoring of various estrogen metabolites. Up to now, only some estrogen metabolites could be measured in urine.

A laboratory approach for characterizing chronic fatigue: what does metabolomics tell us?

Introduction: Manifestations of fatigue range from chronic fatigue up to a severe syndrome and myalgic encephalomyelitis. Fatigue grossly affects the functional status and quality of life of affected individuals, prompting the World Health Organization to recognize it as a chronic non-communicable condition.

Objectives: Here, we explore the potential of urinary metabolite information to complement clinical criteria of fatigue, providing an avenue towards an objective measure of fatigue in patients presenting with the full spectrum of fatigue levels.

BRICS to BRICSCESS-A perspective for practical action in the promotion of healthy lifestyles to improve public health in five countries.

•A brief historical summary of BRICS countries and the BRICS Council of Exercise and Sport Science (BRICSCESS) is presented.•BRICSCESS functions to facilitate the accomplishment of the various tasks such as to establish links between institutions and organizations; establish an active and sustainable future leader/volunteer program; promote collaboration in research, teaching, and mentoring between international scientists; develop, organize, and promote conferences, seminars, workshops, symposiums, round-table discussions and training courses; and publish new scientific information related to exercise, physical activity, sports science, lifestyle management, and nutrition.•A central task of BRICSCESS is to establish an active and sustainable future leader/volunteer program for mentoring junior scholars within the exercise science and lifestyle management fields.

STATegra, a comprehensive multi-omics dataset of B-cell differentiation in mouse.

Multi-omics approaches use a diversity of high-throughput technologies to profile the different molecular layers of living cells. Ideally, the integration of this information should result in comprehensive systems models of cellular physiology and regulation. However, most multi-omics projects still include a limited number of molecular assays and there have been very few multi-omic studies that evaluate dynamic processes such as cellular growth, development and adaptation.

Bioactive Compound Produced by Endophytic Fungi Isolated From Against Selected Bacteria of Clinical Importance.

Endophytic fungi have the ability to live inside the host plant tissues without causing neither symptoms of diseases/or harm. Opportunistic infections are accountable for majority of the outbreaks, thereby putting a burden on the health system. To investigate and characterize the bioactive compounds for the control of bacteria of clinical importance, extracts from endophytic fungi were isolated from indigenous South African medicinal plants.

Construct validity and internal consistency of Hall's Professionalism Scale: tested on South African nurses.

Objective: In South Africa, appropriate criteria to measure the professional standing of professional nurses are essential. Internationally, there are professionalism scales by which to measure professionalism, but none could be identified that were particular to the South African context. Hall's Professionalism Scale consists of 50 items and was specifically developed to measure the attitudes and ideologies held by professionals in various professional occupations by measuring five attitudinal components of professionalism, namely: Sense of calling to the field; Autonomy; Using professional organisation as major referent; Belief in self-regulation; and Belief in public service.

Targeted proteomic response to coffee consumption.

Purpose: Coffee is widely consumed and implicated in numerous health outcomes but the mechanisms by which coffee contributes to health is unclear. The purpose of this study was to test the effect of coffee drinking on candidate proteins involved in cardiovascular, immuno-oncological and neurological pathways.

Methods: We examined fasting serum samples collected from a previously reported single blinded, three-stage clinical trial.

Biotransformation profiles from a cohort of chronic fatigue women in response to a hepatic detoxification challenge.

Chronic fatigue, in its various manifestations, frequently co-occur with pain, sleep disturbances and depression and is a non-communicable condition which is rapidly becoming endemic worldwide. However, it is handicapped by a lack of objective definitions and diagnostic measures. This has prompted the World Health Organization to develop an international instrument whose intended purpose is to improve quality of life (QOL), with energy and fatigue as one domain of focus.

Urinary Metabolites and Their Link with Premature Arterial Stiffness in Black Boys: The ASOS Study.

Background And Aims: Black boys (6-8 years of age) were shown to have higher pulse wave velocity with potential early vascular compromise. We aimed to compare predefined urinary metabolites in black and white boys to explore associations of pulse wave velocity with these metabolites.

Methods And Results: We included 40 white and 40 black apparently healthy boys between the ages of 6 and 8 years.

BDNF increases associated with constant troponin T levels and may protect against poor cognitive interference control: The SABPA prospective study.

Background: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) modulates brain health and cognition, which can interfere with executive cognitive function. BDNF was implicated with microcirculatory ischaemia and may reflect cardiomyocyte injury. We aimed to determine whether prospective changes (%Δ) in BDNF and cardiac troponin T (cTnT) will be associated with executive cognitive function in a bi-ethnic cohort.

The GC-MS metabolomics signature in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome directs to dysbiosis as an aspect contributing factor of FMS pathophysiology.

Introduction: Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic pain syndrome. Previous analyses of untargeted metabolomics data indicated altered metabolic profile in FMS patients.

Objectives: We report a semi-targeted explorative metabolomics study on the urinary metabolite profile of FMS patients; exploring the potential of urinary metabolite information to augment existing medical diagnosis.

Enhancing EIA systems in developing countries: A focus on capacity development in the case of Iran.

Sensitivity to an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) system's context is a precondition for being able to suggest recommendation to improving that system. Most recommendations for developing countries take inspiration from developed countries and fall short in their efforts to adapt to the needs of a specific country. In this paper, the authors aim to assess the feasibility of implementing suggested recommendations to enhance Iran's EIA effectiveness.

Miniaturized H-NMR method for analyzing limited-quantity samples applied to a mouse model of Leigh disease.

Introduction: The analysis of limited-quantity samples remains a challenge associated with mouse models, especially for multi-platform metabolomics studies. Although inherently insensitive, the highly specific characteristics of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy make it an advantageous platform for global metabolite profiling, particularly in mitochondrial disease research.

Objectives: Show method equivalency between a well-established standard operating protocol (SOP) and our novel miniaturized H-NMR method.

Coverage and factors associated with vitamin A supplementation among children aged 6-59 months in twenty-three sub-Saharan African countries.

Objective: The present study aimed to give an overall view of the pattern of high-dose vitamin A supplementation (VAS) coverage in twenty-three sub-Saharan African countries and factors associated with receipt of VAS among children aged 6-59 months.

Design: Cross-sectional data from the twenty-three Demographic and Health Surveys conducted from 2011 to 2015 in twenty-three sub-Saharan African countries were pooled. A multilevel logistic regression model was used to explore factors associated with VAS.

Lipidomic Response to Coffee Consumption.

Coffee is widely consumed and contains many bioactive compounds, any of which may impact pathways related to disease development. Our objective was to identify individual lipid changes in response to coffee drinking. We profiled the lipidome of fasting serum samples collected from a previously reported single blinded, three-stage clinical trial.

The BRICS Council for Exercise and Sport Science (BRICSCESS) - A new era has dawned.

•BRICS is the acronym for an international association of 5 major emerging national economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.•The BRICS Council of Exercise and Sports Science was founded to address the specific concerns of these countries in respect to the health and wellness of the people in BRICS countries.•One recognized overwhelming need is the development of future leaders/volunteers.

Metabolomics of Ndufs4 skeletal muscle: Adaptive mechanisms converge at the ubiquinone-cycle.

Leigh syndrome is one of the most common childhood-onset neurometabolic disorders resulting from a primary oxidative phosphorylation dysfunction and affecting mostly brain tissues. Ndufs4 mice have been widely used to study the neurological responses in this syndrome, however the reason why these animals do not display strong muscle involvement remains elusive. We combined biochemical strategies and multi-platform metabolomics to gain insight into the metabolism of both glycolytic (white quadriceps) and oxidative (soleus) skeletal muscles from Ndufs4 mice.

Assessing the mycotoxicological risk from consumption of complementary foods by infants and young children in Nigeria.

This study assessed, for the first time, the mycotoxicological risks from consumption of complementary foods by infants and young children in Nigeria. Molds belonging to Aspergillus aculeatinus, A. flavus, A.

Elucidating the antimicrobial mechanisms of colistin sulfate on Mycobacterium tuberculosis using metabolomics.

Considering the disadvantageous of first line anti-tuberculosis (TB) drugs, including poor patient adherence, drug side effects, the long treatment duration and rapidly increasing microbe resistance, alternative treatment strategies are needed. Colistin sulfate (CS), a polymyxin antibiotic considered a last-resort antibiotics for treating multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Acinetobacter, has antimicrobial activity towards mycobacteria, and could serve as a possible anti-TB drug. Using GCxGC-TOFMS metabolomics, we compared the metabolic profiles of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) cultured in the presence and absence of CS, to elucidate the mechanisms by which this drug may exert its antimicrobial effects.

Maternal High-fat Diet Programs Offspring Emotional Behavior in Adulthood.

Prenatal exposure to high-fat diet (HFD) might predispose offspring to develop metabolic and mental disorders later in life. Insight into the molecular and behavioral consequences of maternal HFD on offspring is sparse but may involve both neuroinflammation and a dysregulated neuroendocrine stress axis. Thus, the aim of this work was to: (i) investigate the influence of maternal HFD on memory, anxiety and depression-like behavior in adult offspring and (ii) identify possible biological biomarkers related to neuroinflammation and stress responses.

Phylogenetic analyses of bacteria associated with the processing of iru and ogiri condiments.

Unlabelled: Analysis of the bacterial community dynamics during the production of traditional fermented condiments is important for food safety assessment, quality control and development of starter culture technology. In this study, bacteria isolated during the processing of iru and ogiri, two commonly consumed condiments in Nigeria, were characterized based on phylogenetic analyses of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene. A total of 227 isolates were obtained and clustered into 12 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) based on 97% 16S rRNA gene similarity.

The 1H-NMR-based metabolite profile of acute alcohol consumption: A metabolomics intervention study.

Metabolomics studies of disease conditions related to chronic alcohol consumption provide compelling evidence of several perturbed metabolic pathways underlying the pathophysiology of alcoholism. The objective of the present study was to utilize proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) spectroscopy metabolomics to study the holistic metabolic consequences of acute alcohol consumption in humans. The experimental design was a cross-over intervention study which included a number of substances to be consumed-alcohol, a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) supplement, and a benzoic acid-containing flavoured water vehicle.

GC-MS-based urinary organic acid profiling reveals multiple dysregulated metabolic pathways following experimental acute alcohol consumption.

Metabolomics studies of diseases associated with chronic alcohol consumption provide compelling evidence of several perturbed metabolic pathways. Moreover, the holistic approach of such studies gives insights into the pathophysiological risk factors associated with chronic alcohol-induced disability, morbidity and mortality. Here, we report on a GC-MS-based organic acid profiling study on acute alcohol consumption.

The dilemma of diagnosing coenzyme Q deficiency in muscle.

Background: Coenzyme Q (CoQ) is an important component of the mitochondrial respiratory chain (RC) and is critical for energy production. Although the prevalence of CoQ deficiency is still unknown, the general consensus is that the condition is under-diagnosed. The aim of this study was to retrospectively investigate CoQ deficiency in frozen muscle specimens in a cohort of ethnically diverse patients who received muscle biopsies for the investigation of a possible RC deficiency (RCD).