I148M Variant Impairs Liver X Receptor Signaling and Cholesterol Homeostasis in Human Hepatic Stellate Cells.

The patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing protein 3 () I148M variant predisposes to hepatic steatosis and progression to advanced liver injury with development of fibrosis, cirrhosis, and cancer. Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) drive the wound healing response to chronic injury, and lack of liver X receptor (LXR) signaling exacerbates liver fibrogenesis by impairing HSC cholesterol homeostasis. However, the contribution of the I148M variant to this process is still unknown.

Clinical and neurophysiological characteristics of heterozygous carriers.

Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC) is an uncommon lysosomal storage disorder, which is characterized neuropathologically by cholinergic dysfunction and presents clinically with a broad series of neurological signs and symptoms. NPC is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait, caused by mutations in the or genes. However, recent reports have raised concerns on heterozygous gene mutation carriers, which historically have been considered as clinically unaffected, occasionally presenting with clinical parkinsonian syndromes or dementia.

Effects of different nitrogen fertilizers on two wheat cultivars: An integrated approach.

Investigation of cultivated plant physiology grown under low energy input plays an important role to indicate their fitness to the new environmental conditions. The durum-wheat cultivars Creso and Dylan were tested to evaluate the growth, production, and proteomic and transcriptomic profiles of the crop under different synthetic and organic nitrogen fertilization regimes. In this work, a two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) approach combined with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) was used to investigate the protein changes induced by the use of different nitrogen sources (hydrolysate of proteins 1 and 2, rhizovit, synthesis, leather) on wheat plants.

A subregional analysis of family change: The spatial diffusion of one-parent families across Italian municipalities, 1991-2011.

This paper documents the expansion of new family patterns in Italy by scrutinising the spatial diffusion of one-parent families across Italian municipalities for the period 1991-2011. We apply a hierarchical Bayesian model to the data of the last three Italian Population Censuses, acknowledging that variation cannot be broken down into temporal and spatial effects because space-time interaction is at the very heart of family changes. Our results illustrate substantial subregional and sub-provincial heterogeneities in the spatial organisation of family systems, patterns that might have gone undetected had larger territorial units of analysis been considered.

Meta-Analysis of the Impact of the Learning Curve in Robotic Rectal Cancer Surgery on Histopathologic Outcomes.

Introduction: Although the process of learning robotic surgery for rectal cancer is associated with a prolonged operating time and higher complication rates, its impact on histopathologic outcomes is unknown. The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the impact of the learning curve in robotic surgery for rectal cancer on histopathologic outcomes.

Methods: The PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE via Ovid, CINAHL, and Web of Science databases were systematically searched.

Predictors of response to opicinumab in acute optic neuritis.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate prespecified and post hoc analyses in RENEW subgroups to identify participants more likely to benefit from opicinumab.

Methods: RENEW assessed the efficacy/safety of opicinumab versus placebo in participants with a first unilateral acute optic neuritis (AON) episode. Difference in visual evoked potential (VEP) latency of the affected eye at 24 weeks versus the fellow eye at baseline was the primary endpoint.

Presymptomatic white matter integrity loss in familial frontotemporal dementia in the GENFI cohort: A cross-sectional diffusion tensor imaging study.

Objective: We aimed to investigate mutation-specific white matter (WM) integrity changes in presymptomatic and symptomatic mutation carriers of the ,, and mutations by use of diffusion-weighted imaging within the Genetic Frontotemporal dementia Initiative (GENFI) study.

Methods: One hundred and forty mutation carriers (54 , 30 , 56 ), 104 presymptomatic and 36 symptomatic, and 115 noncarriers underwent 3T diffusion tensor imaging. Linear mixed effects models were used to examine the association between diffusion parameters and years from estimated symptom onset in ,, and mutation carriers versus noncarriers.

Anaphylactic reaction to gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues: a pediatric case report.

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogues represent the gold standard treatment for precocious puberty. Allergic-type reactions in children due to this type of treatment are very rare. However, caregivers should be aware of the potential GnRH analogue systemic reactions.

CSF/serum matrix metallopeptidase-9 ratio discriminates neuro Behçet from multiple sclerosis.

In neuro Behçet disease with multiple sclerosis-like features, diagnosis could be challenging. Here, we studied the cerebrospinal fluid and serum inflammatory profile of 11 neuro Behçet and 21 relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients. Between the soluble factors analyzed (MMP9, TNF , IL6, CXCL13, CXCL10, CXCL8, IFN , IL10, IL17, IL23, and others) we found MMP9 increased in neuro Behçet serum compared to multiple sclerosis and decreased in cerebrospinal fluid.

Land use change impacts on floods at the catchment scale: Challenges and opportunities for future research.

Research gaps in understanding flood changes at the catchment scale caused by changes in forest management, agricultural practices, artificial drainage, and terracing are identified. Potential strategies in addressing these gaps are proposed, such as complex systems approaches to link processes across time scales, long-term experiments on physical-chemical-biological process interactions, and a focus on connectivity and patterns across spatial scales. It is suggested that these strategies will stimulate new research that coherently addresses the issues across hydrology, soil and agricultural sciences, forest engineering, forest ecology, and geomorphology.

Reading Fluency As a Predictor of School Outcomes across Grades 4-9.

This study analyzed the predictive relationship between reading fluency and school outcomes across school levels (primary, secondary, and high school), after controlling on the effect of reading comprehension. The sample included 489 children attending Italian primary (grades 4 and 5), secondary (grades 6 and 8), and high schools (grade 9). Students' reading fluency and comprehension were examined with a standardized reading achievement test.

Role and Regulation of ACC Deaminase Gene in : Is It a Symbiotic, Rhizospheric or Endophytic Gene?

Plant-associated bacteria exhibit a number of different strategies and specific genes allow bacteria to communicate and metabolically interact with plant tissues. Among the genes found in the genomes of plant-associated bacteria, the gene encoding the enzyme 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase () is one of the most diffused. This gene is supposed to be involved in the cleaving of plant-produced ACC, the precursor of the plant stress-hormone ethylene toning down the plant response to infection.

Unilobar surgery for symptomatic epileptic spasms.

Objective: To assess factors associated with favorable seizure outcome after surgery for symptomatic epileptic spasms and improve knowledge on pathophysiology of this seizure type.

Methods: Inclusion criteria were: (1) age between 6 months and 15 years at surgery; (2) active epileptic spasms; (3) follow-up after surgery >1 year.

Results: We retrospectively studied 80 children (aged 1.

High Entrepreneurship, Leadership, and Professionalism (HELP): Toward an Integrated, Empirically Based Perspective.

This article evaluates the psychometric properties of a new measure for assessing the constructs of entrepreneurship, leadership, and professionalism, from an integrated point of view, the High Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Professionalism Questionnaire (HELP-Q). Exploratory factor analysis indicated a factor structure with three principal dimensions, and confirmatory factor analysis and goodness of fit indices indicated a good fit of the model to the data. All the dimensions showed good values of internal consistency.

Monoaminergic and Histaminergic Strategies and Treatments in Brain Diseases.

The monoaminergic systems are the target of several drugs for the treatment of mood, motor and cognitive disorders as well as neurological conditions. In most cases, advances have occurred through serendipity, except for Parkinson's disease where the pathophysiology led almost immediately to the introduction of dopamine restoring agents. Extensive neuropharmacological studies first showed that the primary target of antipsychotics, antidepressants, and anxiolytic drugs were specific components of the monoaminergic systems.

The Challenge of Fostering Healthy Organizations: An Empirical Study on the Role of Workplace Relational Civility in Acceptance of Change and Well-Being.

The world of work in the twenty-first century is characterized by globalization, instability, and unavoidable change. Organizations need to develop a positive relational environment in the workplace thereby enabling workers to enhance their personal resources in order to face with on-going changes in the sphere of work for promoting their well-being. Against this background, the aim of this research was to examine the relationship between workplace relational civility and both acceptance of change and well-being (hedonic well-being as well as eudaimonic well-being) beyond the effect of personality traits.

Isolation, Identification and Characterization of Yeasts from Fermented Goat Milk of the Yaghnob Valley in Tajikistan.

The geographically isolated region of the Yaghnob Valley, Tajikistan, has allowed its inhabitants to maintain a unique culture and lifestyle. Their fermented goat milk constitutes one of the staple foods for the Yaghnob population, and is produced by backslopping, i.e.

Anxiety, Stress-Related Factors, and Blood Pressure in Young Adults.

Hypertension (HT) is a long-term medical condition characterized by persistently elevated blood pressure (BP) in the arterial vessels. Although HT initially is an asymptomatic condition, it chronically evolves into a major risk factor for cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and renal diseases that, in turn, represent crucial causes of morbidity and mortality in industrialized countries. HT is a complex disorder that is estimated to affect more than a quarter of the world's adult population.