Digital Detox Research: An Analysis of Applied Methods and Implications for Future Studies

The development and increasing use of technology worldwide can lead to potential negative consequences for individuals\u27 well-being and productivity. To counteract negative consequences, both scientific research and practice have shown increasing interest in digital detox research, a rising phenomenon of abstinence and temporary or complete disengagement from digital technologies. To lay a foundation for future research, we conducted a systemic literature review with a focus on the methodological aspects of the existing empirical digital detox studies. Our literature search process revealed a total of 65 studies. Our analyses of this literature basis revealed five different research fields (communication, education, tourism, well-being and health, work environment), and we analyzed the empirical studies in these fields regarding applied research approach, research method, and sample size. This review provides methodological insights to advance the scientific inquiry on digital detox research, a relatively nascent, yet increasingly relevant research topic

Oxygen Availability in Respiratory Muscles During Exercise in Children Following Fontan Operation

Introduction: As survival of previously considered as lethal congenital heart disease forms is the case in our days, issues regarding quality of life including sport and daily activities emerge. In patients with Fontan circulation, there is no pump to propel blood into the pulmonary arteries since the systemic veins are directly connected to the pulmonary arteries. The complex hemodynamics of Fontan circulation include atrial function, peripheral muscle pump, integrity of the atrioventricular valve, absence of restrictive, or obstructive pulmonary lung function. Therefore, thoracic mechanics are of particular importance within the complex hemodynamics of Fontan circulation.Methods: To understand the physiology of respiratory muscles, the aim of this study was to examine the matching of auxiliary respiratory muscle oxygen delivery and utilization during incremental exercise in young male Fontan patients (n = 22, age = 12.04 ± 2.51) and healthy Controls (n = 10, age = 14.90 ± 2.23). All subjects underwent a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) to exhaustion whereas respiratory muscle oxygenation was measured non-invasively using a near-infrared spectrometer (NIRS).Results: CPET revealed significantly lower peak power output, oxygen uptake and breath activity in Fontan patients. The onset of respiratory muscle deoxygenation was significantly earlier. The matching of local muscle perfusion to oxygen demand was significantly worse in Fontans between 50 and 90% V.O2peak.Findings: The results indicate that (a) there is high strain on respiratory muscles during incremental cycling exercise and (b) auxiliary respiratory muscles are worse perfused in patients who underwent a Fontan procedure compared to healthy Controls. This might be indicative of a more general skeletal muscle strain and worse perfusion in Fontan patients rather than a localized-limited to thoracic muscles phenomenon

Multispecies biofilm behavior and host interaction support the association of Tannerella serpentiformis with periodontal health

The recently identified bacterium Tannerella serpentiformis is the closest phylogenetic relative of Tannerella forsythia, whose presence in oral biofilms is associated with periodontitis. Conversely, T. serpentiformis is considered health-associated. This discrepancy was investigated in a comparative study of the two Tannerella species. The biofilm behavior was analyzed upon their addition and of Porphyromonas gingivalis-each bacterium separately or in combinations-to an in vitro five-species oral model biofilm. Biofilm composition and architecture was analyzed quantitatively using real-time PCR and qualitatively by fluorescence in situ hybridization/confocal laser scanning microscopy, and by scanning electron microscopy. The presence of T. serpentiformis led to a decrease of the total cell number of biofilm bacteria, while P. gingivalis was growth-promoting. This effect was mitigated by T. serpentiformis when added to the biofilm together with P. gingivalis. Notably, T. serpentiformis outcompeted T. forsythia numbers when the two species were simultaneously added to the biofilm compared to biofilms containing T. forsythia alone. Tannerella serpentiformis appeared evenly distributed throughout the multispecies biofilm, while T. forsythia was surface-located. Adhesion and invasion assays revealed that T. serpentiformis was significantly less effective in invading human gingival epithelial cells than T. forsythia. Furthermore, compared to T. forsythia, a higher immunostimulatory potential of human gingival fibroblasts and macrophages was revealed for T. serpentiformis, based on mRNA expression levels of the inflammatory mediators interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-8, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and tumor necrosis factor α, and production of the corresponding proteins. Collectively, these data support the potential of T. serpentiformis to interfere with biological processes relevant to the establishment of periodontitis

2′-O Methylation of Internal Adenosine by Flavivirus NS5 Methyltransferase

RNA modification plays an important role in modulating host-pathogen interaction. Flavivirus NS5 protein encodes N-7 and 2′-O methyltransferase activities that are required for the formation of 5′ type I cap (m7GpppAm) of viral RNA genome. Here we reported, for the first time, that flavivirus NS5 has a novel internal RNA methylation activity. Recombinant NS5 proteins of West Nile virus and Dengue virus (serotype 4; DENV-4) specifically methylates polyA, but not polyG, polyC, or polyU, indicating that the methylation occurs at adenosine residue. RNAs with internal adenosines substituted with 2′-O-methyladenosines are not active substrates for internal methylation, whereas RNAs with adenosines substituted with N6-methyladenosines can be efficiently methylated, suggesting that the internal methylation occurs at the 2′-OH position of adenosine. Mass spectroscopic analysis further demonstrated that the internal methylation product is 2′-O-methyladenosine. Importantly, genomic RNA purified from DENV virion contains 2′-O-methyladenosine. The 2′-O methylation of internal adenosine does not require specific RNA sequence since recombinant methyltransferase of DENV-4 can efficiently methylate RNAs spanning different regions of viral genome, host ribosomal RNAs, and polyA. Structure-based mutagenesis results indicate that K61-D146-K181-E217 tetrad of DENV-4 methyltransferase forms the active site of internal methylation activity; in addition, distinct residues within the methyl donor (S-adenosyl-L-methionine) pocket, GTP pocket, and RNA-binding site are critical for the internal methylation activity. Functional analysis using flavivirus replicon and genome-length RNAs showed that internal methylation attenuated viral RNA translation and replication. Polymerase assay revealed that internal 2′-O-methyladenosine reduces the efficiency of RNA elongation. Collectively, our results demonstrate that flavivirus NS5 performs 2′-O methylation of internal adenosine of viral RNA in vivo and host ribosomal RNAs in vitro

Global Analysis of the Relationship between JIL-1 Kinase and Transcription

The ubiquitous tandem kinase JIL-1 is essential for Drosophila development. Its role in defining decondensed domains of larval polytene chromosomes is well established, but its involvement in transcription regulation has remained controversial. For a first comprehensive molecular characterisation of JIL-1, we generated a high-resolution, chromosome-wide interaction profile of the kinase in Drosophila cells and determined its role in transcription. JIL-1 binds active genes along their entire length. The presence of the kinase is not proportional to average transcription levels or polymerase density. Comparison of JIL-1 association with elongating RNA polymerase and a variety of histone modifications suggests two distinct targeting principles. A basal level of JIL-1 binding can be defined that correlates best with the methylation of histone H3 at lysine 36, a mark that is placed co-transcriptionally. The additional acetylation of H4K16 defines a second state characterised by approximately twofold elevated JIL-1 levels, which is particularly prominent on the dosage-compensated male X chromosome. Phosphorylation of the histone H3 N-terminus by JIL-1 in vitro is compatible with other tail modifications. In vivo, phosphorylation of H3 at serine 10, together with acetylation at lysine 14, creates a composite histone mark that is enriched at JIL-1 binding regions. Its depletion by RNA interference leads to a modest, but significant, decrease of transcription from the male X chromosome. Collectively, the results suggest that JIL-1 participates in a complex histone modification network that characterises active, decondensed chromatin. We hypothesise that one specific role of JIL-1 may be to reinforce, rather than to establish, the status of active chromatin through the phosphorylation of histone H3 at serine 10

Simulations and experimental investigation of paint film leveling

The surface structure of a paint film is the result of the interplay of a variety of physical influences, e.g., the superposition of droplets during spray application, the surface tension-driven leveling, and the viscosity increase in the leveling phase. A numerical simulation program is presented that incorporates all the relevant mechanisms of paint film structure formation during and after spray application. The simulation program was validated by comparing simulations and leveling experiments. The influence of the initial film geometry and viscosity on the leveling behavior is demonstrated. For the investigations, model liquids and commercial paints with an increasing complexity of the physical properties were chosen: Newtonian flow behavior without solvent evaporation, Newtonian flow behavior with solvent evaporation, viscoelastic paints with non-Newtonian flow behavior. Four variants are proposed regarding how thixotropy can be measured and how a mathematical model can be created. The advantages and disadvantages of the variants with regard to the implementation of thixotropy in the simulations are listed. A method to predict the leveling behavior of thixotropic paints with simultaneous recovery of the viscous and elastic properties from rheological measurements using discrete relaxation time spectra is presented

Dendritic cell functions in the inductive and effector sites of intestinal immunity

International audienceThe intestine is constantly exposed to foreign antigens, which are mostly innocuous but can sometimes be harmful. Therefore, the intestinal immune system has the delicate task of maintaining immune tolerance to harmless food antigens while inducing tailored immune responses to pathogens and regulating but tolerating the microbiota. Intestinal dendritic cells (DCs) play a central role in these functions as sentinel cells able to prime and polarize the T cell responses. DCs are deployed throughout the intestinal mucosa but with local specializations along the gut length and between the diffuse effector sites of the gut lamina propria (LP) and the well-organized immune inductive sites comprising isolated lymphoid follicles (ILFs), Peyer's patches (PPs), and other species-specific gut-associated lymphoid tissues (GALTs). Understanding the specificities of each intestinal DC subset, how environmental factors influence DC functions, and how these can be modulated is key to harnessing the therapeutic potential of mucosal adaptive immune responses, whether by enhancing the efficacy of mucosal vaccines or by increasing tolerogenic responses in inflammatory disorders. In this review, we summarize recent findings related to intestinal DCs in steady state and upon inflammation, with a special focus on their functional specializations, highly dependent on their microenvironment

3D microstructure characterization of polymer battery electrodes by statistical image analysis based on synchrotron X-ray tomography

Polymer-based batteries represent a promising concept for next-generation energy storage due to their potentially higher power densities and smaller ecological footprint, compared to classical Li-ion batteries. Since the microstructure of electrodes is a key factor for the performance of battery cells, a detailed understanding of this microstructure is essential for the improvement of manufacturing processes. In the present contribution, the 3D microstructure of electrodes for polymer-based batteries is quantitatively characterized for the first time, where synchrotron X-ray tomography is combined with statistical image analysis. In particular, 3D imaging is performed for two porous electrodes, which both consist of the redox-active polymer PTMA as well as conductive additives, but differ regarding their binder materials. The focus is put on local heterogeneity of volume fractions of the constituents, surface area per unit volume of the polymer phase and the length of shortest transportation paths through both, polymer and binder-additive phase. It is shown that using different binder materials leads to significant differences regarding the 3D electrode microstructures. In this way, statistical analysis of image data helps to gain further insight into the influence of manufacturing processes on electrode microstructures and thus, on the performance of battery cells

Isothermal multiple displacement amplification: a methodical approach enhancing molecular routine diagnostics of microcarcinomas and small biopsies

Background and methods: Isothermal multiple displacement amplification (IMDA) can be a powerful tool in molecular routine diagnostics for homogeneous and sequence-independent whole-genome amplification of notably small tumor samples, eg, microcarcinomas and biopsies containing a small amount of tumor. Currently, this method is not well established in pathology laboratories. We designed a study to confirm the feasibility and convenience of this method for routine diagnostics with formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded samples prepared by laser-capture microdissection. Results: A total of 250 mu g DNA (concentration 5 mu g/mu L) was generated by amplification over a period of 8 hours with a material input of approximately 25 cells, approximately equivalent to 175 pg of genomic DNA. In the generated DNA, a representation of all chromosomes could be shown and the presence of elected genes relevant for diagnosis in clinical samples could be proven. Mutational analysis of clinical samples could be performed without any difficulty and showed concordance with earlier diagnostic findings. Conclusion: We established the feasibility and convenience of IMDA for routine diagnostics. We also showed that small amounts of DNA, which were not analyzable with current molecular methods, could be sufficient for a wide field of applications in molecular routine diagnostics when they are preamplified with IMDA