Maternal Serum Meteorin Levels and the Risk of Preeclampsia

BACKGROUND: Meteorin (METRN) is a recently described neutrophic factor with angiogenic properties. This is a nested case-control study in a longitudinal cohort study that describes the serum profile of METRN during different periods of gestation in healthy and preeclamptic pregnant women. Moreover, we explore the possible application of METRN as a biomarker. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Serum METRN was measured by ELISA in a longitudinal prospective cohort study in 37 healthy pregnant women, 16 mild preeclamptic women, and 20 healthy non-pregnant women during the menstrual cycle with the aim of assessing serum METRN levels and its correlations with other metabolic parameters. Immunostaining for METRN protein was performed in placenta. A multivariate logistic regression model was proposed and a classifier model was formulated for predicting preeclampsia in early and middle pregnancy. The performance in classification was evaluated using measures such as sensitivity, specificity, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. In healthy pregnant women, serum METRN levels were significantly elevated in early pregnancy compared to middle and late pregnancy. METRN levels are significantly lower only in early pregnancy in preeclamptic women when compared to healthy pregnant women. Decision trees that did not include METRN levels in the first trimester had a reduced sensitivity of 56% in the detection of preeclamptic women, compared to a sensitivity of 69% when METRN was included. CONCLUSIONS: The joint measurements of circulating METRN levels in the first trimester and systolic blood pressure and weight in the second trimester significantly increase the probabilities of predicting preeclampsia

Molecular phenotyping of single pancreatic islet leader beta cells by "Flash-Seq"

AIMS: Spatially-organized increases in cytosolic Ca2+ within pancreatic beta cells in the pancreatic islet underlie the stimulation of insulin secretion by high glucose. Recent data have revealed the existence of subpopulations of beta cells including "leaders" which initiate Ca2+ waves. Whether leader cells possess unique molecular features, or localisation, is unknown. MAIN METHODS: High speed confocal Ca2+ imaging was used to identify leader cells and connectivity analysis, running under MATLAB and Python, to identify highly connected "hub" cells. To explore transcriptomic differences between beta cell sub-groups, individual leaders or followers were labelled by photo-activation of the cryptic fluorescent protein PA-mCherry and subjected to single cell RNA sequencing ("Flash-Seq"). KEY FINDINGS: Distinct Ca2+ wave types were identified in individual islets, with leader cells present in 73 % (28 of 38 islets imaged). Scale-free, power law-adherent behaviour was also observed in 29 % of islets, though "hub" cells in these islets did not overlap with leaders. Transcripts differentially expressed (295; padj < 0.05) between leader and follower cells included genes involved in cilium biogenesis and transcriptional regulation. Providing some support for these findings, ADCY6 immunoreactivity tended to be higher in leader than follower cells, whereas cilia number and length tended to be lower in the former. Finally, leader cells were located significantly closer to delta, but not alpha, cells in Euclidian space than were follower cells. SIGNIFICANCE: The existence of both a discrete transcriptome and unique localisation implies a role for these features in defining the specialized function of leaders. These data also raise the possibility that localised signalling between delta and leader cells contributes to the initiation and propagation of islet Ca2+ waves

A socio-environmental geodatabase for integrative research in the transboundary Rio Grande/Río Bravo basin

Integrative research on water resources requires a wide range of socio-environmental datasets to better understand human-water interactions and inform decision-making. However, in transboundary watersheds, integrating cross-disciplinary and multinational datasets is a daunting task due to the disparity of data sources and the inconsistencies in data format, content, resolution, and language. This paper introduces a socio-environmental geodatabase that transcends political and disciplinary boundaries in the Rio Grande/Río Bravo basin (RGB). The geodatabase aggregates 145 GIS data layers on five main themes: (i) Water & Land Governance, (ii) Hydrology, (iii) Water Use & Hydraulic Infrastructures, (iv) Socio-Economics, and (v) Biophysical Environment. Datasets were primarily collected from public open-access data sources, processed with ArcGIS, and documented through the FGCD metadata standard. By synthesizing a broad array of datasets and mapping public and private water governance, we expect to advance interdisciplinary research in the RGB, provide a replicable approach to dataset compilation for transboundary watersheds, and ultimately foster transboundary collaboration for sustainable resource management.The project was funded by Grant No. G15AP00132 from the United States Geological Survey. Open Access fees paid for in whole or in part by the University of Oklahoma Libraries.Ye

Physical fitness profile in elite beach handball players of different age categories

This is an accepted manuscript of an article published by Edizioni Minerva Medica in Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, available online: https://www.minervamedica.it/en/journals/sports-med-physical-fitness/article.php?cod=R40Y2020N12A1536# The accepted version of the publication may differ from the final published version.BACKGROUND: The aims of this study were to compare anthropometric and fitness variables of high-level beach handball players across under-19 (u-19), under-21 (u-21) and senior male categories, and between male and female senior players; and to test the correlations among those measures. MeThodS: a total of 70 high-level players (53 male of different ages) were evaluated for 5-m acceleration, 15-m sprint, horizontal jump, handgrip strength, specific beach handball throwing velocities, and anthropometric variables. Differences between age groups were tested using anoVa. independent t-test was used to compare fitness variables between male and female elite athletes, and Pearson partial correlation coefficients were calculated between each of the fitness variables using BMI and age as covariates. SPSS Software was used, and the level of significance was set at 95%. reSulTS: The u-21 athletes better performed on horizontal jump and 6-m throw than the u-19 athletes. Senior athletes showed better performance on horizontal jump than U-19 athletes (P≤0.05). Positive correlation was seen for handgrip on dominant and non-dominant hands and 6-m throwing speed, and for handgrip on dominant hand and inflight velocity (P≤0.05). Negative correlations were observed between horizontal jump and 5-m acceleration, and 15-m sprint (P≤0.01 and P≤0.05, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Male athletes better performed than women in all the fitness tests. The study, for the first time, showed physical fitness comparisons between beach handball elite male athletes of different ages and between genders. These are key steps for coaches and athletes and may support future beach handball studies and practice.Published versio

Gain control network conditions in early sensory coding

Gain control is essential for the proper function of any sensory system. However, the precise mechanisms for achieving effective gain control in the brain are unknown. Based on our understanding of the existence and strength of connections in the insect olfactory system, we analyze the conditions that lead to controlled gain in a randomly connected network of excitatory and inhibitory neurons. We consider two scenarios for the variation of input into the system. In the first case, the intensity of the sensory input controls the input currents to a fixed proportion of neurons of the excitatory and inhibitory populations. In the second case, increasing intensity of the sensory stimulus will both, recruit an increasing number of neurons that receive input and change the input current that they receive. Using a mean field approximation for the network activity we derive relationships between the parameters of the network that ensure that the overall level of activity of the excitatory population remains unchanged for increasing intensity of the external stimulation. We find that, first, the main parameters that regulate network gain are the probabilities of connections from the inhibitory population to the excitatory population and of the connections within the inhibitory population. Second, we show that strict gain control is not achievable in a random network in the second case, when the input recruits an increasing number of neurons. Finally, we confirm that the gain control conditions derived from the mean field approximation are valid in simulations of firing rate models and Hodgkin-Huxley conductance based models

From presence to consciousness through virtual reality

Immersive virtual environments can break the deep, everyday connection between where our senses tell us we are and where we are actually located and whom we are with. The concept of 'presence' refers to the phenomenon of behaving and feeling as if we are in the virtual world created by computer displays. In this article, we argue that presence is worthy of study by neuroscientists, and that it might aid the study of perception and consciousness

The Latin American Consortium of Studies in Obesity (LASO)

Current, high-quality data are needed to evaluate the health impact of the epidemic of obesity in Latin America. The Latin American Consortium of Studies of Obesity (LASO) has been established, with the objectives of (i) Accurately estimating the prevalence of obesity and its distribution by sociodemographic characteristics; (ii) Identifying ethnic, socioeconomic and behavioural determinants of obesity; (iii) Estimating the association between various anthropometric indicators or obesity and major cardiovascular risk factors and (iv) Quantifying the validity of standard definitions of the various indexes of obesity in Latin American population. To achieve these objectives, LASO makes use of individual data from existing studies. To date, the LASO consortium includes data from 11 studies from eight countries (Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Peru, Puerto Rico and Venezuela), including a total of 32 462 subjects. This article describes the overall organization of LASO, the individual studies involved and the overall strategy for data analysis. LASO will foster the development of collaborative obesity research among Latin American investigators. More important, results from LASO will be instrumental to inform health policies aiming to curtail the epidemic of obesity in the region

Longevity and relationships with children: the importance of the parental role

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Social networks predict longevity across societies but specific mechanisms are largely unknown. The aim of this work was to examine the role of children in the longevity of elderly men and women in a cohort of community dwelling elderly people in Spain.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The data were taken from the "Aging in Leganes" cohort study with 15 years of follow-up. The baseline population was an age- and sex-stratified random sample of community dwelling people over 65 living in Leganés (Madrid) in 1993. Poor relationship with at least one child, emotional support and the perceived roles elders play in the lives of their children, extended family, spouse and friends were assessed at baseline. Cox proportional hazards models were fit to investigate the effects of social roles variables on longevity, adjusting for a wide range of socioeconomic, behavioural and health covariates.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In the fully adjusted model, having a poor relationship with at least one child increased mortality by 30%. Elderly persons who felt their role in their children's lives was important (HR = 0.70; 95% CI 0.54; 0.91) had a lower mortality risk than those who felt they played a small role. Feeling loved and listened to by one's children did not have an effect on survival. Maintaining an important role in the extended family was also significantly associated with survival.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In this Mediterranean population, maintaining an important role in the lives of one's children is associated with survival. Functions of social networks related to meaning of life and different forms of social support may have important effects on mortality, and these functions may vary across cultures according to family norms and values.</p

Foci of orientation plasticity in visual cortex

[Abstract] Cortical areas are generally assumed to be uniform in their capacity for adaptive changes or plasticity1, 2, 3, 4. Here we demonstrate, however, that neurons in the cat striate cortex (V1) show pronounced adaptation-induced short-term plasticity of orientation tuning primarily at specific foci. V1 neurons are clustered according to their orientation preference in iso-orientation domains5 that converge at singularities or pinwheel centres6, 7. Although neurons in pinwheel centres have similar orientation tuning and responses to those in iso-orientation domains, we find that they differ markedly in their capacity for adaptive changes. Adaptation with an oriented drifting grating stimulus alters responses of neurons located at and near pinwheel centres to a broad range of orientations, causing repulsive shifts in orientation preference and changes in response magnitude. In contrast, neurons located in iso-orientation domains show minimal changes in their tuning properties after adaptation. The anisotropy of adaptation-induced orientation plasticity is probably mediated by inhomogeneities in local intracortical interactions that are overlaid on the map of orientation preference in V1

Quasi-radial growth of metal tube on si nanowires template

It is reported in this article that Si nanowires can be employed as a positive template for the controllable electrochemical deposition of noble metal tube. The deposited tube exhibits good crystallinity. Scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope characterizations are conducted to reveal the growth process of metal tube, showing that the metal tube grows quasi-radially on the wall of Si nanowire. The quasi-radial growth of metal enables the fabrication of thickness-defined metal tube via changing deposition time. Inner-diameter-defined metal tube is achieved by choosing Si nanowires with desired diameter as a template. Metal tubes with inner diameters ranging from 1 μm to sub-50 nm are fabricated