Adding learning to cellular genetic algorithms for training recurrent neural networks

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A study of the Lamarckian evolution of recurrent neural networks

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Antenatal risk factors for postnatal depression: a prospective study of chinese women at maternal and child health centres

Background: Risk factors for postnatal depression (PND) are under-explored in the Chinese populations. There is increasing recognition of the importance of identifying predictive factors during the antenatal period for PND. The present study aimed to identify the risk factors for postnatal depression in a community cohort of Chinese women with special focus on the antenatal risk factors.Methods: Eight hundred and five Chinese women were interviewed during their third trimester of pregnancy and at around 2 months postnatally. Putative risk factors for PND were collected and the diagnosis of PND was confirmed by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders. The 2-month postnatal depression status was used as the dependent variable for univariate and multivariate analyses against putative risk factors.Results: Marital dissatisfaction (Relative Risk = 8.27), dissatisfied relationship with mother-in-law (Relative Risk = 3.93), antenatal depressive symptomatology (Relative Risk = 3.90), and anxiety-prone personality (Relative Risk = 2.14) predicted PND in Chinese women independently.Conclusions: Chinese women tend to keep their own feelings and emotions and it is important to monitor Chinese pregnant women with these predictive risk factors so that PND can be identified early. © 2012 Siu et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.published_or_final_versio

Ezrin interacts with the SARS coronavirus spike protein and restrains infection at the entry stage

© 2012 Millet et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Background: Entry of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and its envelope fusion with host cell membrane are controlled by a series of complex molecular mechanisms, largely dependent on the viral envelope glycoprotein Spike (S). There are still many unknowns on the implication of cellular factors that regulate the entry process. Methodology/Principal Findings: We performed a yeast two-hybrid screen using as bait the carboxy-terminal endodomain of S, which faces the cytosol during and after opening of the fusion pore at early stages of the virus life cycle. Here we show that the ezrin membrane-actin linker interacts with S endodomain through the F1 lobe of its FERM domain and that both the eight carboxy-terminal amino-acids and a membrane-proximal cysteine cluster of S endodomain are important for this interaction in vitro. Interestingly, we found that ezrin is present at the site of entry of S-pseudotyped lentiviral particles in Vero E6 cells. Targeting ezrin function by small interfering RNA increased S-mediated entry of pseudotyped particles in epithelial cells. Furthermore, deletion of the eight carboxy-terminal amino acids of S enhanced S-pseudotyped particles infection. Expression of the ezrin dominant negative FERM domain enhanced cell susceptibility to infection by SARS-CoV and S pseudotyped particles and potentiated S-dependent membrane fusion. Conclusions/Significance: Ezrin interacts with SARS-CoV S endodomain and limits virus entry and fusion. Our data present a novel mechanism involving a cellular factor in the regulation of S-dependent early events of infection.This work was supported by the Research Grant Council of Hong Kong (RGC#760208)and the RESPARI project of the International Network of Pasteur Institutes

Physical activity to improve cognition in older adults: can physical activity programs enriched with cognitive challenges enhance the effects? A systematic review and meta-analysis

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Reduction in podocyte density as a pathologic feature in early diabetic nephropathy in rodents: Prevention by lipoic acid treatment

BACKGROUND: A reduction in the number of podocytes and podocyte density has been documented in the kidneys of patients with diabetes mellitus. Additional studies have shown that podocyte injury and loss occurs in both diabetic animals and humans. However, most studies in animals have examined relatively long-term changes in podocyte number and density and have not examined effects early after initiation of diabetes. We hypothesized that streptozotocin diabetes in rats and mice would result in an early reduction in podocyte density and that this reduction would be prevented by antioxidants. METHODS: The number of podocytes per glomerular section and the podocyte density in glomeruli from rats and mice with streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetes mellitus was determined at several time points based on detection of the glomerular podocyte specific antigens, WT-1 and GLEPP1. The effect of insulin administration or treatment with the antioxidant, α-lipoic acid, on podocyte number was assessed. RESULTS: Experimental diabetes resulted in a rapid decline in apparent podocyte number and podocyte density. A significant reduction in podocytes/glomerular cross-section was found in STZ diabetes in rats at 2 weeks (14%), 6 weeks (18%) and 8 weeks (34%) following STZ injection. Similar declines in apparent podocyte number were found in STZ diabetes in C57BL/6 mice at 2 weeks, but not at 3 days after injection. Treatment with α-lipoic acid substantially prevented podocyte loss in diabetic rats but treatment with insulin had only a modest effect. CONCLUSION: STZ diabetes results in reduction in apparent podocyte number and in podocyte density within 2 weeks after onset of hyperglycemia. Prevention of these effects with antioxidant therapy suggests that this early reduction in podocyte density is due in part to increased levels of reactive oxygen species as well as hyperglycemia

Normal Leptin Expression, Lower Adipogenic Ability, Decreased Leptin Receptor and Hyposensitivity to Leptin in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

Leptin has been suggested to play a role in the etiology of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS), however, the leptin levels in AIS girls are still a discrepancy, and no in vitro study of leptin in AIS is reported. We took a series of case-control studies, trying to understand whether Leptin gene polymorphisms are involved in the etiology of the AIS or the change in leptin level is a secondary event, to assess the level of leptin receptor, and to evaluate the differences of response to leptin between AIS cases and controls. We screened all exons of Leptin gene in 45 cases and 45 controls and selected six tag SNPs to cover all the observed variations. Association analysis in 446 AIS patients and 550 healthy controls showed no association between the polymorphisms of Leptin gene and susceptibility/severity to AIS. Moreover, adipogenesis assay of bone mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) suggested that the adipogenic ability of MSCs from AIS girls was lower than controls. After adjusting the differentiation rate, expressions of leptin and leptin receptor were similar between two groups. Meanwhile, osteogenesis assay of MSC showed the leptin level was similar after adjusting the differentiation rate, but the leptin receptor level was decreased in induced AIS osteoblasts. Immunocytochemistry and western blot analysis showed less leptin receptors expressed in AIS group. Furthermore, factorial designed studies with adipogenesis and osteogenesis revealed that the MSCs from patients have no response to leptin treatment. Our results suggested that Leptin gene variations are not associated with AIS and low serum leptin probably is a secondary outcome which may be related to the low capability of adipogenesis in AIS. The decreased leptin receptor levels may lead to the hyposensitivity to leptin. These findings implied that abnormal peripheral leptin signaling plays an important role in the pathological mechanism of AIS

Improving prehospital trauma management for skiers and snowboarders - need for on-slope triage?

Background Injuries from skiing and snowboarding became a major challenge for emergency care providers in Switzerland. In the alpine setting, early assessment of injury and health status is essential for the initiation of adequate means of care and transport. Nevertheless, validated standardized protocols for on-slope triage are missing. This article can assist in understanding the characteristics of injured winter sportsmen and exigencies for future on-slope triage protocols. Methods Six-year review of trauma cases in a tertiary trauma centre. Consecutive inclusion of all injured skiers and snowboarders aged >15 (total sample) years with predefined, severe injury to the head, spine, chest, pelvis or abdomen (study sample) presenting at or being transferred to the study hospital. Descriptive analysis of age, gender and injury pattern. Results Amongst 729 subjects (total sample) injured from skiing or snowboarding, 401 (55%, 54% of skiers and 58% of snowboarders) suffered from isolated limb injury. Amongst the remaining 328 subjects (study sample), the majority (78%) presented with monotrauma. In the study sample, injury to the head (52%) and spine (43%) was more frequent than injury to the chest (21%), pelvis (8%), and abdomen (5%). The three most frequent injury combinations were head/spine (10% of study sample), head/thorax (9%), and spine/thorax (6%). Fisher's exact test demonstrated an association for injury combinations of head/thorax (p < 0.001), head/abdomen (p = 0.019), and thorax/abdomen (p < 0.001). Conclusion The data presented and the findings from previous investigations indicate the need for development of dedicated on-slope triage protocols. Future research must address the validity and practicality of diagnostic on-slope tests for rapid decision making by both professional and lay first responders. Thus, large-scale and detailed injury surveillance is the future research priority

Fibulin 1 is downregulated through promoter hypermethylation in gastric cancer

Tumour suppressor genes (TSGs) were frequently inactivated through promoter hypermethylation in gastric carcinoma as well as pre-malignant gastric lesions, suggesting that promoter hypermethylation can be used as a marker to define novel TSGs and also biomarkers for early detection of gastric cancer. In an effort to search for such genes aberrantly methylated in gastric cancer development, fibulin 1 (FBLN1) was found as a candidate TSG epigenetically downregulated in gastric cancer. FBLN1 expression was downregulated in all of gastric cancer cell lines used (100%, 7 out of 7) and the primary gastric carcinoma tissues (84%, 86 out of 102) and significantly restored after pharmacological demethylation. Hypermethylation of the FBLN1 promoter was frequently (71%, 5 out of 7) detected in gastric cancer cell lines and primary gastric carcinoma tissues. Ectopic expression of FBLN1 led to the growth inhibition of gastric cancer cells through the induction of apoptosis. In summary, FBLN1 was identified as a novel candidate TSG epigenetically downregulated in gastric cancer