Deficient of a Clock Gene, Brain and Muscle Arnt-Like Protein-1 (BMAL1), Induces Dyslipidemia and Ectopic Fat Formation

A link between circadian rhythm and metabolism has long been discussed. Circadian rhythm is controlled by positive and negative transcriptional and translational feedback loops composed of several clock genes. Among clock genes, the brain and muscle Arnt-like protein-1 (BMAL1) and circadian locomotor output cycles kaput (CLOCK) play important roles in the regulation of the positive rhythmic transcription. In addition to control of circadian rhythm, we have previously shown that BMAL1 regulates adipogenesis. In metabolic syndrome patients, the function of BMAL1 is dysregulated in visceral adipose tissue. In addition, analysis of SNPs has revealed that BMAL1 is associated with susceptibility to hypertension and type II diabetes. Furthermore, the significant roles of BMAL1 in pancreatic β cells proliferation and maturation were recently reported. These results suggest that BMAL1 regulates energy homeostasis. Therefore, in this study, we examined whether loss of BMAL1 function is capable of inducing metabolic syndrome. Deficient of the Bmal1 gene in mice resulted in elevation of the respiratory quotient value, indicating that BMAL1 is involved in the utilization of fat as an energy source. Indeed, lack of Bmal1 reduced the capacity of fat storage in adipose tissue, resulting in an increase in the levels of circulating fatty acids, including triglycerides, free fatty acids, and cholesterol. Elevation of the circulating fatty acids level induced the formation of ectopic fat in the liver and skeletal muscle in Bmal1 -/- mice. Interestingly, ectopic fat formation was not observed in tissue-specific (liver or skeletal muscle) Bmal1 -/- mice even under high fat diet feeding condition. Therefore, we were led to conclude that BMAL1 is a crucial factor in the regulation of energy homeostasis, and disorders of the functions of BMAL1 lead to the development of metabolic syndrome

Unlocking the Transcriptomes of Two Carcinogenic Parasites, Clonorchis sinensis and Opisthorchis viverrini

The two parasitic trematodes, Clonorchis sinensis and Opisthorchis viverrini, have a major impact on the health of tens of millions of humans throughout Asia. The greatest impact is through the malignant cancer ( = cholangiocarcinoma) that these parasites induce in chronically infected people. Therefore, both C. sinensis and O. viverrini have been classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as Group 1 carcinogens. Despite their impact, little is known about these parasites and their interplay with the host at the molecular level. Recent advances in genomics and bioinformatics provide unique opportunities to gain improved insights into the biology of parasites as well as their relationships with their hosts at the molecular level. The present study elucidates the transcriptomes of C. sinensis and O. viverrini using a platform based on next-generation (high throughput) sequencing and advanced in silico analyses. From 500,000 sequences, >50,000 sequences were assembled for each species and categorized as biologically relevant based on homology searches, gene ontology and/or pathway mapping. The results of the present study could assist in defining molecules that are essential for the development, reproduction and survival of liver flukes and/or that are linked to the development of cholangiocarcinoma. This study also lays a foundation for future genomic and proteomic research of C. sinensis and O. viverrini and the cancers that they are known to induce, as well as novel intervention strategies

Seasonal Changes in Mood and Behavior Are Linked to Metabolic Syndrome

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a major public health problem worldwide. Metabolic syndrome is a risk factor to the cardiovascular diseases. It has been reported that disruptions of the circadian clockwork are associated with and may predispose to metabolic syndrome. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: 8028 individuals attended a nationwide health examination survey in Finland. Data were collected with a face-to-face interview at home and during an individual health status examination. The waist circumference, height, weight and blood pressure were measured and samples were taken for laboratory tests. Participants were assessed using the ATP-III criteria for metabolic syndrome and with the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire for their seasonal changes in mood and behavior. Seasonal changes in weight in particular were a risk factor of metabolic syndrome, after controlling for a number of known risk and potential confounding factors. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: Metabolic syndrome is associated with high global scores on the seasonal changes in mood and behavior, and with those in weight in particular. Assessment of these changes may serve as a useful indicator of metabolic syndrome, because of easy assessment. Abnormalities in the circadian clockwork which links seasonal fluctuations to metabolic cycles may predispose to seasonal changes in weight and to metabolic syndrome

Body weight, metabolism and clock genes

Biological rhythms are present in the lives of almost all organisms ranging from plants to more evolved creatures. These oscillations allow the anticipation of many physiological and behavioral mechanisms thus enabling coordination of rhythms in a timely manner, adaption to environmental changes and more efficient organization of the cellular processes responsible for survival of both the individual and the species. Many components of energy homeostasis exhibit circadian rhythms, which are regulated by central (suprachiasmatic nucleus) and peripheral (located in other tissues) circadian clocks. Adipocyte plays an important role in the regulation of energy homeostasis, the signaling of satiety and cellular differentiation and proliferation. Also, the adipocyte circadian clock is probably involved in the control of many of these functions. Thus, circadian clocks are implicated in the control of energy balance, feeding behavior and consequently in the regulation of body weight. In this regard, alterations in clock genes and rhythms can interfere with the complex mechanism of metabolic and hormonal anticipation, contributing to multifactorial diseases such as obesity and diabetes. The aim of this review was to define circadian clocks by describing their functioning and role in the whole body and in adipocyte metabolism, as well as their influence on body weight control and the development of obesity

Circadian clock and vascular disease.

Cardiovascular functions, including blood pressure and vascular functions, show diurnal oscillation. Circadian variations have been clearly shown in the occurrence of cardiovascular events such as acute myocardial infarction. Circadian rhythm strongly influences human biology and pathology. The identification and characterization of mammalian clock genes revealed that they are expressed almost everywhere throughout the body in a circadian manner. In contrast to the central clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the clock in each tissue or cell is designated as a peripheral clock. It is now accepted that peripheral clocks have their own roles specific to each peripheral organ by regulating the expression of clock-controlled genes (CCGs), although the oscillation mechanisms of the peripheral clock are similar to that of the SCN. However, little was known about how the peripheral clock in the vasculature contributes to the process of cardiovascular disorders. The biological clock allows each organ or cell to anticipate and prepare for changes in external stimuli. Recent evidence obtained using genetically engineered mice with disrupted circadian rhythm showed a novel function of the internal clock in the pathogenesis of endothelial dysfunction, hypertension and hemostasis. Loss of synchronization between the central and peripheral clock also contributes to the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases, as restoration of clock homeostasis could prevent disease progression. Identification of CCGs in each organ, as well as discovery of tools to manipulate the phase of each biological clock, will be of great help in establishing a novel chronotherapeutic approach to the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disorders

Embedded system application development on raspberry Pi 3 - (B) : RazPy (face recognition based home surveillance system)

Closed-circuit Television (CCTV) is widely used for security and surveillance purposes. Currently, the limitations of CCTVs include poor footage quality, low frame rate and high memory consumption. These limitations can be solved by incorporating computer vision technology such as face detection and face recognition into CCTV. RazPy is a face recognition-based home surveillance system which is implemented by Raspberry Pi 3 Model B, Python programming language and OpenCV library. By using Local Binary Pattern (LBP) algorithm, RazPy is able to perform face recognition accurately. Most importantly, RazPy can improve the quality of footage and reduce memory consumption by recording footage only when unknown face(s) are detected. Besides, additional features such as email alert and live stream are included in RazPy to provide real time information to users. At the end of this project, RazPy was able to perform face recognition accurately, send email to users, record footage and support live stream. Further research on deep learning algorithm can be done to further improve the accuracy face of recognition.Bachelor of Engineerin