Mitochondrial genetic differentiation across populations of the malaria vector Anopheles lesteri from China (Diptera: Culicidae)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Anopheles lesteri </it>is a primary vector of <it>Plasmodium </it>spp. in central China. A complete understanding of vector population structure and the processes responsible for the differentiation is important to the vector-based malaria control programmes and for identifying heterogeneity in disease transmission as a result of discrete vector populations. There is no adequate <it>An. lesteri </it>population genetic data available.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Polymorphism of sequence variations in mitochondrial COII and Cytb genes were assessed to explore the level of genetic variability and differentiation among six populations of <it>An. lesteri </it>from China.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There were 30 (4.37%) and 21 (5.33%) polymorphic sites for mtDNA-COII and Cytb gene, respectively. Totally 31 COII and 30 Cytb haplotypes were obtained. The range of <it>F_ST</it>values was from 0.101 to 0.655 by mtDNA-COII, and 0.029 to 0.231 by Cytb gene. The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed that the percentage of variation within populations (65.83%, 88.48%) was greater than that among populations (34.17%, 11.52%) using both genes. The Tajima's <it>D </it>and Fu's <it>Fs </it>values were all negative, except Tajima's <it>D </it>values of YN and HNB populations, which suggest a large number of low-frequency mutations in populations and the populations were in expansion proceeding.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Levels of genetic variation within <it>An. lesteri </it>populations were higher than among them. While these results may suggest considerable levels of gene flow, other explanations, such as the effect of historical population perturbations can also be hypothesized.</p

Self-Attention Convolutional Neural Network for Improved MR Image Reconstruction.

MRI is an advanced imaging modality with the unfortunate disadvantage of long data acquisition time. To accelerate MR image acquisition while maintaining high image quality, extensive investigations have been conducted on image reconstruction of sparsely sampled MRI. Recently, deep convolutional neural networks have achieved promising results, yet the local receptive field in convolution neural network raises concerns regarding signal synthesis and artifact compensation. In this study, we proposed a deep learning-based reconstruction framework to provide improved image fidelity for accelerated MRI. We integrated the self-attention mechanism, which captured long-range dependencies across image regions, into a volumetric hierarchical deep residual convolutional neural network. Basically, a self-attention module was integrated to every convolutional layer, where signal at a position was calculated as a weighted sum of the features at all positions. Furthermore, relatively dense shortcut connections were employed, and data consistency was enforced. The proposed network, referred to as SAT-Net, was applied on cartilage MRI acquired using an ultrashort TE sequence and retrospectively undersampled in a pseudo-random Cartesian pattern. The network was trained using 336 three dimensional images (each containing 32 slices) and tested with 24 images that yielded improved outcome. The framework is generic and can be extended to various applications

Population Structure of the Malaria Vector Anopheles sinensis (Diptera: Culicidae) in China: Two Gene Pools Inferred by Microsatellites

BACKGROUND: Anopheles sinensis is a competent malaria vector in China. An understanding of vector population structure is important to the vector-based malaria control programs. However, there is no adequate data of A. sinensis population genetics available yet. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: This study used 5 microsatellite loci to estimate population genetic diversity, genetic differentiation and demographic history of A. sinensis from 14 representative localities in China. All 5 microsatellite loci were highly polymorphic across populations, with high allelic richness and heterozygosity. Hardy-Weinberg disequilibrium was found in 12 populations associated with heterozygote deficits, which was likely caused by the presence of null allele and the Wahlund effect. Bayesian clustering analysis revealed two gene pools, grouping samples into two population clusters; one includes six and the other includes eight populations. Out of 14 samples, six samples were mixed with individuals from both gene pools, indicating the coexistence of two genetic units in the areas sampled. The overall differentiation between two genetic pools was moderate (F(ST) = 0.156). Pairwise differentiation between populations were lower within clusters (F(ST) = 0.008-0.028 in cluster I and F(ST) = 0.004-0.048 in cluster II) than between clusters (F(ST) = 0.120-0.201). A reduced gene flow (Nm = 1-1.7) was detected between clusters. No evidence of isolation by distance was detected among populations neither within nor between the two clusters. There are differences in effective population size (Ne = 14.3-infinite) across sampled populations. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Two genetic pools with moderate genetic differentiation were identified in the A. sinensis populations in China. The population divergence was not correlated with geographic distance or barrier in the range. Variable effective population size and other demographic effects of historical population perturbations could be the factors affecting the population differentiation. The structured populations may limit the migration of genes under pressures/selections, such as insecticides and immune genes against malaria

Expression of miR-126 and its potential function in coronary artery disease

Objective: This study aimed to explore the role of miR-126 in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients and the potential gene targets of miR-126 in atherosclerosis.Methodology: A total of 60 CAD patients and 25 healthy control subjects were recruited in this study. Among the 60 CAD patients, 18 cases were diagnosed of stable angina pectoris (SAP), 20 were diagnosed of unstable angina pectoris (UAP) and 22 were diagnosed of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Plasma miR-126 levels from both groups of participants were analyzed by real-time quantitative PCR. ELISA was used to measure plasma level of placenta growth factor (PLGF).Results: The results showed that the miR-126 expression was significantly down-regulated in the circulation of CAD patients compared with control subjects (P&lt;0.01). Plasma PLGF level was significantly upregulated in patients with unstable angina pectoris and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) compared with controls (both P&lt;0.01) the miR-126 expression in AMI was significantly associated with PLGF.Conclusion: miR-126 may serve as a novel biomarker for CAD.Keywords: miR-126; PLGF; PCR; coronary artery disease; atherosclerosi

Dietary intake, antioxidants, minerals and vitamins in relation to childhood asthma: a Mendelian randomization study

BackgroundCurrently, there is limited and inconsistent evidence regarding the risk association between daily dietary intake, antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins with Childhood Asthma (CA). Therefore, this study employs Mendelian Randomization (MR) methodology to systematically investigate the causal relationships between daily dietary intake, serum antioxidants, serum minerals, and the circulating levels of serum vitamins with CA.MethodsThis study selected factors related to daily dietary intake, including carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and sugars, as well as serum antioxidant levels (lycopene, uric acid, and β-carotene), minerals (calcium, copper, selenium, zinc, iron, phosphorus, and magnesium), and vitamins (vitamin A, vitamin B6, folate, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin D, and vitamin E), using them as Instrumental Variables (IVs). Genetic data related to CA were obtained from the FinnGen and GWAS Catalog databases, with the primary analytical methods being Inverse Variance Weighting (IVW) and sensitivity analysis.ResultsFollowing MR analysis, it is observed that sugar intake (OR: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.55–0.91, P: 0.01) is inversely correlated with the risk of CA, while the intake of serum circulating magnesium levels (OR: 1.63, 95% CI: 1.06–2.53, P: 0.03), fats (OR: 1.44, 95% CI: 1.06–1.95, P: 0.02), and serum vitamin D levels (OR: 1.14, 95% CI: 1.04–1.25, P: 0.02) are positively associated with an increased risk of CA.ConclusionThis study identified a causal relationship between the daily dietary intake of sugars and fats, as well as the magnesium and vitamin D levels in serum, and the occurrence of CA. However, further in-depth research is warranted to elucidate the specific mechanisms underlying these associations

Improving associative memory in younger and older adults with unitization: evidence from meta-analysis and behavioral studies

IntroductionThe finding that familiarity can support associative memory by unitizing the to -be-learned items into a novel representation has been widely accepted, but its effects on overall performance of associative memory and recollection are still controversial.MethodsThe current study aims to elucidate these discrepancies by identifying potential moderating factors through a combined approach of meta-analysis and behavioral experiment.ResultsResults consistently showed that changes in the level of unitization and age groups were two important moderators. Specifically, unitization enhanced younger and older adults’ associative memory and its supporting processes (i.e., familiarity and recollection) when the level of unitization between studied and rearranged pairs was changed. However, when this level remained constant, unitization exhibited no impact on associative memory and familiarity in younger adults, but showed an enhanced effect in older adults. Furthermore, results revealed a marked group difference between younger and older adults in associative memory when the unitization level of noncompound words remained unaltered. Upon breaking this condition, the group difference was reduced by enhancing familiarity or recollection.DiscussionThese findings not only clarify some of the inconsistencies in the literature concerning the impact of unitization on associative memory, but also suggest that unitization is a beneficial strategy for reducing group difference in associative memory, with its effectiveness varying according to the level of unitization changes

Expression of miR-126 and its potential function in coronary artery disease.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the role of miR-126 in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients and the potential gene targets of miR-126 in atherosclerosis. Methodology: A total of 60 CAD patients and 25 healthy control subjects were recruited in this study. Among the 60 CAD patients, 18 cases were diagnosed of stable angina pectoris (SAP), 20 were diagnosed of unstable angina pectoris (UAP) and 22 were diagnosed of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Plasma miR-126 levels from both groups of participants were analyzed by real-time quantitative PCR. ELISA was used to measure plasma level of placenta growth factor (PLGF). Results: The results showed that the miR-126 expression was significantly down-regulated in the circulation of CAD patients compared with control subjects (P&lt;0.01). Plasma PLGF level was significantly upregulated in patients with unstable angina pectoris and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) compared with controls (both P&lt;0.01) the miR-126 expression in AMI was significantly associated with PLGF. Conclusion: miR-126 may serve as a novel biomarker for CAD

Inhibition of Poly(ADP-Ribose) Polymerase Increased Lipid Accumulation Through SREBP1 Modulation

Background/Aims: Excess energy intake leads to metabolic dysfunction, accompanied by oxidative stress and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) activation. Methods: To determine the role of PARP activation in the incidence of metabolic dysfunction, PJ34, the PARP inhibitor, was administered to the oleic acid-treated hepatoma cells and high-fat diet-fed mice. The expression of genes was detected by quantitative real-time PCR and western blotting. Lipid droplets in the cells and tissues were stained with Oil Red O. Results: PJ34 treatment aggravated oleic acid-induced lipid accumulation in hepatoma cells and induced SREBP1 expression by modulating the modification of transcription factor specificity protein 1 (Sp1). The high-fat diet-mice exhibited hyperglycemia, insulin resistance and lipid accumulation after 3 months of feeding. Although the serum level of lipid was not altered after PJ34 treatment, the expression level of lipogenic gene was up-regulated and the lipid accumulation was increased in the liver tissues of high-fat diet + PJ34-treated mice. In the high-fat diet + PJ34-treated mice, the insulin sensitivity was slightly changed and the levels of blood glucose and serum insulin were decreased compared with the mice fed with a high-fat diet alone. Conclusion: Taken together, PARP inhibition up-regulated the expression level of lipogenic gene and significantly induced lipid accumulation in the liver, which might worsen lipid metabolism disorders. These data will guide future research into the application of PARP inhibitors in the management of metabolic diseases