Domain Adaptive Synapse Detection with Weak Point Annotations

The development of learning-based methods has greatly improved the detection of synapses from electron microscopy (EM) images. However, training a model for each dataset is time-consuming and requires extensive annotations. Additionally, it is difficult to apply a learned model to data from different brain regions due to variations in data distributions. In this paper, we present AdaSyn, a two-stage segmentation-based framework for domain adaptive synapse detection with weak point annotations. In the first stage, we address the detection problem by utilizing a segmentation-based pipeline to obtain synaptic instance masks. In the second stage, we improve model generalizability on target data by regenerating square masks to get high-quality pseudo labels. Benefiting from our high-accuracy detection results, we introduce the distance nearest principle to match paired pre-synapses and post-synapses. In the WASPSYN challenge at ISBI 2023, our method ranks the 1st place

N6-(2-Hydroxyethyl) Adenosine From Cordyceps cicadae Ameliorates Renal Interstitial Fibrosis and Prevents Inflammation via TGF-β1/Smad and NF-κB Signaling Pathway

Renal interstitial fibrosis is characterized by inflammation and an excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix, which leads to end-stage renal failure. Our previous studies have shown that a natural product from Cordyceps cicadae can ameliorate chronic kidney diseases. N6-(2-Hydroxyethyl) adenosine (HEA), a physiologically active compound in C. cicadae, has been identified as a Ca2+ antagonist and an anti-inflammatory agent in pharmacological tests. However, its role in renal interstitial fibrosis and the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Here, unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) was used to induce renal interstitial fibrosis in male C57BL/6 mice. Different doses of HEA (2.5, 5, and 7.5 mg/kg) were given by intraperitoneal injection 24 h before UUO, and the treatment was continued for 14 days post-operatively. Histologic changes were examined by hematoxylin & eosin, Masson’s trichrome, and picrosirius red stain. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, immunohistochemistry, and western blot analysis were used to evaluate proteins levels. And the results showed that HEA significantly decreased UUO-induced renal tubular injury and fibrosis. In vivo, HEA apparently decreased UUO-induced inflammation and renal fibroblast activation by suppression of the NF-κB and TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway. In vitro, HEA also obviously decreased lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory cytokine level in RAW 264.7 cells and TGF-β1-induced fibroblast activation in NRK-49F cells by modulating NF-κB and TGF-β1/Smad signaling. In general, our findings indicate that HEA has a beneficial effect on UUO-induced tubulointerstitial fibrosis by suppression of inflammatory and renal fibroblast activation, which may be a potential therapy in chronic conditions such as renal interstitial fibrosis

Autophagy Is a Defense Mechanism Inhibiting Invasion and Inflammation During High-Virulent Haemophilus parasuis Infection in PK-15 Cells

Bacterial infections activate autophagy and autophagy restricts pathogens such as Haemophilus parasuis through specific mechanisms. Autophagy is associated with the pathogenesis of H. parasuis. However, the mechanisms have not been clarified. Here, we monitored autophagy processes using confocal microscopy, western blot, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and found that H. parasuis SH0165 (high-virulent strain) but not HN0001 (non-virulent strain) infection enhanced autophagy flux. The AMPK/mTOR autophagy pathway was required for autophagy initiation and ATG5, Beclin-1, ATG7, and ATG16L1 emerged as important components in the generation of the autophagosome during H. parasuis infection. Moreover, autophagy induced by H. parasuis SH0165 turned to fight against invaded bacteria and inhibit inflammation. Then we further demonstrated that autophagy blocked the production of the cytokines IL-8, CCL4, and CCL5 induced by SH0165 infection through the inhibition of NF-κB, p38, and JNK MAPK signaling pathway. Therefore, our findings suggest that autophagy may act as a cellular defense mechanism in response to H. parasuis and provide a new way that autophagy protects the host against H. parasuis infection

The roles of serum vitamin D and tobacco smoke exposure in insomnia: a cross-sectional study of adults in the United States

AimTobacco smoke exposure and vitamin D (VD) status were both associated with insomnia. However, the combined effect of smoking and VD on insomnia has not been discussed. This study aimed to explore the role of VD in the association between tobacco smoke exposure and insomnia.MethodsData on adults were extracted from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) database in 2005–2008 for this cross-sectional study. Weighted univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to explore the associations between serum cotinine, serum VD, and insomnia. A surface diagram was drawn to reflect the effect of VD on the association between serum cotinine and insomnia. In addition, the potential regulating effect of VD in subgroups of smoking status was also performed. The evaluation index was odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).ResultsAmong the eligible participants, 1,766 had insomnia. After adjusting for covariates, we found that elevated serum cotinine levels were associated with higher odds of insomnia [OR = 1.55, 95% CI: (1.22, 1.97)]. However, the relationship between serum VD level and insomnia was not significant (P = 0.553). Higher serum cotinine levels were also associated with higher odds of insomnia [OR = 1.52, 95% CI: (1.17, 1.98)] when serum VD level was <75 nmol/L; however, this relationship became non-significant when serum VD concentration was elevated (P = 0.088). Additionally, the potential regulating effect of VD was also found in adults who were not smoking.ConclusionVD may play a potential regulative role in the association between tobacco smoke exposure and insomnia. Further studies are needed to clarify the causal relationships between VD, tobacco smoke exposure, and insomnia

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

Alternative Scenarios for the Development of a Low-Carbon City: A Case Study of Beijing, China

The establishment of low-carbon cities has been suggested all over the World, since cities are key drivers of energy usage and the associated carbon emissions. This paper presents a scenario analysis of future energy consumption and carbon emissions for the city of Beijing. The Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning (LEAP) model is used to simulate a range of pathways and to analyze how these would change energy consumption and carbon emissions from 2007 to 2030. Three scenarios have been designed to describe future energy strategies in relation to the development of Beijing city, namely a reference scenario (RS), control scenario (CS), and integrated scenario (IS). The results show that under the IS the total energy demand in Beijing is expected to reach 88.61 million tonnes coal equivalent (Mtce) by 2030 (59.32 Mtce in 2007), 55.82% and 32.72% lower than the values under the RS and the CS, respectively. The total carbon emissions in 2030 under the IS, although higher than the 2007 level, will be 62.22% and 40.27% lower than under the RS and the CS, respectively, with emissions peaking in 2026 and declining afterwards. In terms of the potential for reduction of energy consumption and carbon emissions, the industrial sector will continue to act as the largest contributor under the IS and CS compared with the RS, while the building and transport sectors are identified as promising fields for achieving effective control of energy consumption and carbon emissions over the next two decades. The calculation results show that an integrated package of measures is the most effective in terms of energy savings and carbon emissions mitigation, although it also faces the largest challenge to achieve the related targets

Evaluation of reference genes for quantitative real-time PCR analysis of the gene expression in laticifers on the basis of latex flow in rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis Muell. Arg.)

Latex exploitation-caused latex flow is effective in enhancing latex regeneration in laticifer cells of rubber tree. It should be suitable for screening appropriate reference gene for analysis of the expression of latex regeneration-related genes by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). In the present study, the expression stability of 23 candidate reference genes was evaluated on the basis of latex flow by using geNorm and NormFinder algorithms. Ubiquitin-protein ligase 2a (UBC2a) and ubiquitin-protein ligase 2b (UBC2b) were the two most stable genes among the selected candidate references in rubber tree clones with differential duration of latex flow. The two genes were also high-ranked in previous reference gene screening across different tissues and experimental conditions. By contrast, the transcripts of latex regeneration-related genes fluctuated significantly during latex flow. The results suggest that screening reference gene during latex flow should be an efficient and effective clue for selection of reference genes in qRT-PCR