Meroterpenoids: A Comprehensive Update Insight on Structural Diversity and Biology.

Funder: This research was funded by the Deanship of Scientific Research at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University through the Fast-track Research Funding ProgramMeroterpenoids are secondary metabolites formed due to mixed biosynthetic pathways which are produced in part from a terpenoid co-substrate. These mixed biosynthetically hybrid compounds are widely produced by bacteria, algae, plants, and animals. Notably amazing chemical diversity is generated among meroterpenoids via a combination of terpenoid scaffolds with polyketides, alkaloids, phenols, and amino acids. This review deals with the isolation, chemical diversity, and biological effects of 452 new meroterpenoids reported from natural sources from January 2016 to December 2020. Most of the meroterpenoids possess antimicrobial, cytotoxic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, enzyme inhibitory, and immunosupressive effects

The malleable brain: plasticity of neural circuits and behavior: A review from students to students

One of the most intriguing features of the brain is its ability to be malleable, allowing it to adapt continually to changes in the environment. Specific neuronal activity patterns drive long-lasting increases or decreases in the strength of synaptic connections, referred to as long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) respectively. Such phenomena have been described in a variety of model organisms, which are used to study molecular, structural, and functional aspects of synaptic plasticity. This review originated from the first International Society for Neurochemistry (ISN) and Journal of Neurochemistry (JNC) Flagship School held in Alpbach, Austria (Sep 2016), and will use its curriculum and discussions as a framework to review some of the current knowledge in the field of synaptic plasticity. First, we describe the role of plasticity during development and the persistent changes of neural circuitry occurring when sensory input is altered during critical developmental stages. We then outline the signaling cascades resulting in the synthesis of new plasticity-related proteins, which ultimately enable sustained changes in synaptic strength. Going beyond the traditional understanding of synaptic plasticity conceptualized by LTP and LTD, we discuss system-wide modifications and recently unveiled homeostatic mechanisms, such as synaptic scaling. Finally, we describe the neural circuits and synaptic plasticity mechanisms driving associative memory and motor learning. Evidence summarized in this review provides a current view of synaptic plasticity in its various forms, offers new insights into the underlying mechanisms and behavioral relevance, and provides directions for future research in the field of synaptic plasticity.Fil: Schaefer, Natascha. University of Wuerzburg; AlemaniaFil: Rotermund, Carola. University of Tuebingen; AlemaniaFil: Blumrich, Eva Maria. Universitat Bremen; AlemaniaFil: Lourenco, Mychael V.. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Joshi, Pooja. Robert Debre Hospital; FranciaFil: Hegemann, Regina U.. University of Otago; Nueva ZelandaFil: Jamwal, Sumit. ISF College of Pharmacy; IndiaFil: Ali, Nilufar. Augusta University; Estados UnidosFil: García Romero, Ezra Michelet. Universidad Veracruzana; MéxicoFil: Sharma, Sorabh. Birla Institute of Technology and Science; IndiaFil: Ghosh, Shampa. Indian Council of Medical Research; IndiaFil: Sinha, Jitendra K.. Indian Council of Medical Research; IndiaFil: Loke, Hannah. Hudson Institute of Medical Research; AustraliaFil: Jain, Vishal. Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences; IndiaFil: Lepeta, Katarzyna. Polish Academy of Sciences; ArgentinaFil: Salamian, Ahmad. Polish Academy of Sciences; ArgentinaFil: Sharma, Mahima. Polish Academy of Sciences; ArgentinaFil: Golpich, Mojtaba. University Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre; MalasiaFil: Nawrotek, Katarzyna. University Of Lodz; ArgentinaFil: Paid, Ramesh K.. Indian Institute of Chemical Biology; IndiaFil: Shahidzadeh, Sheila M.. Syracuse University; Estados UnidosFil: Piermartiri, Tetsade. Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina; BrasilFil: Amini, Elham. University Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre; MalasiaFil: Pastor, Verónica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia ; ArgentinaFil: Wilson, Yvette. University of Melbourne; AustraliaFil: Adeniyi, Philip A.. Afe Babalola University; NigeriaFil: Datusalia, Ashok K.. National Brain Research Centre; IndiaFil: Vafadari, Benham. Polish Academy of Sciences; ArgentinaFil: Saini, Vedangana. University of Nebraska; Estados UnidosFil: Suárez Pozos, Edna. Instituto Politécnico Nacional; MéxicoFil: Kushwah, Neetu. Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences; IndiaFil: Fontanet, Paula. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia ; ArgentinaFil: Turner, Anthony J.. University of Leeds; Reino Unid

Factors affecting trust in publishing personal information in online social network: An empirical study of Malaysia’s Klang Valley users

Online Social Networking (OSN) is a platform that enables one to socialize over the world online without having to meet anyone physically or face to face. However, privacy in OSN sites is becoming a main concern for users because of the potential threats that come with sharing one’s personal information online. The purpose of our study was to examine the key factors that influence the trust in publishing personal information on Online Social Network (OSN) sites in Malaysia. Primary data were gathered from 201 users comprising university students and working adults residing in the Klang Valley. Five factors were selected to gauge the users’ perception of potential threats , namely, security/privacy of the website, word of mouth of family and friends, functional motives of OSN users, social motives of OSN users and psychological motives of OSN users. Results of the study showed that security/privacy, word of mouth, functional motives and social motives significantly affected the publishing of respondents’ personal information on online social network sites. The implication is that the largest challenge of both now and in the future, in terms of users protecting themselves and their information, will be to find out and understand how to effectively access and change the privacy settings offered by all OSN sites

Contact Tracing: Ensuring Privacy and Security

Faced with the biggest virus outbreak in a century, world governments at the start of 2020 took unprecedented measures to protect their healthcare systems from being overwhelmed in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic. International travel was halted and lockdowns were imposed. Many nations adopted measures to stop the transmission of the virus, such as imposing the wearing of face masks, social distancing, and limits on social gatherings. Technology was quickly developed for mobile phones, allowing governments to track people’s movements concerning locations of the virus (both people and places). These are called contact tracing applications. Contact tracing applications raise serious privacy and security concerns. Within Europe, two systems evolved: a centralised system, which calculates risk on a central server, and a decentralised system, which calculates risk on the users’ handset. This study examined both systems from a threat perspective to design a framework that enables privacy and security for contact tracing applications. Such a framework is helpful for App developers. The study found that even though both systems comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Europe’s privacy legislation, the centralised system suffers from severe risks against the threats identified. Experiments, research, and reviews tested the decentralised system in various settings but found that it performs better but still suffers from inherent shortcomings. User tracking and re-identification are possible, especially when users report themselves as infected. Based on these data, the study identified and validated a framework that enables privacy and security. The study also found that the current implementations using the decentralised Google/Apple API do not comply with the framework

Supporting to be Credible: Investigating Perceived Social Support as a Determinant of Perceived Credibility

Technological systems can be equipped with persuasive design principles that influence user perceptions. For instance, earlier research showed that Perceived Social Support can influence user perceptions such as effectiveness and knowledge sharing intentions. However, to our knowledge, how Perceived Social Support affects Perceived Credibility has not been investigated. This study investigates the influence of Perceived Social Support on Perceived Credibility. A survey questionnaire was employed to gather user perceptions of social support and credibility in the context of Academic Social Networking Sites (ASNSs). Analysis using Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) confirmed Perceived Social Support as a determinant of Perceived Credibility. Also, Dialogue Support and Primary Task Support were identified to be predictors of Perceived Social Support. The study recommends that designers improve the social support features (e.g., through integrating machine learning and data mining techniques)

Isfahan MISP Dataset

An online depository was introduced to share clinical ground truth with the public and provide open access for researchers to evaluate their computer-aided algorithms. PHP was used for web programming and MySQL for database managing. The website was entitled “biosigdata.com.” It was a fast, secure, and easy-to-use online database for medical signals and images. Freely registered users could download the datasets and could also share their own supplementary materials while maintaining their privacies (citation and fee). Commenting was also available for all datasets, and automatic sitemap and semi-automatic SEO indexing have been set for the site. A comprehensive list of available websites for medical datasets is also presented as a Supplementary

A Molecular Epidemiological Survey of Clinically Important Dermatophytes in Iran Based on Specific RFLP Profiles of Beta-tubulin Gene

Background: Surveillance of dermatophytosis is essential to determine the likely changes in etiological trends and distribution profile of this infection. In this study beta tubulin gene (BT2), was used as the first time in a PCR-RFLP format to clarify the distribution of dermatophytosis agents in some parts of Iran.Methods: A total of 603 clinical isolates was obtained from 500 patients in Tehran, Isfahan, Mazandaran and Guilan provinces. The isolates were identified using macro/micro-morphological criteria and electrophoretic patterns of PCR amplicons of BT2after digestion with each of the restriction enzymes FatI, HpyCH4V, MwoI and Alw21I.Results: Among the patients, 59.2% were male and 40.8% female. The most prevalent clinical form was tinea pedis (42.4%), followed by tinea cruris (24.2%), tinea unguium (12.3%), tinea corporis (10.8%), tinea faciei (4%), tinea manuum (3.14%), tinea capitis (3%) and tinea barbae (0.16%), respectively. Trichophyton interdigitale ranked the first, followed by T. rubrum, Epidermophyton floccosum, Microsporum canis, T. tonsurans, T. erinacei and T. violaceum (each 0.49%) and the less frequent species were T. schoenleinii, M. gypseum and T. anamorph of Arthroderma benhamiae (each 0.16%). A case of scalp infection by E. floccosum was an exceptional event in the study. No case of T. verrucosum was found.Conclusion: Trichophyton species and E. floccosum are yet the predominant agents of infection in Iran, while Microsporum species are decreasing. T. interdigitale and Tinea pedis remain as the most causal agent and clinical form of dermatophytosis, respectively. It seems that BT2 can be a useful genetic marker for epidemiological survey of common pathogenic dermatophytes

Association of interleukin-4 gene polymorphisms with ischemic heart failure

Background: As of the potential immunomodulatory effects of interleukin-4 (IL-4) and its importance in inhibiting the production of proinflammatory cytokines by monocytes and activated T cells, the IL-4 gene polymorphisms were investigated in a group of patients with chronic heart failure due to ischemic heart disease.Methods: Forty three patients with ischemic heart failure (IHF) were enrolled in this study and compared with 139 healthy individuals. The allele and genotype frequency of 3 single nucleotide polymorphisms within the IL-4 gene were determined.Results: The frequency of the IL-4 –590/T allele in the patient group was significantly higher than in the control group (p < 0.0001). The most frequent genotypes in patients with IHF were IL-4 (–590) CC (p < 0.0001), IL-4 (–33) CC (p = 0.021), and IL-4 (–33) TT (p < 0.0001). The frequency of the following genotypes was significantly lower in patients compared to controls: IL-4 (–1098) TG (p = 0.035), IL-4 (–590) TC (p < 0.0001), and IL-4 (–33) TC (p < 0.0001). The most frequent IL-4 haplotypes in the patient group, which were significantly higher than in the control group, were TCC (p < 0.0001), TCT (p = 0.0242), and GCT (p = 0.0108) haplotypes. In contrast, the frequencies of the following haplotypes in the patient group were significantly lower than in the controls: GCC (p = 0.032), TTT (p = 0.0268), and TTC (p = 0.0399).Conclusions: Certain alleles, genotypes, and haplotypes in IL-4 gene were over represented inpatients with IHF, which may, in turn, predispose individuals to this disease