70 research outputs found
An image retrieval system based on explicit and implicit feedback on a tablet computer
Our research aims at developing a image retrieval system which uses relevance feedback to build a hybrid search /recommendation system for images according to usersâ inter ests. An image retrieval application running on a tablet computer gathers explicit feedback through the touchscreen but also uses multiple sensing technologies to gather implicit feedback such as emotion and action. A recommendation mechanism driven by collaborative filtering is implemented to verify our interaction design
The intergenerational impact of genetic and psychological factors on blood pressure study (InterGEN) : design and methods for recruitment and psychological measures
BACKGROUND : Although studies show that genomics and environmental stressors affect blood pressure, few studies have examined their combined effects, especially in African Americans.
OBJECTIVE : We present the recruitment methods and psychological measures of the Intergenerational Impact of Genetic and Psychological Factors on Blood Pressure (InterGEN) study, which seeks to investigate the individual and combined effects of genetic (G) and environmental (E) (psychological) stressors on blood pressure in African American mother-child dyads. Genetic methods are presented elsewhere, but here we present the recruitment methods, psychological measures, and analysis plan for these environmental stressors. METHODS : This longitudinal study will enroll 250 mother-child dyads (N = 500). Study participation is restricted to women who (a) are â€21 years of age, (b) self-identify as African American or Black, (c) speak English, (d) do not have an identified mental illness or cognitive impairment, and (e) have a biological child between 3 and 5 years old. The primary environmental stressors assessed are parenting stress, perceived racism and discrimination, and maternal mental health. Covariates include age, cigarette smoking (for mothers), and gender (for children). The study outcome variables are systolic and diastolic blood pressure. ANALYSIS : The main analytic outcome is genetic-by-environment interaction analyses (G Ă E); however, main effects (G) and (E) will be individually assessed first. Genetic (G) and interaction analyses (G Ă E) are described in a companion paper and will include laboratory procedures. Statistical modeling of environmental stressors on blood pressure will be done using descriptive statistics and generalized estimating equation models. IMPLICATIONS : The methodology presented here includes the study rationale, community engagement and recruitment protocol, psychological variable measurement, and analysis plan for assessing the association of environmental stressors and blood pressure. This study may provide the foundation for other studies and development of interventions to reduce the risk for hypertension and to propose targeted health promotion programs for this high-risk population.http://journals.lww.com/nursingresearchonline2017-07-31hb2016Psycholog
Mitochondrial respiration - an important therapeutic target in melanoma
The importance of mitochondria as oxygen sensors as well as producers of ATP and reactive oxygen species (ROS) has recently become a focal point of cancer research. However, in the case of melanoma, little information is available to what extent cellular bioenergetics processes contribute to the progression of the disease and related to it, whether oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) has a prominent role in advanced melanoma. In this study we demonstrate that compared to melanocytes, metastatic melanoma cells have elevated levels of OXPHOS. Furthermore, treating metastatic melanoma cells with the drug, Elesclomol, which induces cancer cell apoptosis through oxidative stress, we document by way of stable isotope labeling with amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) that proteins participating in OXPHOS are downregulated. We also provide evidence that melanoma cells with high levels of glycolysis are more resistant to Elesclomol. We further show that Elesclomol upregulates hypoxia inducible factor 1-α (HIF-1α), and that prolonged exposure of melanoma cells to this drug leads to selection of melanoma cells with high levels of glycolysis. Taken together, our findings suggest that molecular targeting of OXPHOS may have efficacy for advanced melanoma. © 2012 Barbi de Moura et al
Association of obesity with DNA methylation age acceleration in African American mothers from the InterGEN study
African American women are a ected by earlier onset of age-associated health deteriorations
and obesity disproportionally, but little is known about the mechanism linking body mass index
(BMI) and biological aging among this population. DNA methylation age acceleration (DNAm AA),
measuring the di erence betweenDNAmethylation age and chronological age, is a novel biomarker of
the biological aging process, and predicts aging-related disease outcomes. The present study estimated
cross-tissue DNA methylation age acceleration using saliva samples from 232 African American
mothers. Cross-sectional regression analyses were performed to assess the association of BMI with
DNAmAA. The average chronological age andDNAmethylation age were 31.67 years, and 28.79 years,
respectively. After adjusting for smoking, hypertension diagnosis history, and socioeconomic factors
(education, marital status, household income), a 1 kg/m2 increase in BMI is associated with 0.14 years
increment of DNAm AA (95% CI: (0.08, 0.21)). The conclusion: in African American women, high BMI
is independently associated with saliva-based DNA methylation age acceleration, after adjusting for
smoking, hypertension, and socioeconomic status. This finding supports that high BMI accelerates
biological aging, and plays a key role in age-related disease outcomes among African American women.National Institutes of Health granthttps://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijmspm2020Psycholog
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DNA methylation changes in African American women with a history of preterm birth from the InterGEN study
Background
Preterm birth (<â37âweeksâ gestation) is a common outcome of pregnancy that has been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease for women later in life. Little is known about the physiologic mechanisms underlying this risk. To date, no studies have evaluated if differences in DNA methylation (DNAm) among women who experience preterm birth are short-term or if they persist and are associated with subsequent cardiovascular sequelae or other health disorders. The purpose of this study was to examine long-term epigenetic effects of preterm birth in African American mothers (nâ=â182) from the InterGEN Study (2014â2019). In this study, we determine if differences in DNAm exist between women who reported a preterm birth in the last 3â5âyears compared to those who had full-term births by using two different approaches: epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) and genome-wide co-methylation analyses.
Results
Though no significant CpG sites were identified using the EWAS approach, we did identify significant modules of co-methylation associated with preterm birth. Co-methylation analyses showed correlations with preterm birth in gene ontology and KEGG pathways. Functional annotation analysis revealed enrichment for pathways related to central nervous system and sensory perception. No association was observed between DNAm age and preterm birth, though larger samples are needed to confirm this further.
Conclusions
We identified differentially methylated gene networks associated with preterm birth in African American women 3â5âyears after birth, including pathways related to neurogenesis and sensory processing. More research is needed to understand better these associations and replicate them in an independent cohort. Further study should be done in this area to elucidate mechanisms linking preterm birth and later epigenomic changes that may contribute to the development of health disorders and maternal mood and well-being
Experiences of trauma and DNA methylation profiles among African American mothers and children
Potentially traumatic experiences have been associated with chronic diseases. Epigenetic
mechanisms, including DNA methylation (DNAm), have been proposed as an explanation for this
association. We examined the association of experiences of trauma with epigenome-wide DNAm
among African American mothers (n = 236) and their children aged 3â5 years (n = 232; N = 500),
using the Life Events Checklist-5 (LEC) and Traumatic Events Screening InventoryâParent Report
Revised (TESI-PRR). We identified no DNAm sites significantly associated with potentially traumatic
experience scores in mothers. One CpG site on the ENOX1 gene was methylome-wide-significant in
children (FDR-corrected q-value = 0.05) from the TESI-PRR. This protein-coding gene is associated
with mental illness, including unipolar depression, bipolar, and schizophrenia. Future research should
further examine the associations between childhood trauma, DNAm, and health outcomes among
this understudied and high-risk group. Findings from such longitudinal research may inform clinical
and translational approaches to prevent adverse health outcomes associated with epigenetic changes.The National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Nursing Research; a Yale School of Nursing Alumni Donor; the National Institutes of Health Medical Scientist Training Program Grant and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Research Scholars Program.https://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijmsPsycholog
Associations between DNA methylation age acceleration, depressive symptoms, and cardiometabolic traits in African American mothers from the InterGEN study
Background : African American women (AAW) have a high risk of both cardiometabolic (CM) illness and depressive symptoms. Depressive
symptoms co-occur in individuals with CM illness at higher rates than the general population, and accelerated aging may explain this.
In this secondary analysis, we examined associations between age acceleration; depressive symptoms; and CM traits (hypertension, diabetes
mellitus [DM], and obesity) in a cohort of AAW.
Methods : Genomic and clinical data from the InterGEN cohort (n = 227) were used. Age acceleration was based on the Horvath method
of DNA methylation (DNAm) age estimation. Accordingly, DNAm age acceleration (DNAm AA) was defined as the residuals from a linear
regression of DNAm age on chronological age. Spearmanâs correlations, linear and logistic regression examined associations between
DNAm AA, depressive symptoms, and CM traits.
Results : DNAm AA did not associate with total depressive symptom scores. DNAm AA correlated with specific symptoms including selfdisgust/
self-hate (â0.13, 95% CI â0.26, â0.01); difficulty with making decisions (â0.15, 95% CI â0.28, â0.02); and worry over physical health
(0.15, 95% CI 0.02, 0.28), but were not statistically significant after multiple comparison correction. DNAm AA associated with obesity (0.08,
95% CI 1.02, 1.16), hypertension (0.08, 95% CI 1.01, 1.17), and DM (0.20, 95% CI 1.09, 1.40), after adjustment for potential confounders.
Conclusions : Associations between age acceleration and depressive symptoms may be highly nuanced and dependent on study
design contexts. Factors other than age acceleration may explain the connection between depressive symptoms and CM traits. AAW with
CM traits may be at increased risk of accelerated aging.The InterGEN study was funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research of the National Institutes of Health (R01NR013520).https://journals.sagepub.com/home/gaeam2023Psycholog
Bionic cartilage acellular matrix microspheres as scaffold for engineering cartilage
Extracellular matrix (ECM) scaffolds made from decellularized natural cartilage have been successfully used in cartilage lesion repair, but allogeneic cartilage donors are always in shortage and xenogeneic cartilage tissues may have the risk of unknown disease transfer. In this study, we constructed artificial bionic cartilage microspheres by encapsulating MSCs in collagen microspheres and cultured in a chondrogenic-inducing medium. Then, acellular matrix microsphere (BCAMM) scaffolds were fabricated from the cultured microspheres at three different developmental stages. A novel technique was introduced to fabricate BCAMM scaffolds, which enabled the production and utilization of the scaffolds in a short time. Due to the differences in surface morphologies and biological compositions, the three BCAMM scaffolds showed different chondrogenic effects. The 10-day BCAMM (10-BCAMM) scaffold showed the best overall results, successfully inducing MSC chondrogenesis without any additional fetal bovine serum or induction components (TGF-ÎČ or dexamethasone). In comparison, the 5-day BCAMM (5-BCAMM) scaffold showed potential osteogenic effects. The advantages of micron-sized BCAMMs are outlined, specifically in the easier decellularization process without grinding, homogeneous cell seeding and infiltration, chondrogenic induction and better fitting to the irregular lesion shape
Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome
The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers âŒ99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of âŒ1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead
The James Webb Space Telescope Mission
Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies,
expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling
for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least .
With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000
people realized that vision as the James Webb Space Telescope. A
generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of
the mission, potentially as long as 20 years, and beyond. This report and the
scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000
team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image
quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief
history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing
program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite
detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit.Comment: Accepted by PASP for the special issue on The James Webb Space
Telescope Overview, 29 pages, 4 figure
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