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Current Research in Food Science 2022Studying the composition of a certain food is not enough to predict its health benefits. Research over the past decades has decisively strengthened the notion that any... (Review)
Review
Studying the composition of a certain food is not enough to predict its health benefits. Research over the past decades has decisively strengthened the notion that any putative health benefit is best related to the fraction of compounds transferred from ingested foods into the body since the absorption may be incomplete after oral consumption. In other words, the bioavailability of food components is crucial information. Therefore, a variety of models have been developed to predict their bioaccessibility and bioavailability in the most diverse food matrices and food products. These models can also be applied to study the impact of several endogenous or exogenous factors on the bioaccessibility and bioavailability of nutrients and bioactive compounds, guiding nutrition and food scientists, technologists, and engineers towards the development of strategies to optimize the positive impact of the diet on well-being and quality of life. While bioavailability is ideally examined in human volunteers, digestion methods, as well as intestinal absorption and microphysiological models, simulate human physiological conditions. Additionally, methods are alternatives to offset ethical, economical, and experimental limitations associated with studies conducted either with individuals or animals. This graphical review draws parallels between models mimicking digestion processes, uptake, absorption, metabolism, and distribution of dietary compounds and human physiology.
PubMed: 35106487
DOI: 10.1016/j.crfs.2022.01.002 -
International Journal of Molecular... Jun 2017The cornea and the skin are both organs that provide the outer barrier of the body. Both tissues have developed intrinsic mechanisms that protect the organism from a... (Review)
Review
The cornea and the skin are both organs that provide the outer barrier of the body. Both tissues have developed intrinsic mechanisms that protect the organism from a wide range of external threats, but at the same time also enable rapid restoration of tissue integrity and organ-specific function. The easy accessibility makes the skin an attractive model system to study tissue damage and repair. Findings from skin research have contributed to unravelling novel fundamental principles in regenerative biology and the repair of other epithelial-mesenchymal tissues, such as the cornea. Following barrier disruption, the influx of inflammatory cells, myofibroblast differentiation, extracellular matrix synthesis and scar formation present parallel repair mechanisms in cornea and skin wound healing. Yet, capillary sprouting, while pivotal in proper skin wound healing, is a process that is rather associated with pathological repair of the cornea. Understanding the parallels and differences of the cellular and molecular networks that coordinate the wound healing response in skin and cornea are likely of mutual importance for both organs with regard to the development of regenerative therapies and understanding of the disease pathologies that affect epithelial-mesenchymal interactions. Here, we review the principal events in corneal wound healing and the mechanisms to restore corneal transparency and barrier function. We also refer to skin repair mechanisms and their potential implications for regenerative processes in the cornea.
Topics: Animals; Cell Differentiation; Cornea; Humans; Inflammation; Skin; Skin Physiological Phenomena; Wound Healing
PubMed: 28604651
DOI: 10.3390/ijms18061257 -
Ecology and Evolution May 2022Studying the genetics of phenotypic convergence can yield important insights into adaptive evolution. Here, we conducted a comparative genomic study of four lineages...
Studying the genetics of phenotypic convergence can yield important insights into adaptive evolution. Here, we conducted a comparative genomic study of four lineages (species and subspecies) of anadromous shad () that have independently evolved life cycles entirely completed in freshwater. Three naturally diverged (. , .. , and .), and the fourth (. ) was artificially landlocked during the last century. To conduct this analysis, we assembled and annotated a draft of the . genome and generated whole-genome sequencing for 16 anadromous and freshwater populations of shad. Widespread evidence for parallel genetic changes in freshwater populations within lineages was found. In freshwater . , which have only been diverging for tens of generations, this shows that parallel adaptive evolution can rapidly occur. However, parallel genetic changes across lineages were comparatively rare. The degree of genetic parallelism was not strongly related to the number of shared polymorphisms between lineages, thus suggesting that other factors such as divergence among ancestral populations or environmental variation may influence genetic parallelism across these lineages. These overall patterns were exemplified by genetic differentiation involving a paralog of - that appears to be under selection in just two of the more distantly related lineages studied, .. and . . Our findings provide insights into the genetic architecture of adaptation and parallel evolution along a continuum of population divergence.
PubMed: 35646309
DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8908 -
International Journal of Offender... Oct 2023This study explored emotional patterns in relation to the Offence Paralleling Behavior and the schema mode frameworks. The study retrospectively assesses schema modes in...
This study explored emotional patterns in relation to the Offence Paralleling Behavior and the schema mode frameworks. The study retrospectively assesses schema modes in the events prior and during criminal and institutional violent behavior. It draws upon observer-ratings of schema modes by 42 male patients who received mandated clinical care in a forensic hospital in the Netherlands. Wilcoxon Signed Ranked tests showed no differences between events prior crimes and incidents with regard to schema modes that relate to universal childhood needs with the exception of impulsive child mode. States of intoxication were more prevalent prior and during the crimes than during the incidents. Furthermore, modes tended to be less activated during incidents, particularly low self-control, conning and manipulating, and self-aggrandizer modes. It is hoped that criminal justice institutions and their staff would benefit from being more aware of schema mode in order to prevent and deal with incidental violence.
PubMed: 37902405
DOI: 10.1177/0306624X231206516 -
Psychological Bulletin Jan 2017There are 3 motivations for studying the psychological correlates of habitual diet. First, diet is a major but modifiable cause of morbidity and mortality, and dietary... (Review)
Review
There are 3 motivations for studying the psychological correlates of habitual diet. First, diet is a major but modifiable cause of morbidity and mortality, and dietary interventions could be improved by knowing the psychological characteristics of consumers of healthy/unhealthy diets. Second, animal studies indicate that diet can impair cognition, stress responsiveness, and affective processing, but it is unclear whether this also happens in humans. Third, certain psychological traits are associated with obesity, but it is not known whether these precede and thus contribute to weight gain. Although many psychological correlates of diet have been identified, the literature is highly dispersed, and there has been no previous comprehensive narrative review. Organized here by psychological domain, studies linking diet with individual differences in perception, cognition, impulsivity, personality, affective processing, mental health, and attitudes, beliefs and values-in healthy adults-are reviewed. Although there is a growing literature on the psychological correlates of fruit/vegetable intake-the core of a healthy diet-consumers of unhealthy diets have characteristics that probably make them less responsive to education-based interventions. Diet may be a causal contributor to depression, and diet is consistently linked to impulsivity and certain personality traits. There are inconsistent and less explored links to perceptual, affective and cognitive processes, with several emerging parallels to the animal literature. Impulsivity and personality traits common to obese individuals also occur in lean consumers of unhealthy diets, suggesting these may contribute to weight gain. Diet-psychology correlates remain understudied even though this could significantly benefit human health. (PsycINFO Database Record
Topics: Adult; Diet; Feeding Behavior; Humans; Personality
PubMed: 27618545
DOI: 10.1037/bul0000065 -
Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia 2022Little is known about the ultrastructure of pili annulati.
BACKGROUND
Little is known about the ultrastructure of pili annulati.
OBJECTIVES
To examine with transmission electron microscopy affected hairs of a family, whose diagnosis had been confirmed in five individuals with scanning electron microscopy, which showed surface undulations with "curtain-like" folding of the hair cuticula and to compare the findings with normal control.
METHODS
Hairs of two affected patients and one control were embedded in resin and cut lengthwise to produce ultra-thin sections.
RESULTS
The normal hair showed a parallel arrangement of dark lines associated with less electron-dense wide bands. Small cavities could be observed, mostly in the dark lines, affected hairs had a large number of cavities, associated or not with the insertion of melanosomes and loss of parallelism of the dark lines. Higher magnification showed a significant loss of this parallelism, resembling "wood grooves". Widened dark lines were observed in some areas.
STUDY LIMITATIONS
Only a few hairs were examined.
CONCLUSIONS
The present results suggest that the microcanaliculi of the hair surface, easily found with scanning electron microscopy, may be secondary not only to the cavities seen in the sections but also to the disorder of proteins that form this region, demonstrated by the changes of the cortex dark lines.
Topics: Hair; Hair Diseases; Hair Follicle; Humans; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission
PubMed: 36100477
DOI: 10.1016/j.abd.2021.10.011 -
Medical Physics Dec 2023Small animal irradiation is essential to study the radiation response of new interventions before or parallel to human therapy. Image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) and...
BACKGROUND
Small animal irradiation is essential to study the radiation response of new interventions before or parallel to human therapy. Image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) are recently adopted in small animal irradiation to more closely mimic human treatments. However, sophisticated techniques require exceedingly high time, resources, and expertize that are often impractical.
PURPOSE
We propose a high throughput and high precision platform named Multiple Mouse Automated Treatment Environment (Multi-MATE) to streamline image-guided small animal irradiation.
METHODS
Multi-MATE consists of six parallel and hexagonally arranged channels, each equipped with a transfer railing, a 3D-printed immobilization pod, and an electromagnetic control unit, computer-controlled via an Arduino interface. The mouse immobilization pods are transferred along the railings between the home position outside the radiation field and the imaging/irradiation position at the irradiator isocenter. All six immobilization pods are transferred to the isocenter in the proposed workflow for parallel CBCT scans and treatment planning. The immobilization pods are then sequentially transported to the imaging/therapy position for dose delivery. The positioning reproducibility of Multi-MATE are evaluated using CBCT and radiochromic films.
RESULTS
While parallelizing and automating the image-guided small animal radiation delivery, Multi-MATE achieved the average pod position reproducibility of 0.17 ± 0.04 mm in the superior-inferior direction, 0.20 ± 0.04 mm in the left-right direction, and 0.12 ± 0.02mm in the anterior-posterior direction in repeated CBCT tests. Additionally, in image-guided dose delivery tasks, Multi-MATE demonstrated the positioning reproducibility of 0.17 ± 0.06 mm in the superior-inferior direction, 0.19 ± 0.06 mm in the left-right direction.
CONCLUSIONS
We designed, fabricated, and tested a novel automated irradiation platform, Multi-MATE to accelerate and automate image-guided small animal irradiation. The automated platform minimizes human operation and achieves high setup reproducibility and image-guided dose delivery accuracy. Multi-MATE thus removes a major barrier to implementing high-precision preclinical radiation research.
Topics: Animals; Mice; Cone-Beam Computed Tomography; Phantoms, Imaging; Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted; Radiotherapy, Image-Guided; Reproducibility of Results
PubMed: 37341036
DOI: 10.1002/mp.16563 -
Hormones and Behavior Nov 2022Like Darwin's tangled bank of biodiversity, the endocrine mechanisms that give rise to phenotypic diversity also exhibit nearly endless forms. This tangled bank of... (Review)
Review
Like Darwin's tangled bank of biodiversity, the endocrine mechanisms that give rise to phenotypic diversity also exhibit nearly endless forms. This tangled bank of mechanistic diversity can prove problematic as we seek general principles on the role of endocrine mechanisms in phenotypic evolution. A key unresolved question is therefore: to what degree are specific endocrine mechanisms re-used to bring about replicated phenotypic evolution? Related areas of inquiry are booming in molecular ecology, but behavioral traits are underrepresented in this literature. Here, I leverage the rich comparative tradition in evolutionary endocrinology to evaluate whether and how certain mechanisms may be repeated hotspots of behavioral evolutionary change. At one extreme, mechanisms may be parallel, such that evolution repeatedly uses the same gene or pathway to arrive at multiple independent (or, convergent) origins of a particular behavioral trait. At the other extreme, the building blocks of behavior may be unique, such that outwardly similar phenotypes are generated via lineage-specific mechanisms. This review synthesizes existing case studies, phylogenetic analyses, and experimental evolutionary research on mechanistic parallelism in animal behavior. These examples show that the endocrine building blocks of behavior have some elements of parallelism across replicated evolutionary events. However, support for parallelism is variable among studies, at least some of which relates to the level of complexity at which we consider sameness (i.e. pathway vs. gene level). Moving forward, we need continued experimentation and better testing of neutral models to understand whether, how - and critically, why - mechanism A is used in one lineage and mechanism B is used in another. We also need continued growth of large-scale comparative analyses, especially those that can evaluate which endocrine parameters are more or less likely to undergo parallel evolution alongside specific behavioral traits. These efforts will ultimately deepen understanding of how and why hormone-mediated behaviors are constructed the way that they are.
Topics: Animals; Phylogeny; Biological Evolution; Phenotype; Endocrine System; Behavior, Animal
PubMed: 36029721
DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105246 -
Journal of Experimental Psychology.... Sep 2019At the scale in which we live, space is continuous. Nevertheless, our perception and cognition parse the world into categories, whether physical, like or or abstract,...
At the scale in which we live, space is continuous. Nevertheless, our perception and cognition parse the world into categories, whether physical, like or or abstract, like or 7. The present study focuses on 2 categories of special angles in planar geometry, and and we evaluate how these categories might be reflected in adults' basic angle discrimination. In the first experiment, participants were most precise when detecting 2 parallel or perpendicular lines among other pairs of lines at different relative orientations. Detection was also enhanced for 2 connected lines whose angle approached 90°, with precision peaking at 90°. These patterns emerged despite large variations in the scales and orientations of the angle exemplars. In the second experiment, the enhanced detection of perpendiculars persisted when stimuli were rotated in depth, indicating a capacity to discriminate shapes based on perpendicularity in 3 dimensions despite large variation in angles' 2-dimensional projections. The results suggest that 2 categorical concepts which lie at the foundation of Euclidean geometry, parallelism and perpendicularity, are reflected in our discrimination of simple visual forms, and they pave the way for future studies exploring the developmental and evolutionary origins of these cognitive categories. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
Topics: Adult; Concept Formation; Discrimination, Psychological; Female; Humans; Male; Mathematical Concepts; Pattern Recognition, Visual; Space Perception; Young Adult
PubMed: 31219284
DOI: 10.1037/xhp0000663 -
Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative... 2022Kerala's contribution to Ayurveda practice and literature is held with high esteem by scholars all over the country. Literary works of Kerala comprises of both works... (Review)
Review
Kerala's contribution to Ayurveda practice and literature is held with high esteem by scholars all over the country. Literary works of Kerala comprises of both works which are unique in nature and works which have parallels in other regions of India. Despite these facts, most of these works, except a few like Sahasrayoga have not yet been studied well. The scholarliness of the authors of such works also remains unknown to the current generation. Unless a serious effort is made to study these, the concern is that the wisdom in the regional literature of Ayurveda will be lost as most of these works will become unavailable in near future. This article focuses on the life, works and achievements of Pandit C K Vasudeva Sarma, an eminent scholar physician from Kerala. The review is prepared as a life profile based on published documents, oral reports etc. Major works were identified and the parallel to Jejjata was drawn following that. Vachaspathya commentary on Carakasamhita, Hridayollasa commentary on Sushrutasamhita, Vasudeviya commentary on Ashtangahridaya, Vaidyapriya commentary on Sarngadharasamhita, commentary on Yogaratnakara called Vaidyaratnam are some of his prominent works on Sanskrit texts. Apart from authoring some unique Ayurvedic texts in Malayalam he also authored several non-Ayurveda textbooks. These rich regional diversity in the Ayurveda literature and practice worth detailed study by future generations. Value of the works of Pandit C K Vasudeva Sarma underlines the concern on regional literature and stresses the need for further studies in similar areas.
PubMed: 36495714
DOI: 10.1016/j.jaim.2022.100659