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Cell Reports Oct 2023Healthy Kupffer cell (KC) pool is dominated by embryonic KCs (EmKCs), preserving liver homeostasis. How the KC pool varies upon injury remains unclear. Using chimeric...
Healthy Kupffer cell (KC) pool is dominated by embryonic KCs (EmKCs), preserving liver homeostasis. How the KC pool varies upon injury remains unclear. Using chimeric mice with bone marrow (BM) cells labeled with enhanced green fluorescent protein, we identify that BM monocyte-derived KCs (MoKCs) become dominant in cholestatic- or toxic-injured livers via immunofluorescence and mass cytometry. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) unveils the enhanced proliferative, anti-apoptotic properties and repair potential of MoKCs compared with EmKCs, which are confirmed in vivo and ex vivo through flow cytometry, qPCR, Cell Counting Kit-8, and immunofluorescence. Furthermore, compared with EmKC-dominated livers, MoKC-dominated livers exhibit less functional damage, necrosis, and fibrosis under damage, as tested by serum alanine aminotransferase activity detection, H&E and Sirius red staining, qPCR, and western blot. Collectively, we highlight that MoKCs dominate the KC pool in injured livers and show enhanced proliferative and anti-apoptotic properties while also promoting repair and attenuating fibrosis.
Topics: Mice; Animals; Kupffer Cells; Monocytes; Liver; Necrosis; Fibrosis
PubMed: 37740916
DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113164 -
Heliyon Oct 2020Domestic violence in South Africa is a consequence of the complex interplay of patriarchy, culture, and the negative masculine construct. The patriarchal cultural... (Review)
Review
Domestic violence in South Africa is a consequence of the complex interplay of patriarchy, culture, and the negative masculine construct. The patriarchal cultural beliefs and traditions that emphasise on male assertiveness and domination of women influence the constructions of masculinity and reinforce domestic violence. The goal of this article was to highlight a relationship between culture, constructions of masculinity, and domestic violence in South Africa. Through adopting an African feminist lens, this paper unpacks how structures of patriarchy manifest in the traditional African context in which many men in South Africa construct and perform their masculinity and the embodied meaning attached to it. The paper argues that gender hierarchy and normative masculine and feminine roles prevalent in most South African cultures have implications for domestic violence. It argues that the inflexible gender hierarchy, which is enforced through culture and the dominant position of men in the home influence domestic violence. The article concludes that attempts to address domestic violence in South Africa must focus on changing patriarchal cultural norms and promote peaceful masculinity.
PubMed: 33150213
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05334 -
Animals : An Open Access Journal From... Dec 2020The Sicilian black pig (SB) (Nero Siciliano), also known as the Nero dei Nebrodi, Nero delle Madonie, or Nero dell'Etna pig ecotype, is an autochthonous Italian breed.... (Review)
Review
The Sicilian black pig (SB) (Nero Siciliano), also known as the Nero dei Nebrodi, Nero delle Madonie, or Nero dell'Etna pig ecotype, is an autochthonous Italian breed. The origins of this breed date back to Greek and Carthaginian dominations. In ancient times, its breeding was fairly common throughout Sicily, registering only a temporary reduction during the Arab domination. This breed is known primarily for its distinctive black coat, although some individuals display wattles and a partially or wholly white face. The SB pig has a birth rate with an average per sow of 7.6 piglets, each of 1.4 kg live body weight, showing an average daily gain (ADG) of 346 g/day during the fattening period. Slaughter generally takes place at an average age of 390 days, with an average live weight of 95 kg. This breed also appears to withstand adverse climatic conditions and resist disease. The purpose of this manuscript is to offer a general overview regarding the Sicilian Black pig and to consider the recent findings related to genome investigation. The recent application of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies in the study of the genome of autochthonous breeds showed that polymorphisms of some candidate genes for production performance and phenotypic traits represent important information for selection processes. The protection of autochthonous breeds, intended as sources of genomic diversity for the further improvements of pigs for commercial use, constitutes a valuable opportunity to create new sustainable pig chains.
PubMed: 33297476
DOI: 10.3390/ani10122326 -
PloS One 2020In many objective optimization problems (MaOPs), more than three distinct objectives are optimized. The challenging part in MaOPs is to get the Pareto approximation (PA)...
In many objective optimization problems (MaOPs), more than three distinct objectives are optimized. The challenging part in MaOPs is to get the Pareto approximation (PA) with high diversity and good convergence. In Literature, in order to solve the issue of diversity and convergence in MaOPs, many approaches are proposed using different multi objective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs). Moreover, to get better results, the researchers use the sets of reference points to differentiate the solutions and to model the search process, it further evaluates and selects the non-dominating solutions by using the reference set of solutions. Furthermore, this technique is used in some of the swarm-based evolutionary algorithms. In this paper, we have used some effective adaptations of bat algorithm with the previous mentioned approach to effectively handle the many objective problems. Moreover, we have called this algorithm as many objective bat algorithm (MaOBAT). This algorithm is a biologically inspired algorithm, which uses echolocation power of micro bats. Each bat represents a complete solution, which can be evaluated based on the problem specific fitness function and then based on the dominance relationship, non-dominated solutions are selected. In proposed MaOBAT, dominance rank is used as dominance relationship (dominance rank of a solution means by how many other solutions a solution dominated). In our proposed strategy, dynamically allocated set of reference points are used, allowing the algorithm to have good convergence and high diversity pareto fronts (PF). The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm has significant advantages over several state-of-the-art algorithms in terms of the quality of the solution.
Topics: Computer Heuristics; Neural Networks, Computer
PubMed: 32525939
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0234625 -
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Feb 2022Individuals occupying dominant and subordinate positions in social hierarchies exhibit divergent behaviours, physiology and neural functioning. Dominant animals express...
Individuals occupying dominant and subordinate positions in social hierarchies exhibit divergent behaviours, physiology and neural functioning. Dominant animals express higher levels of dominance behaviours such as aggression, territorial defence and mate-guarding. Dominants also signal their status via auditory, visual or chemical cues. Moreover, dominant animals typically increase reproductive behaviours and show enhanced spatial and social cognition as well as elevated arousal. These biobehavioural changes increase energetic demands that are met via shifting both energy intake and metabolism and are supported by coordinated changes in physiological systems including the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axes as well as altered gene expression and sensitivity of neural circuits that regulate these behaviours. Conversely, subordinate animals inhibit dominance and often reproductive behaviours and exhibit physiological changes adapted to socially stressful contexts. Phenotypic changes in both dominant and subordinate individuals may be beneficial in the short-term but lead to long-term challenges to health. Further, rapid changes in social ranks occur as dominant animals socially ascend or descend and are associated with dynamic modulations in the brain and periphery. In this paper, we provide a broad overview of how behavioural and phenotypic changes associated with social dominance and subordination are expressed in neural and physiological plasticity. This article is part of the theme issue 'The centennial of the pecking order: current state and future prospects for the study of dominance hierarchies'.
Topics: Aggression; Animals; Hierarchy, Social; Reproduction; Social Dominance; Territoriality
PubMed: 35000436
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0443 -
Frontiers in Medicine 2020Autoimmune glomerulonephritis occurs as a consequence of autoantibodies and T-cell effector functions that target autoantigens. Co-signaling through cell surface... (Review)
Review
Autoimmune glomerulonephritis occurs as a consequence of autoantibodies and T-cell effector functions that target autoantigens. Co-signaling through cell surface receptors profoundly influences the optimal activation of T cells. The scope of this review is signaling mechanisms and the functional roles of representative T-cell co-inhibitory receptors in the regulation of autoimmune glomerulonephritis, along with current therapeutic challenges mainly on preclinical trials. Co-inhibitory receptors utilize both shared and unique signaling pathway, suggesting specialized functions that provide the rationale behind therapies for autoimmune glomerulonephritis by targeting these inhibitory receptors. These receptors largely suppress Th1 immunity, modify Th17 and Th2 immune response, and enhance Treg function. Anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA4) immunoglobulin (Ig), which is able to block both activating CD28 and inhibitory CTLA4 signaling, has been shown in preclinical and clinical investigations to have effects on glomerular disease. Other inhibitory receptors for treating glomerulonephritis have not been clinically tested, and efficacy of manipulating these pathways requires further preclinical investigation. While immune checkpoint inhibition using anti-CTLA4 antibodies and anti-programmed cell death 1 (PD-1)/PD-L1 antibodies has been approved for the treatment of several cancers, blockade of CTLA4 and PD-1/PD-L1 is associated with adverse effects that resemble autoimmune disorders, including systemic vasculitis. A renal autoimmune vasculitis model features an initial Th17 dominancy followed later by a Th1-dominant outcome and Treg cells that attenuate autoreactive T-cell function. Toward the development of effective therapies for T-cell-mediated autoimmune glomerulonephritis, it would be preferable to pay attention to the impact of the inhibitory pathways in immunological renal disease settings.
PubMed: 33251233
DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2020.584382 -
Scientific Reports Jan 2023Networks have always played a special role for human beings in shaping social relations, forming public opinion, and driving economic equilibria. Nowadays, online...
Networks have always played a special role for human beings in shaping social relations, forming public opinion, and driving economic equilibria. Nowadays, online networked platforms dominate digital markets and capitalization leader-boards, while social networks drive public discussion. Despite the importance of networks in many economic and social domains (economics, sociology, anthropology, psychology, etc.), the knowledge about the laws that dominate their dynamics is still scarce and fragmented. Here, we analyse a wide set of online networks (those financed by advertising) by investigating their value dynamics from several perspectives: the type of law they follow, their geographic scope, and the relationship between economic value and financial value. The results show that the networks are dominated by strongly nonlinear dynamics. The existence of non-linearity is often underestimated in social sciences because it involves contexts that are difficult to deal with, such as the presence of multiple equilibria-some of which are unstable. Yet, these dynamics must be fully understood and addressed if we aim to understand the recent evolution in the economic, political and social milieus, which are precisely characterised by corner equilibria (e.g., polarisation, winner-take-all solutions, increasing inequality) and nonlinear patterns.
PubMed: 36658175
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-26961-x -
Brain and Behavior Dec 2019Social hierarchy is one of the most influential social structures employed by social species. While dominants in such hierarchies can preferentially access rich... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUNDS
Social hierarchy is one of the most influential social structures employed by social species. While dominants in such hierarchies can preferentially access rich resources, subordinates are forced into lower social statuses and lifestyles with inferior resources. Previous studies have indicated that the social rank regulates social behaviors and emotion in a variety of species, whereby individual organisms live within the framework of their ranks. However, in human societies, people, particularly young men, who cannot accept their own social status may show social withdrawal behaviors such as hikikomori to avoid confronting their circumstances.
METHODS
This article reviews the neural mechanisms underlying social status identified in animal studies with rodents and primates, and assesses how social rank affects animal's social behaviors and emotion which may be relevant to modern type depression.
RESULTS
Several brain regions such as medial prefrontal cortex are implicated in the formation of animal's social status, which leads to the differences in vulnerability and resilience to social stress.
CONCLUSION
On the basis of these findings, we propose that physical interventions such as voluntary exercise, diet, transcranial direct current stimulation, and psychotherapy, rather than psychotropic drugs, may be useful therapeutic approaches for modern type depression, which is a typical example of social status conflict and a phenotype of adjustment disorder to the traditional hierarchical social order.
Topics: Animals; Behavior, Animal; Depression; Disease Management; Emotions; Hierarchy, Social; Humans; Prefrontal Cortex; Social Behavior; Social Class
PubMed: 31743626
DOI: 10.1002/brb3.1464 -
Scientific Reports Dec 2023In adults, seeing individual faces is sufficient to trigger dominance evaluations, even when conflict is absent. From early on, infants represent dyadic dominance...
In adults, seeing individual faces is sufficient to trigger dominance evaluations, even when conflict is absent. From early on, infants represent dyadic dominance relations and they can infer conflict outcomes based on a variety of cues. To date, it is unclear if toddlers also make automatic dominance trait evaluations of individual faces. Here we asked if toddlers are sensitive to dominance traits from faces, and whether their sensitivity depends on their face experience. We employed a visual preference paradigm to study 18- and 24-month-old toddlers' sensitivity to dominance traits from three types of faces: artificial, male, female. When presented with artificial faces (Experiment 1), 18- and 24-month-olds attended longer to the non-dominant faces, but only when they were in upright orientation. For real male faces (Experiment 2), toddlers showed equivalent looking durations to the dominant and non-dominant upright faces. However, when looking at female faces (Experiment 3), toddlers displayed a visual preference for the upright non-dominant faces at 24 months. To our knowledge, this is the first study to show that toddlers already display sensitivity to facial cues of dominance from 18 months of age, at least for artificial face stimuli.
Topics: Adult; Infant; Humans; Male; Female; Child, Preschool; Face; Cues
PubMed: 38097711
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-49385-7 -
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Aug 2023Continuing the centuries-long exchange between economics and biology, our model of reproductive skew is an adaptation of the principal-agent relationship between an...
Continuing the centuries-long exchange between economics and biology, our model of reproductive skew is an adaptation of the principal-agent relationship between an employer and an employee. Inspired by the case of purple martins () and lazuli buntings (), we model a dominant male whose fitness can be advanced not only by coercing a subordinate male but, where coercion is impossible or not cost-effective, also by providing positive fitness incentives for the subordinate that induce him to behave in ways that contribute to the dominant's fitness. We model a situation in which a dominant and subordinate contest over a variable amount of joint total fitness, both the level and division of which result from the strategies adopted by both. Thus there is not some given amount of potential fitness (or 'pie') that is to be divided between the two (or wasted in costly contests). The fitness incentives that in evolutionary equilibrium are conceded to the subordinate by the dominant maximize the dominant's own fitness. The reason is that the larger pie resulting from the subordinate's increased helping more than compensates for the dominant's reduced fitness share. But the conflict over fitness shares nonetheless limits the size of the pie. This article is part of the theme issue 'Evolutionary ecology of inequality'.
Topics: Male; Humans; Acclimatization; Biological Evolution; Coercion; Ecology; Employment
PubMed: 37381848
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0289