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MicroRNAs (miRs) are short, evolutionarily conserved noncoding RNAs that canonically downregulate expression of target genes. The miR family composed of miR-204 and miR-211 is among the most highly expressed miRs in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) in both mouse and human and also retains high sequence identity. To assess the role of this miR family in the developed mouse eye, we generated two floxed conditional KO mouse lines crossed to the RPE65-ERT2-Cre driver mouse line to perform an RPE-specific conditional KO of this miR family in adult mice. After Cre-mediated deletion, we observed retinal structural changes by optical coherence tomography; dysfunction and loss of photoreceptors by retinal imaging; and retinal inflammation marked by subretinal infiltration of immune cells by imaging and immunostaining. Single-cell RNA sequencing of diseased RPE and retinas showed potential miR-regulated target genes, as well as changes in noncoding RNAs in the RPE, rod photoreceptors, and Müller glia. This work thus highlights the role of miR-204 and miR-211 in maintaining RPE function and how the loss of miRs in the RPE exerts effects on the neural retina, leading to inflammation and retinal degeneration., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest KP is a consultant for Polgenix Inc and serves on the Scientific Advisory Board at Hyperion Eye Ltd. All other authors have declared that they have no conflict of interest with the contents of this article., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Mutations in many visual cycle enzymes in photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells can lead to the chronic accumulation of toxic retinoid byproducts, which poison photoreceptors and the underlying RPE if left unchecked. Without a functional ATP-binding cassette, sub-family A, member 4 (ABCA4), there is an elevation of all- trans -retinal and prolonged buildup of all- trans -retinal adducts, resulting in a retinal degenerative disease known as Stargardt-1 disease. Even in this monogenic disorder, there is significant heterogeneity in the time to onset of symptoms among patients. Using a combination of molecular techniques, we studied Abca4 knockout (simulating human noncoding disease variants) and Abca4 knock-in mice (simulating human misfolded, catalytically inactive protein variants), which serve as models for Stargardt-1 disease. We compared the two strains to ascertain whether they exhibit differential responses to agents that affect cytokine signaling and/or ceramide metabolism, as alterations in either of these pathways can exacerbate retinal degenerative phenotypes. We found different degrees of responsiveness to maraviroc, a known immunomodulatory CCR5 antagonist, and to the ceramide-lowering agent AdipoRon, an agonist of the ADIPOR1 and ADIPOR2 receptors. The two strains also display different degrees of transcriptional deviation from matched WT controls. Our phenotypic comparison of the two distinct Abca4 mutant-mouse models sheds light on potential therapeutic avenues previously unexplored in the treatment of Stargardt disease and provides a surrogate assay for assessing the effectiveness for genome editing., Competing Interests: Competing interests statement:K.P. is a consultant for Polgenix, Inc. and serves on the Scientific Advisory Board at Hyperion Eye, Ltd. All other authors have declared that no conflict of interest exists.

Background: The study was undertaken to compare the diagnostic performance of diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) with the standard monoexponential (ME) apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) model in the detection of significant prostate cancer (PCa), using whole-mount histopathology of radical prostatectomy specimens as a reference standard., Methods: 155 patients with prostate cancer had undergone multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) at 3T before prostatectomy. Quantitative diffusion parameters-the apparent diffusion coefficient corrected for non-Gaussian behavior (D app ), kurtosis (K), ADC 1200 , and ADC 2000 were correlated with Gleason score and compared between cancerous and benign tissue and between GS ≤ 3 + 3 and GS ≥ 3 + 4 tumors., Results: The mean values of all diffusion parameters (D app , K, ADC 1200 , ADC 2000 ) were significantly different both between malignant and benign tissue and between GS ≤ 3 + 3 and GS ≥ 3 + 4 tumors. Although the kurtosis model was better fitted to DWI data, the diagnostic performance in receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis of DKI and the standard ADC model in the detection of significant PCa was similar in the peripheral zone (PZ) and in peripheral and transitional zones (TZ) together. In conclusion, our study was not able to demonstrate a clear superiority of the kurtosis model over standard ADC in the diagnosis of significant PCa in PZ and in both zones combined.

The aim of the studies is to show that graphical bioinformatics methods are good tools for the description of genome sequences of viruses. A new approach to the identification of unknown virus strains, is proposed., Methods: Biological sequences have been represented graphically through 2D and 3D-Dynamic Representations of DNA/RNA Sequences - theoretical methods for the graphical representation of the sequences developed by us previously. In these approaches, some ideas of the classical dynamics have been introduced to bioinformatics. The sequences are represented by sets of material points in 2D or 3D spaces. The distribution of the points in space is characteristic of the sequence. The numerical parameters (descriptors) characterizing the sequences correspond to the quantities typical of classical dynamics., Results: Some applications of the theoretical methods have been briefly reviewed. 2D-dynamic graphs representing the complete genome sequences of SARS-CoV-2 are shown., Conclusion: It is proved that the 3D-Dynamic Representation of DNA/RNA Sequences, coupled with the random forest algorithm, classifies successfully the subtypes of influenza A virus strains., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Type 1 hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) is an autosomal, recessive genetic entity with systemic iron overload. Iron homeostasis disorders develop as a result of HFE gene mutations, which are associated with hepcidin arthropathy or osteoporosis and may cause permanent disability in HH patients despite a properly conducted treatment with phlebotomies. In this study, selected parameters of calcium and phosphate metabolism were analyzed in combination with the assessment of bone mineral density (BMD) disorders in patients from northern Poland with clinically overt HFE -HH. BMD was determined by a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) test with the use of the trabecular bone score (TBS) function. The study included 29 HH patients (mean age = 53.14 years) who were compared with 20 healthy volunteers. A significantly lower TBS parameter and serum 25-OH-D3 concentration, a higher concentration of intact parathormone and more a frequent occurrence of joint pain were found in HH patients compared with the control group. In HH patients, the diagnosis of liver cirrhosis was associated with lower serum 25-OH-D3 and osteocalcin concentrations. In HH, DXA with the TBS option is a valuable tool in the early assessment of the bone microarchitecture and fracture risk. A supplementation of vitamin D, monitoring its concentration, should be considered especially in HH patients with liver damage and liver cirrhosis.

Introduction: Hereditary haemochromatosis (HH) is a disease characterised by the excessive absorption of iron and its deposition in various organs. Late complications of this disease include cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and endocrine disorders. Data from the literature on thyroid disorders in patients with HH are inconsistent and ambiguous, and no research has been done to determine the relationship between excessive accumulation of iron and the thyroid morphology. Therefore, the aim of this study was to characterise thyroid function and ultrasound images in patients with clinically overt hereditary haemochromatosis., Material and Methods: We studied 40 patients who were diagnosed with hereditary haemochromatosis with one of the mutations of the HFE gene and iron deposits in liver in specimen from liver biopsies (graded G2 to G4) or in MRI. To assess thyroid function, ultrasound examinations of the thyroid gland were performed and serum TSH concentrations were measured., Results: We showed in our study that patients with HH have been diagnosed with thyroid focal lesions statistically less frequent than in the control group. We did not reveal any statistically significant difference in TSH concentration between patients with HH and the general population. However, patients with more severe iron deposits in liver showed lower TSH concentration., Conclusions: Our results indicate lower incidence of focal lesions in thyroid gland in a group of patients with clinically overt hereditary haemochromatosis.

Memory formation can be influenced by sleep and sex hormones in both men and women, and by the menstrual cycle in women. Though many studies have shown that sleep benefits the consolidation of memories, it is not clear whether this effect differs between men and women in general or according to menstrual phase in women. The present study investigated the effect of sex and menstrual cycle on memory consolidation of face-name associations (FNA) following a daytime nap. Recognition memory was tested using a face-name paired associates task with a polysomnographic nap between morning and evening testing. Seventeen healthy women (age: 20.75 (1.98) years) were studied at two time points of their menstrual cycles, defined from self-report and separated by 2weeks (perimenses: -5days to +6days from the start of menses, and non-perimenses: outside of the perimenses phase), and compared with eighteen healthy men (age: 22.01 (2.91) years). Regardless of menstrual phase, women had better pre-nap performance than men. Further, menstrual phase affected post-nap memory consolidation, with women showing greater forgetting in their perimenses phase compared with their non-perimenses phase and men. Interestingly, post-nap performance correlated with electrophysiological events during sleep (slow oscillations, spindles, and temporal coupling between the two), however, these correlations differed according to menstrual phase and sex. Men's performance improvement was associated with the temporal coupling of spindles and slow oscillations (i.e., spindle/SO coincidence) as well as spindles. Women, however, showed an association with slow oscillations during non-perimenses, whereas when they were in their perimenses phase of their cycle, women appeared to show an association only with sleep spindle events for consolidation. These findings add to the growing literature demonstrating sex and menstrual phase effects on memory formation during sleep., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

An emerging generation of high-density microelectrode arrays (MEAs) is now capable of recording spiking activity simultaneously from thousands of neurons with closely spaced electrodes. Reliable spike detection and analysis in such recordings is challenging due to the large amount of raw data and the dense sampling of spikes with closely spaced electrodes. Here, we present a highly efficient, online capable spike detection algorithm, and an offline method with improved detection rates, which enables estimation of spatial event locations at a resolution higher than that provided by the array by combining information from multiple electrodes. Data acquired with a 4096 channel MEA from neuronal cultures and the neonatal retina, as well as synthetic data, was used to test and validate these methods. We demonstrate that these algorithms outperform conventional methods due to a better noise estimate and an improved signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) through combining information from multiple electrodes. Finally, we present a new approach for analyzing population activity based on the characterization of the spatio-temporal event profile, which does not require the isolation of single units. Overall, we show how the improved spatial resolution provided by high density, large scale MEAs can be reliably exploited to characterize activity from large neural populations and brain circuits.

Various plasticity mechanisms, including experience-dependent, spontaneous, as well as homeostatic ones, continuously remodel neural circuits. Yet, despite fluctuations in the properties of single neurons and synapses, the behavior and function of neuronal assemblies are generally found to be very stable over time. This raises the important question of how plasticity is coordinated across the network. To address this, we investigated the stability of network activity in cultured rat hippocampal neurons recorded with high-density multielectrode arrays over several days. We used parametric models to characterize multineuron activity patterns and analyzed their sensitivity to changes. We found that the models exhibited sloppiness, a property where the model behavior is insensitive to changes in many parameter combinations, but very sensitive to a few. The activity of neurons with sloppy parameters showed faster and larger fluctuations than the activity of a small subset of neurons associated with sensitive parameters. Furthermore, parameter sensitivity was highly correlated with firing rates. Finally, we tested our observations from cell cultures on an in vivo recording from monkey visual cortex and we confirm that spontaneous cortical activity also shows hallmarks of sloppy behavior and firing rate dependence. Our findings suggest that a small subnetwork of highly active and stable neurons supports group stability, and that this endows neuronal networks with the flexibility to continuously remodel without compromising stability and function., (Copyright © 2015 the authors 0270-6474/15/358480-13$15.00/0.)

Spindles - a hallmark of stage II sleep - are a transient oscillatory phenomenon in the EEG believed to reflect thalamocortical activity contributing to unresponsiveness during sleep. Currently spindles are often classified into two classes: fast spindles, with a frequency of around 14 Hz, occurring in the centro-parietal region; and slow spindles, with a frequency of around 12 Hz, prevalent in the frontal region. Here we aim to establish whether the spindle generation process also exhibits spatial heterogeneity. Electroencephalographic recordings from 20 subjects were automatically scanned to detect spindles and the time occurrences of spindles were used for statistical analysis. Gamma distribution parameters were fit to each inter-spindle interval distribution, and a modified Wald-Wolfowitz lag-1 correlation test was applied. Results indicate that not all spindles are generated by the same statistical process, but this dissociation is not spindle-type specific. Although this dissociation is not topographically specific, a single generator for all spindle types appears unlikely.

Free radicals have been implicated in the etiology of cardiac dysfunction during sepsis, but the actual species responsible remains unclear. We studied the alterations in myocardial nitric oxide (NO), superoxide, and peroxynitrite generation along with cardiac mechanical function and efficiency in hearts from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated rats. Six hours after LPS (4 mg/kg ip) or saline (control) treatment, hearts were isolated and perfused for 1 h with recirculating Krebs-Henseleit buffer and paced at 300 beats/min. Cardiac work, O(2) consumption, and cardiac efficiency were markedly depressed in LPS hearts compared with controls. Plasma nitrate/nitrite level was elevated in LPS rats, and ventricular NO production was enhanced as measured by electron spin resonance spectroscopy, Ca(2+)-independent NO synthase (NOS) activity, and inducible NOS immunohistochemistry. Ventricular superoxide production was also enhanced in LPS-treated hearts as seen by lucigenin chemiluminescence and xanthine oxidase activity. Increased nitrotyrosine staining (immunohistochemistry) and higher lipid hydroperoxides levels were also detected in LPS-treated hearts, indicating oxygen radical-induced stress. Enhanced generation of both NO and superoxide, and thus peroxynitrite, occur in dysfunctional hearts from endotoxemic rats.

We examined the mechanism of the time- and protein synthesis-dependent decline in cardiac mechanical function in isolated working rat hearts. Hearts were perfused with Krebs-Henseleit buffer for 120 min in the presence or absence of the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide (CX; 10 microM). Cardiac work remained stable for 60 min and then spontaneously decreased during 60-120 min of perfusion. This was accompanied by an increase in myocardial inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and xanthine oxidase (XO) activities and enhanced dityrosine formation in the perfusate, an indicator of peroxynitrite generation. CX markedly attenuated the loss in contractile function and prevented the increase in iNOS and XO activities and dityrosine level. Despite the decline in cardiac work in control hearts, the coupling between tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle activity and oxygen consumption remained constant in both groups. ATP, creatine phosphate, and glycogen levels were not different between control and CX groups and did not differ over 120 min of perfusion. We concluded that the delayed and spontaneous loss in myocardial mechanical function in isolated working rat hearts is 1) attenuated by CX treatment, 2) accompanied by a concomitant increase in both iNOS and XO activities and peroxynitrite generation in the heart, and 3) not dependent on a direct impairment in myocardial ATP production, myocardial oxygen consumption, or TCA cycle acetyl-CoA production but may be due to an inefficiency of the heart to utilize ATP for contractile work.

Proinflammatory cytokines (interleukin-1beta, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interferon-gamma; Cytomix) depress myocardial contractile work partially by stimulating expression of inducible nitric oxide (NO) synthase (iNOS). Because NO and peroxynitrite inhibit myocardial O2 consumption (MVO2), we examined whether this mechanism contributes to reduced cardiac work. In control isolated working rat hearts, cardiac work was stable for 60 min, followed by a decline from 60 to 120 min, without change in MVO2. Cardiac efficiency (work/MVO2) was therefore reduced from 60 to 120 min. Cytomix shortened the onset (within 20-40 min) and enhanced the depression in cardiac work and efficiency and inhibited MVO2 after 80 min. Mercaptoethylguanidine (MEG), an iNOS inhibitor and peroxynitrite scavenger, or the glucocorticoid dexamethasone (Dex) abolished the effects of Cytomix. iNOS expression was increased 10-fold by Cytomix and abolished by Dex but not MEG. That cytokine-induced depression in cardiac work precedes the reduction in MVO2 suggests, at least in the early response, that NO and/or peroxynitrite may not impair heart function by inhibiting mitochondrial respiration but reduce the heart's ability to utilize ATP for contractile work.

1. Myocardial dysfunction during septic shock is associated with enhanced production of cytokines such as interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). These cytokines depress cardiac mechanical function by a mechanism which is not well defined. 2. Bacterial endotoxin or cytokines cause the expression of Ca(2+)-independent nitric oxide (NO) synthase in cardiac myocytes, vascular endothelial cells and endocardial endothelial cells, causing enhanced production of NO. As NO has negative inotropic actions on cardiac muscle, we tested the sum effects of IL-1 beta plus TNF-alpha in the intact heart to determine whether enhanced expression of NO synthase activity in the cells that comprise the heart is involved in cardiac depression associated with cytokine stimulation. 3. Rat isolated working hearts perfused with IL-1 beta plus TNF-alpha showed a markedly greater depression in contractile function, measured as cardiac work, after 2 h of perfusion compared with time-matched control hearts. The depressant action of IL-1 beta plus TNF-alpha was first apparent after 1 h of perfusion; no early (15 min) cardiac depressant actions were seen. 4. The competitive inhibitor of Ca(2+)-dependent and Ca(2+)-independent NO synthases, NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 3 microM) when given concurrently with IL-1 beta plus TNF-alpha prevented the loss in contractile function such that these hearts after 2 h of perfusion had similar function to time-matched controls. L-NAME did not acutely reverse the loss of contractile function in hearts exposed for 2 h to IL-1 beta plus TNF-alpha. The protective action of L-NAME in the presence of cytokines was concentration-dependent and was not seen at a higher concentration (10 micro M) due to the significant reduction in coronary flow observed at this concentration.5. In contrast, when L-NAME (3 micro M) was given in the absence of IL-l beta plus TNF-alpha it depressed contractile function over the 2 h perfusion period by significantly reducing coronary flow.6. Inhibition of protein synthesis with cycloheximide (Cx) abolished the loss in function that occurred over 2h in both control and IL-1 beta plus TNF-a-treated hearts.7. Inducible, Ca2+-independent NO synthase activity was not observed in freshly isolated hearts but was observed in control hearts perfused for 2 h in vitro and was doubled in hearts perfused with IL-1 beta plus TNF-a. Cx prevented the expression of Ca2+-independent NO synthase in both control and cytokine-treated hearts.8. In summary, these results suggest that the depression of myocardial function by IL-l beta plus TNF-alpha is mediated, at least in part, by induction of Ca2+-independent NO synthase activity in the heart.

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the assay of diacyl and plasmalogen (alk-1-enyl) phospholipid content and the determination of their fatty acid content from tissue homogenates is described. Myocardial phospholipids are rich in plasmalogens and have a high content of unsaturated fatty acids, including arachidonic acid, esterified in the sn-2 position. Using a three-stage HPLC assay we have analyzed the phospholipid subclass content and the amount of arachidonic acid esterified to these fractions extracted from isolated perfused rat hearts. After HPLC separation of total myocardial phospholipids, the phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine peak fractions are treated with phospholipase C to remove polar head groups and ultraviolet-absorbing benzoate derivatives are made. Separation and quantification of diacyl and plasmalogen content of the total phospholipids with nanomolar sensitivity is then achieved using isocratic elution with a silicic acid HPLC column. The separated plasmalogen and diacyl glycerobenzoates are then subjected to alkaline hydrolysis to remove fatty acids from the sn-2 position. The 2-(2,3-napthalimino)ethyltrifluoromethanesulfonate esters of the free fatty acids are then prepared and analyzed with subnanomolar sensitivity using reverse-phase chromatography with gradient elution. As plasmalogen-specific phospholipase A2 is activated during myocardial ischemia and comprises the majority of total phospholipase A2 activity in the heart, this methodology allows for a sensitive and complete determination of the changes in the mass of these phospholipids and their arachidonic acid content.