Cathelicidin suppresses lipid accumulation and hepatic steatosis by inhibition of the CD36 receptor.

Background and objectivesObesity is a global epidemic which increases the risk of the metabolic syndrome. Cathelicidin (LL-37 and mCRAMP) is an antimicrobial peptide with an unknown role in obesity. We hypothesize that cathelicidin expression correlates with obesity and modulates fat mass and hepatic steatosis.Materials and methodsMale C57BL/6 J mice were fed a high-fat diet. Streptozotocin was injected into mice to induce diabetes. Experimental groups were injected with cathelicidin and CD36 overexpressing lentiviruses. Human mesenteric fat adipocytes, mouse 3T3-L1 differentiated adipocytes and human HepG2 hepatocytes were used in the in vitro experiments. Cathelicidin levels in non-diabetic, prediabetic and type II diabetic patients were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.ResultsLentiviral cathelicidin overexpression reduced hepatic steatosis and decreased the fat mass of high-fat diet-treated diabetic mice. Cathelicidin overexpression reduced mesenteric fat and hepatic fatty acid translocase (CD36) expression that was reversed by lentiviral CD36 overexpression. Exposure of adipocytes and hepatocytes to cathelicidin significantly inhibited CD36 expression and reduced lipid accumulation. Serum cathelicidin protein levels were significantly increased in non-diabetic and prediabetic patients with obesity, compared with non-diabetic patients with normal body mass index (BMI) values. Prediabetic patients had lower serum cathelicidin protein levels than non-diabetic subjects.ConclusionsCathelicidin inhibits the CD36 fat receptor and lipid accumulation in adipocytes and hepatocytes, leading to a reduction of fat mass and hepatic steatosis in vivo. Circulating cathelicidin levels are associated with increased BMI. Our results demonstrate that cathelicidin modulates the development of obesity

Artificial intelligence-based solutions for coffee leaf disease classification

Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages and the quantity and quality of coffee beans depend significantly on the health and condition of coffee plants, particularly their leaves. The automation of coffee leaf disease classification using AI is an essential need, providing not only economic benefits but also contributing to environmental conservation and creating better conditions for sustainable coffee cultivation. Through the application of AI, early disease detection is facilitated, thereby reducing pest and disease control costs, minimizing crop losses, increasing coffee productivity and product quality, and promoting environmental preservation. Many studies have proposed AI algorithms for coffee disease classification. However, numerous algorithms employ classical algorithms, while some utilize deep learning, the current state-of-the-art in computer vision. The challenge lies in the fact that when using deep learning, a substantial amount of data is required for training. The design of deep learning architectures to enhance model accuracy while still working with a small training dataset remains an area of ongoing research. In this study, we propose deep learning-based method for coffee leaf disease classification. We propose the combination of different deep convolutional neural networks to further improve overall classification performance. Early and late fusion have been conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the pre-trained model. Our experimental results demonstrate that the ensemble method outperforms single-model approaches, achieving high accuracy and precision in BRACOL coffee disease leaf

Revisions to the derivation of the Australian and New Zealand guidelines for toxicants in fresh and marine waters

The Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality are a key document in the Australian National Water Quality Management Strategy. These guidelines released in 2000 are currently being reviewed and updated. The revision is being co-ordinated by the Australian Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, while technical matters are dealt with by a series of Working Groups. The revision will be evolutionary in nature reflecting the latest scientific developments and a range of stakeholder desires. Key changes will be: increasing the types and sources of data that can be used; working collaboratively with industry to permit the use of commercial-in-confidence data; increasing the minimum data requirements; including a measure of the uncertainty of the trigger value; improving the software used to calculate trigger values; increasing the rigour of site-specific trigger values; improving the method for assessing the reliability of the trigger values; and providing guidance of measures of toxicity and toxicological endpoints that may, in the near future, be appropriate for trigger value derivation. These changes will markedly improve the number and quality of the trigger values that can be derived and will increase end-users’ ability to understand and implement the guidelines in a scientifically rigorous manner

QCD and strongly coupled gauge theories : challenges and perspectives

We highlight the progress, current status, and open challenges of QCD-driven physics, in theory and in experiment. We discuss how the strong interaction is intimately connected to a broad sweep of physical problems, in settings ranging from astrophysics and cosmology to strongly coupled, complex systems in particle and condensed-matter physics, as well as to searches for physics beyond the Standard Model. We also discuss how success in describing the strong interaction impacts other fields, and, in turn, how such subjects can impact studies of the strong interaction. In the course of the work we offer a perspective on the many research streams which flow into and out of QCD, as well as a vision for future developments.Peer reviewe

A Small Genomic Region Containing Several Loci Required for Gastrulation in Drosophila

Genetic screens in Drosophila designed to search for loci involved in gastrulation have identified four regions of the genome that are required zygotically for the formation of the ventral furrow. For three of these, the genes responsible for the mutant phenotypes have been found. We now describe a genetic characterization of the fourth region, which encompasses the cytogenetic interval 24C3-25B, and the mapping of genes involved in gastrulation in this region. We have determined the precise breakpoints of several existing deficiencies and have generated new deficiencies. Our results show that the region contains at least three different loci associated with gastrulation effects. One maternal effect gene involved in ventral furrow formation maps at 24F but could not be identified. For a second maternal effect gene which is required for germ band extension, we identify a candidate gene, CG31660, which encodes a G protein coupled receptor. Finally, one gene acts zygotically in ventral furrow formation and we identify it as Traf4

Direct inference and control of genetic population structure from RNA sequencing data

RNAseq data can be used to infer genetic variants, yet its use for estimating genetic population structure remains underexplored. Here, we construct a freely available computational tool (RGStraP) to estimate RNAseq-based genetic principal components (RG-PCs) and assess whether RG-PCs can be used to control for population structure in gene expression analyses. Using whole blood samples from understudied Nepalese populations and the Geuvadis study, we show that RG-PCs had comparable results to paired array-based genotypes, with high genotype concordance and high correlations of genetic principal components, capturing subpopulations within the dataset. In differential gene expression analysis, we found that inclusion of RG-PCs as covariates reduced test statistic inflation. Our paper demonstrates that genetic population structure can be directly inferred and controlled for using RNAseq data, thus facilitating improved retrospective and future analyses of transcriptomic data

Epidemiological features and risk factors of Salmonella gastroenteritis in children resident in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Non-typhoidal Salmonella are an important but poorly characterized cause of paediatric diarrhoea in developing countries. We conducted a hospital-based case-control study in children aged 2 children (cases 20∙8%, controls 10∙2%; OR 2∙32, 95% CI 1∙2-4∙7). Our findings indicate that Salmonella are an important cause of paediatric gastroenteritis in this setting and we suggest that transmission may occur through direct human contact in the home

Orexins/Hypocretins Acting at Gi Protein-Coupled OX2 Receptors Inhibit Cyclic AMP Synthesis in the Primary Neuronal Cultures

Orexins A and B are newly discovered neuropeptides with pleiotropic activity. They signal through two G protein-coupled receptors: OX1 and OX2. In this study, we examined the expression of orexin receptors and effects of the receptors’ activation on cyclic AMP formation in the primary neuronal cell cultures from rat cerebral cortex. Both types of orexin receptors were expressed in rat cortical neurons; the level of OX2R was markedly higher compared to OX1R. Orexin A (an agonist of OX1R and OX2R) and [Ala11-D-Leu15]orexin B (a selective agonist of OX2R) did not affect basal cyclic AMP formation in the primary neuronal cell cultures. Both peptides (0.001–1 μM) inhibited, in a concentration-dependent manner and IC50 values in low nanomolar range, the increase in the nucleotide production evoked by forskolin (1 μM; a direct activator of adenylyl cyclase), pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP27; 0.1 μM), and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP; 3 μM). Effects of orexin A on forskolin-, PACAP27-, and VIP-stimulated cyclic AMP synthesis were blocked by TCS OX2 29 (a selective antagonist of OX2R), and unaffected by SB 408124 (a selective antagonist of OX1R). Pretreatment of neuronal cell cultures with pertussis toxin (PTX) abolished the inhibitory action of orexin A on forskolin- and PACAP-stimulated cyclic AMP accumulation. It is suggested that in cultured rat cortical neurons orexins, acting at OX2 receptors coupled to PTX-sensitive Gi protein, inhibit cyclic AMP synthesis