Intrauterine growth restriction in piglets modulates postnatal immune function and hepatic transcriptional responses independently of energy intake.

Introduction: Insufficient prenatal nutrition can affect fetal development and lead to intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). The aim of this study was to investigate hepatic transcriptional responses and innate immune function in piglets suffering from IUGR compared to normal-sized piglets at 3 days of age and explore whether the provision of an energy-rich supplement at birth could modulate these parameters. Methods: A total of 68 piglets were included in the study. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were harvested for LPS stimulation, and organs were harvested post-mortem to quantify relative weights. Liver tissue was utilized for RNA sequencing coupled with gene-set enrichment analysis. Results: IUGR resulted in increased expression of genes such as PDK4 and substantial alterations in transcriptional pathways related to metabolic activity (e.g., citric acid and Krebs cycles), but these changes were equivalent in piglets given an energy-rich supplement or not. Transcriptomic analysis and serum biochemistry suggested altered glucose metabolism and a shift toward oxidation of fatty acids. IUGR piglets also exhibited suppression of genes related to innate immune function (e.g., CXCL12) and pathways related to cell proliferation (e.g., WNT and PDGF signaling). Moreover, they produced less IL-1ß in response to LPS stimulation and had lower levels of blood eosinophils than normal-sized piglets. Discussion: Taken together, our results indicate that IUGR results in early-life alterations in metabolism and immunity that may not be easily restored by the provision of exogenous energy supplementation.

Morphological and molecular characterization of a new freshwater Ceratomyxa species (Cnidaria: Myxozoa) from the yellow catfish, Trachysurus fulvidraco in China.

Ceratomyxa Thélohan, 1892 is one of the largest genera of the sub-phylum Myxozoa, and has a worldwide geographical distribution. Ceratomyxa species mainly infect the gallbladder of marine fish and rarely infect histozoically or coelozoically freshwater fish. In the present study, yellow catfish, Trachysurus fulvidraco (Siluriformes, Actinopteri) collected from the low reach of Yellow River was first found to be infected with an unknown Ceratomyxa species in their gallbladder which was identified to be new to science and nominated as Ceratomyxa huangheensis n. sp. by an integrative taxonomic approach for myxosporeans. Spores are typical of the genus Ceratomyxa, and matures spores are arcuate, with posterior angle of 139.2 ± 11.6 (137.0-156.0)° and rounded ends, and measures 4.7 ± 0.6 (3.3-5.5) µm in length, and 10.7 ± 1.3 (8.5-13.3) µm in thickness. Two spore valves are slightly unequal and present elongated ovoid in the lateral view. Two equal spherical polar capsules, measuring 2.2 ± 0.4 (1.4-2.8) µm × 2.0 ± 0.4 (1.0-2.5) µm in size locates adjacent to the straight suture line. The obtained partial small subunit ribosomal DNA (SSU rDNA) sequence was unique among all myxozoans in GenBank, and the highest similarity is 85.3% with Ceratomyxa sparusaurati, a marine fish-infecting congener. Phylogenetic analysis further indicated that this novel species did not cluster with other freshwater fish-infecting congeners from South America to form an independent clade, but was phylogenetically positioned within the marine fish-infecting clade. The possible presence of different radiation trajectories between Ceratomyxa huangheensis n. sp. and Amazonian freshwater Ceratomyxa lineage was discussed. This is the first report of Ceratomyxa species in the Yellow River basin and the second freshwater Ceraotomyxa species in China, even in Asia.

Multiple Mechanisms in Proton-Induced Nucleon Removal at ∼100 MeV/Nucleon.

We report on the first proton-induced single proton- and neutron-removal reactions from the neutron-deficient ^{14}O nucleus with large Fermi-surface asymmetry S_{n}-S_{p}=18.6 MeV at ∼100 MeV/nucleon, a widely used energy regime for rare-isotope studies. The measured inclusive cross sections and parallel momentum distributions of the ^{13}N and ^{13}O residues are compared to the state-of-the-art reaction models, with nuclear structure inputs from many-body shell-model calculations. Our results provide the first quantitative contributions of multiple reaction mechanisms including the quasifree knockout, inelastic scattering, and nucleon transfer processes. It is shown that the inelastic scattering and nucleon transfer, usually neglected at such energy regime, contribute about 50% and 30% to the loosely bound proton and deeply bound neutron removal, respectively. These multiple reaction mechanisms should be considered in analyses of inclusive one-nucleon removal cross sections measured at intermediate energies for quantitative investigation of single-particle strengths and correlations in atomic nuclei.

Discovery of

The new isotope ^{39}Na, the most neutron-rich sodium nucleus observed so far, was discovered at the RIKEN Nishina Center Radioactive Isotope Beam Factory using the projectile fragmentation of an intense ^{48}Ca beam at 345 MeV/nucleon on a beryllium target. Projectile fragments were separated and identified in flight with the large-acceptance two-stage separator BigRIPS. Nine ^{39}Na events have been unambiguously observed in this work and clearly establish the particle stability of ^{39}Na. Furthermore, the lack of observation of ^{35,36}Ne isotopes in this experiment significantly improves the overall confidence that ^{34}Ne is the neutron dripline nucleus of neon. These results provide new key information to understand nuclear binding and nuclear structure under extremely neutron-rich conditions. The newly established stability of ^{39}Na has a significant impact on nuclear models and theories predicting the neutron dripline and also provides a key to understanding the nuclear shell property of ^{39}Na at the neutron number N=28, which is normally a magic number.

Influence of lower extremity rotation on knee kinematics in single-leg landing.

OBJECTIVES: Although the rotation of lower extremities has gained increasing recognition as a risk factor for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. This study clarified the influence of lower extremity rotation on the knee during single-leg landing. DESIGN AND SETTING: We recruited 30 students to perform single-leg landing from a height of 30 cm with their lower extremities in neutral, and externally and internally rotated. The knee abduction, flexion angles, and abduction angular velocity were measured. Furthermore, the abduction angle was analyzed at knee flexion angles of 15°, 20°, 25°, and 30° and compared among the three conditions using a repeated measures analysis of variance with Bonferroni post hoc tests. RESULTS: The maximum abduction angle was significantly greater when internally rotated than in the neutral. The maximum abduction angular velocity was significantly greater in the internally rotated compared to in the neutral. Finally, the abduction angle at a knee flexion angle of 30° was significantly greater when internally rotated compared to in the neutral. CONCLUSION: Rotation of the lower extremities affects knee kinematics, and landing on a knee that is internally rotated may increase the risk of ACL injury.

Effective encapsulation of reuterin-producing Limosilactobacillus reuteri in alginate beads prepared with different mucilages/gums.

The mainly aim of this study was to use mucilaginous solutions obtained from tamarind, mutamba, cassia tora, psyllium and konjac powdered to encapsulate reuterin-producing Limosilactobacillus reuteri in alginate beads by extrusion technique. In the particles were determined the bacterial encapsulation efficiency, cell viability during storage and survival under simulated gastric and intestinal conditions. Moreover, the reuterin production, its entrapment into the beads and the influence on viability of encapsulated microorganism were evaluated. Scanning electron microscopy and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy were employed to characterize the produced particles. The beads showed a relatively spherical shape with homogenous distribution of L. reuteri. The use of gums and mucilages combined with alginate improved the encapsulation efficiency (from 93.2 to 97.4%), the viability of encapsulated bacteria during refrigerated storage (especially in prolonged storage of 20, 30 and 60 days) and the survival after exposure to gastric and enteric environments (from 67.7 to 76.6%). The L. reuteri was able to produce reuterin via bioconversion of glycerol in the film-forming solutions, and the entrapment of the metabolite was improved using konjac, mutamba and tamarind mucilaginous solutions in the encapsulation process (45, 44.57 and 41.25%, respectively). Thus, our findings confirm the great potential of these hydrocolloids to different further purposes, enabling its application as support material for delivery of chemical or biological compounds.

Reuterin-producing Limosilactobacillus reuteri: Optimization of in situ reuterin production in alginate-based filmogenic solutions.

Limosilactobacillus reuteri produces reuterin via glycerol anaerobic fermentation. This compound has antimicrobial properties and is used for food preservation purposes. Filmogenic solutions constituted of polysaccharides and glycerol are also employed, however, reuterin synthesis in filmogenic solutions has not yet been reported. Thus, the aim of this study was to optimize the in situ reuterin production by L. reuteri in alginate- and glycerol based-filmogenic solution, evaluating the survival of reuterin-producing bacteria during fermentation. The study consisted of a completely randomized design employing two L. reuteri strains (DSM 20016 and DSM 17938). The filmogenic solutions were obtained using sodium alginate (20 g/L) and two independent variables were studied: glycerol (0-300 mmol/L) and initial biomass of L. reuteri (≅6, 7, and 8 log CFU/mL). The samples were analyzed every 24 h for 72 h of anaerobic fermentation (37 °C). Both L. reuteri strains confirmed the potential for reuterin production and were susceptible to the metabolite produced. The highest reuterin production was achieved using L. reuteri DSM 20016. The initial microbial biomass of 8 log CFU/mL and 100 mmol/L of glycerol increased the reuterin production. However, higher conversion yields from glycerol to reuterin were obtained using 50 mmol/L of substrate.

Probing the Symmetry Energy with the Spectral Pion Ratio.

Many neutron star properties, such as the proton fraction, reflect the symmetry energy contributions to the equation of state that dominate when neutron and proton densities differ strongly. To constrain these contributions at suprasaturation densities, we measure the spectra of charged pions produced by colliding rare isotope tin (Sn) beams with isotopically enriched Sn targets. Using ratios of the charged pion spectra measured at high transverse momenta, we deduce the slope of the symmetry energy to be 42

Evaluation of redox potentials of cathode materials of alkali-ion batteries using extended DFT+U+U↑↓ method: The role of interactions between the electrons with opposite spins.

Limitations of the DFT+U approach (e.g., in Dudarev's formulation) applied for accurate evaluation of redox potentials of cathode materials of alkali-ion batteries with U parameters calculated via the linear response (LR) method are discussed. In contrast to our previous studies, where redox potentials of several cathode materials have been calculated in a good agreement with experiment (e.g., NaMnO2, LiFePO4, and LiTiS2), herein, we analyze other cathode materials, such as LiNiO2 and Ni- and V-containing phosphates for which this method provides much underestimated redox voltages. We ascribe this limited predictive power of the DFT+U method, parameterized via LR, to the absence of corrections of Coulomb interactions between the electrons with opposite spins. Using the recently proposed extended DFT+U+U↑↓ functional, which includes the aforementioned corrections, we show how redox potentials of Ni- and V-based compounds could be calculated in a much better agreement with experiment, also proposing a procedure of parameterization of such calculations. Thus, our extended method allows us to calculate redox potentials of several important materials more accurately while retaining good agreement with experiment for structures where the standard DFT+U method also accurately predicts electrochemical properties.

The feasible maintenance dose of corticosteroid in Takayasu arteritis in the era of biologic therapy.

Objective: Although biologic agents are used in Takayasu arteritis (TAK), corticosteroids are still the mainstay of treatment. This study aimed to investigate the feasible maintenance dose of prednisolone (PSL) in the biologic therapy era.Method: We enrolled 93 patients with TAK who satisfied the criteria of the American College of Rheumatology and visited our department from 2008 to 2018. The clinical characteristics and PSL dose of the patients were retrospectively evaluated.Results: The mean ± sd maintenance dose of PSL was 5.0 ± 3.0 mg/day. In patients having TAK for > 20 years, PSL discontinuation and drug-free status were achieved in 27.2% and 18%, respectively. Although tapering the PSL dose to 10 mg/day was achieved within 12 months, tapering to 5 mg/day required 10 years. Relapse significantly interfered with the PSL dose reduction. The clinical characteristics of patients with relapse included a lower rate of combination therapy using immunosuppressants. Moreover, biologics were used in > 60% of patients with relapse. Tapering of PSL was significantly possible in patients receiving biologics and additional relapse was observed in 6.3% and 50% of patients with and without biologics, respectively. Such PSL-sparing effect enabled the reduction of the median PSL dose from 10 to 5 mg/day. Steroid discontinuation was achieved in some patients.Conclusions: The use of biologics significantly reduced the PSL dose in relapsed patients. A PSL dose of ≤ 5 mg/day is a feasible target for TAK, especially when biologic agents are used. Nevertheless, corticosteroid discontinuation may also be the target in some patients.

The accuracy of fine needle aspiration cytology in the clinical diagnosis of minor salivary gland tumours.

The objective of this study was to investigate the accuracy of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) and biopsy for the clinical diagnosis of minor salivary gland tumours (MSGTs). This retrospective study of 32 MSGT cases was conducted over a 5-year period. Clinical features including age, sex, and location of the tumour were obtained from the patient clinical records. All cases were also assessed histologically according to the 2017 World Health Organization Classification of Head and Neck Tumours. The results of FNAC and biopsy were correlated with those of histopathology, and their sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic efficacy were calculated using histopathology as the gold standard. Eighteen malignant MSGTs (56.3%) and 14 benign MSGTs (43.8%) were diagnosed by pathological diagnosis. The most common malignant tumour was mucoepidermoid carcinoma (seven cases, 38.9%). Most benign cases were pleomorphic adenomas (13 cases, 92.9%). FNAC was performed for 23 cases and biopsy for 13 cases. The sensitivity and specificity of FNAC were 66.7% and 91.0%, respectively, while those of biopsy were 90.0% and 100.0%, respectively. Although FNAC is a minimally invasive and cost-effective procedure, it is less accurate than biopsy in the assessment of MSGTs. Repeated FNAC or biopsy should be considered in negative and unsatisfactory FNAC cases.

Cumulative incidence of femoral localized periosteal thickening (beaking) preceding atypical femoral fractures in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

The incidence of localized periosteal thickening (LPT, also termed beaking) of the lateral cortex that often precedes an atypical femoral fracture (AFF) was not high in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) but incomplete AFFs developed in two patients. Higher-dose prednisolone was a significant risk factor for LPT in patients with RA. INTRODUCTION: Atypical femoral fractures (AFFs) are stress fractures; bisphosphonate (BP) use is a major risk factor for the development of such fractures. Localized periosteal thickening (LPT, also termed beaking) of the lateral cortex often precedes a complete or incomplete AFF. We evaluated the incidence of latent LPT in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), to evaluate LPT progression, and to define LPT risk factors. METHODS: A total of 254 patients with RA were included; all underwent annual X-ray evaluation, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and analyses of serum and bone metabolic markers for 2-3 years. LPT of the lateral cortex was sought in femoral X-rays. RESULTS: The incidence of LPT was 2.4% (6/254). Among patients on both BP and prednisolone (PSL) at enrollment, the incidence was 2.3% (3/131). Two femurs of two patients with LPT developed incomplete AFFs; LPT was extensive and associated with endosteal thickening. One patient had been on BP and PSL and microscopic polyangiitis was comorbidity. The other was on a selective estrogen receptor modulator and PSL. A daily PSL dose >5 mg (OR 11.4; 95%CI 2.15-60.2; p = 0.004) and higher-dose methotrexate (OR 1.22; 95%CI 1.01-1.49; p = 0.043) were significant risk factors for LPT. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of latent LPT was not high (2.4%) but incomplete AFFs developed in two RA patients. Higher-dose PSL because of a comorbid disease requiring glucocorticoid treatment other than RA or refractory RA were risk factors for LPT; X-ray screening for latent LPT would usefully prevent complete AFFs.

Encapsulated probiotic cells: Relevant techniques, natural sources as encapsulating materials and food applications - A narrative review.

The administration of probiotic microorganisms in adequate amounts is constantly related to health benefits. To promote beneficial effects, these microorganisms must not be affected by exposure to environmental factors and must be able to adhere and colonize the human gastrointestinal tract. Several encapsulation techniques and encapsulating materials are available to produce probiotic particles, however, it is essential that the process must not be aggressive, reducing or preventing injuries and cell losses, besides, the particle properties obtained must be adequate for the proposed purpose. At the same time, the global market for supplements and probiotic foods has been growing significantly, and cell encapsulation appears as an alternative to incorporate probiotics into different food matrices. This review discusses and updates the main techniques, and the traditional and emerging polysaccharides for encapsulation of probiotic cells, as well as the advantages and possibilities of incorporating produced particles into food matrices. Currently, various scientific studies report the use of different encapsulation techniques, such as extrusion, emulsion, spray drying, spray chilling and fluidized bed to encapsulate probiotics properly. The alginate is still widely used to produce probiotic particles, however, there has been a growing interest in its total or partial substitution with others polysaccharides, such as gums, mucilages, prebiotic compounds and microbial exopolysaccharides, which improve the protection and survival of encapsulated cells and allow their incorporation into dairy and non-dairy food products.

Phylogeny and species delimitation of Strobilomyces (Boletaceae), with an emphasis on the Asian species.

Strobilomyces is broadly distributed geographically and serves an important ecological function. However, it has been difficult to delimit species within the genus, primarily due to developmental variations and phenotypic plasticity. To elucidate phylogenetic relationships among species within the genus and to understand its species diversity, especially in Asia, materials of the genus collected from five continents (Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North/Central America) were investigated. The phylogeny of Strobilomyces was reconstructed based on nucleotide sequences of four genes coding for: the largest and the second largest subunits of the RNA polymerase II (RPB1 and RPB2); the translation elongation factor subunit 1-α (TEF1); and the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 3 (COX3). The combined results based on molecular phylogenetics, morphological characters, host tree associations, and geographical distribution patterns support a new classification consisting of two sections, sect. Strobilomyces and sect. Echinati. Using the genealogical concordance phylogenetic species recognition (GCPSR) approach, at least 33 phylogenetic species in Asia can be delimited, all of which are supported by morphological features, and five phylogenetic species remain to be described. The mountainous region of Southwest China is especially special, containing at least 21 species and likely represents a centre of diversification. We further compared our specimens with the type specimens of 25 species of Strobilomyces. Our comparisons suggest that, there are a total of 31 distinct species, while S. sanmingensis, S. verruculosus, S. subnigricans, and S. zangii/S. areolatus, are synonyms of S. mirandus, S. giganteus, S. alpinus and S. seminudus, respectively. Eight new species, namely, S. albidus, S. anthracinus, S. calidus, S. cingulatus, S. densisquamosus, S. douformis, S. microreticulatus and S. pinophilus, are described. A dichotomous key to the Asian Strobilomyces species is provided.

Halo Structure of the Neutron-Dripline Nucleus

The heaviest bound isotope of boron ^{19}B has been investigated using exclusive measurements of its Coulomb dissociation, into ^{17}B and two neutrons, in collisions with Pb at 220 MeV/nucleon. Enhanced electric dipole (E1) strength is observed just above the two-neutron decay threshold with an integrated E1 strength of B(E1)=1.64±0.06(stat)±0.12(sys) e^{2} fm^{2} for relative energies below 6 MeV. This feature, known as a soft E1 excitation, provides the first firm evidence that ^{19}B has a prominent two-neutron halo. Three-body calculations that reproduce the energy spectrum indicate that the valence neutrons have a significant s-wave configuration and exhibit a dineutronlike correlation.

Location of the Neutron Dripline at Fluorine and Neon.

A search for the heaviest isotopes of fluorine, neon, and sodium was conducted by fragmentation of an intense ^{48}Ca beam at 345 MeV/nucleon with a 20-mm-thick beryllium target and identification of isotopes in the large-acceptance separator BigRIPS at the RIKEN Radioactive Isotope Beam Factory. No events were observed for ^{32,33}F, ^{35,36}Ne, and ^{38}Na and only one event for ^{39}Na after extensive running. Comparison with predicted yields excludes the existence of bound states of these unobserved isotopes with high confidence levels. The present work indicates that ^{31}F and ^{34}Ne are the heaviest bound isotopes of fluorine and neon, respectively. The neutron dripline has thus been experimentally confirmed up to neon for the first time since ^{24}O was confirmed to be the dripline nucleus nearly 20 years ago. These data provide new keys to understanding the nuclear stability at extremely neutron-rich conditions.