Identification of conserved transcriptome features between humans and Drosophila in the aging brain utilizing machine learning on combined data from the NIH Sequence Read Archive.

Aging is universal, yet characterizing the molecular changes that occur in aging which lead to an increased risk for neurological disease remains a challenging problem. Aging affects the prefrontal cortex (PFC), which governs executive function, learning, and memory. Previous sequencing studies have demonstrated that aging alters gene expression in the PFC, however the extent to which these changes are conserved across species and are meaningful in neurodegeneration is unknown. Identifying conserved, age-related genetic and morphological changes in the brain allows application of the wealth of tools available to study underlying mechanisms in model organisms such as Drosophila melanogaster. RNA sequencing data from human PFC and fly heads were analyzed to determine conserved transcriptome signatures of age. Our analysis revealed that expression of 50 conserved genes can accurately determine age in Drosophila (R2 = 0.85) and humans (R2 = 0.46). These transcriptome signatures were also able to classify Drosophila into three age groups with a mean accuracy of 88% and classify human samples with a mean accuracy of 69%. Overall, this work identifies 50 highly conserved aging-associated genetic changes in the brain that can be further studied in model organisms and demonstrates a novel approach to uncovering genetic changes conserved across species from multi-study public databases.

RNA Sequencing Reveals Key Metabolic Pathways Are Modified by Short-Term Whole Egg Consumption.

Eggs are protein-rich, nutrient-dense, and contain bioactive ingredients that have been shown to modify gene expression and impact health. To understand the effects of egg consumption on tissue-specific mRNA and microRNA expression, we examined the role of whole egg consumption (20% protein, w/w) on differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between rat (n = 12) transcriptomes in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), liver, kidney, and visceral adipose tissue (VAT). Principal component analysis with hierarchical clustering was used to examine transcriptome profiles between dietary treatment groups. We performed Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis as well as genetic network and disease enrichment analysis to examine which metabolic pathways were the most predominantly altered in each tissue. Overall, our data demonstrates that whole egg consumption for 2 weeks modified the expression of 52 genes in the PFC, 22 genes in VAT, and two genes in the liver (adj p < 0.05). Additionally, 16 miRNAs were found to be differentially regulated in the PFC, VAT, and liver, but none survived multiple testing correction. The main pathways influenced by WE consumption were glutathione metabolism in VAT and cholesterol biosynthesis in the PFC. These data highlight key pathways that may be involved in diseases and are impacted by acute consumption of a diet containing whole eggs.

Everyday experiences of post-diagnosis life with dementia: A co-produced photography study.

There has been surprisingly little research capturing people's everyday lives in the early years following a diagnosis of dementia. This project was co-produced by three people with dementia and two university researchers. The co-researchers with dementia formulated the aims of this project as: (1) to explore post-diagnosis life with dementia and (2) to use data collection methods as a form of peer support and confidence building for the participants. The intent was to provide the opportunity to learn new skills and support participants to share their experiences without putting them on the spot. Five participants with recent diagnoses received a photography lesson and cameras to take photographs of their everyday lives. This was followed with a focus group in which the photographs were discussed. The participants used their photographs to explain: (1) the differences between their past and present with dementia, (2) how dementia affected their thought processes, (3) pets and grandchildren as facilitators of reciprocal joy and support, (4) the emotional effects of living with a dementia diagnosis, and (5) the solace and stability of nature in a changing world. The participants' creative use of photography supported them to express the complex emotions felt after a diagnosis of dementia and they reported the benefit of doing this in an environment with peers going through the same experiences. The role of the co-researchers with dementia was the key to the success of this project, drawing on their own experiences to design the project and support the participants. Future research should draw on the experiences of people with dementia to design research projects and care interventions.

Whole egg consumption increases gene expression within the glutathione pathway in the liver of Zucker Diabetic Fatty rats.

Nutrigenomic evidence supports the idea that Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) arises due to the interactions between the transcriptome, individual genetic profiles, lifestyle, and diet. Since eggs are a nutrient dense food containing bioactive ingredients that modify gene expression, our goal was to examine the role of whole egg consumption on the transcriptome during T2DM. We analyzed whether whole egg consumption in Zucker Diabetic Fatty (ZDF) rats alters microRNA and mRNA expression across the adipose, liver, kidney, and prefrontal cortex tissue. Male ZDF (fa/fa) rats (n = 12) and their lean controls (fa/+) (n = 12) were obtained at 6 wk of age. Rats had ad libitum access to water and were randomly assigned to a modified semi-purified AIN93G casein-based diet or a whole egg-based diet, both providing 20% protein (w/w). TotalRNA libraries were prepared using QuantSeq 3' mRNA-Seq and Lexogen smallRNA library prep kits and were further sequenced on an Illumina HighSeq3000. Differential gene expression was conducted using DESeq2 in R and Benjamini-Hochberg adjusted P-values controlling for false discovery rate at 5%. We identified 9 microRNAs and 583 genes that were differentially expressed in response to 8 wk of consuming whole egg-based diets. Kyto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes/Gene ontology pathway analyses demonstrated that 12 genes in the glutathione metabolism pathway were upregulated in the liver and kidney of ZDF rats fed whole egg. Whole egg consumption primarily altered glutathione pathways such as conjugation, methylation, glucuronidation, and detoxification of reactive oxygen species. These pathways are often negatively affected during T2DM, therefore this data provides unique insight into the nutrigenomic response of dietary whole egg consumption during the progression of T2DM.

Managing relational autonomy in interactions: People with intellectual disabilities.

BACKGROUND: This article is about interactions that occur when someone with intellectual disabilities is engaged in everyday activities with a personal assistant (PA) or a support worker. METHOD: We examine the detail of nine hours of naturally occurring video-recorded interactions, to explore how "relational autonomy" is done in practice. Nine people with ID and seven staff took part in the research, which took place in England from 2016-17. RESULTS: We selected six extracts to illustrate different types of joint decision-making. Informed by inclusive research with a drama group of people with intellectual disabilities, we focus on the ways in which (a) future plans are discussed; (b) choices are offered during an activity; (c) people reflect on their decisions. CONCLUSION: The article concludes with discussion about the teaching and learning content of choice-making, on relational autonomy, and the practice learning for PAs, support workers and for people with intellectual disabilities.