Association between COMT Val158Met polymorphism and competition results of competitive swimmers.

Recent studies have shown the contribution of genetic determinants to athletes' physical ability. However, despite the fact that cognitive abilities like self-control and stress-tolerance influence athletes' competitive performance, few studies to date have investigated the association between genetic polymorphism, which is linked to cognitive ability and athletic performance. The present study investigated the link between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which are known to exert influences on dopaminergic neural function and competitive performance of swimmers. The results have revealed superior competitive performance in competitive swimmers with Met allele of catechol-O-methyltransferase Val158Met polymorphism than those with Val/Val genotype. The investigated SNPs of DRD2 and DRD3 were not associated with swimmer's competitive performance. This finding indicates that genetic polymorphism linked to cognitive ability influences the athletes' performance.

Grad-CAM-Based Investigation into Acute-Stage Fluorescein Angiography Images to Predict Long-Term Visual Prognosis of Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion.

Background/Objectives: The purpose of this study was to analyze relevant areas in acute-stage fluorescein angiography (FA) images, predicting the long-term visual prognosis of branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) based on gradient-weighted class activation mapping (Grad-CAM). Methods: This retrospective observational study included 136 eyes with BRVO that were followed up for more than a year post-FA. Cropped grayscale images centered on the fovea (200 × 200 pixels) were manually pre-processed from early-phase FA at the acute phase. Pairs of the cropped FA images and the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in remission at least one year post-FA were used to train a 38-layer ResNet with five-fold cross-validation. Correlations between the ResNet-predicted and true (actually measured) logMAR BCVAs in remission, and between the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area measured by ImageJ (version 1.52r) from FA images and true logMAR BCVA in remission were evaluated. The heat maps generated by Grad-CAM were evaluated to determine which areas were consumed as computational resources for BCVA prediction. Results: The correlation coefficient between the predicted and true logMAR BCVAs in remission was 0.47, and that between the acute-stage FAZ area and true logMAR BCVA in remission was 0.42 (p < 0.0001 for both). The Grad-CAM-generated heat maps showed that retinal vessels adjacent to the FAZ and the FAZ per se had high selectivity (95.7% and 62.2%, respectively). Conclusions: The Grad-CAM-based analysis demonstrated FAZ-neighboring vessels as the most relevant predictor for the long-term visual prognosis of BRVO.

Slr0967 and Sll0939 induced by the SphR response regulator in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 are essential for growth under acid stress conditions.

Two-component signal transduction is the primary signaling mechanism for global regulation of the cellular response to environmental changes. We used DNA microarray analysis to identify genes that were upregulated by acid stress in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Several of these genes may be response regulators that are directly involved in this type of stress response. We constructed deletion mutants for the response regulator genes and compared the growth rates of cells transfected with mutant and wild-type genes in a low pH medium. Of these mutants, deletion of sphR affected the growth rate under acid stress (pH 6.0) conditions. We examined genome-wide expression in ΔsphR mutant cells using DNA microarray to determine whether SphR was involved in the regulation of other acid stress responsive genes. Microarray and real-time quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analyses of wild-type cells showed that the expression of phoA, pstS1, and pstS2, which are upregulated under phosphate-limiting conditions, increased (2.48-, 1.88-, and 5.07-fold, respectively) after acid stress treatment for 0.5h. In contrast, pstS2 expression did not increase in the ΔsphR mutant cells after acid stress, whereas the phoA and sphX mRNA levels increased. Furthermore, qRT-PCR and northern blot analysis indicated that downregulation of the acid-responsive genes slr0967 and sll0939 occurred with the deletion of sphR. Indeed, mutants of these genes were more sensitive to acid stress than the wild-type cells. Thus, induction of Slr0967 and Sll0939 by SphR may be essential for growth under acid stress conditions. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Photosynthesis Research for Sustainability: from Natural to Artificial.

Effects of housing conditions on behaviors and biochemical parameters in juvenile cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis).

To investigate the effects of environmental enrichment on laboratory monkeys, we studied behavioral and physiological differences following changes in housing conditions. Ten male and female juvenile cynomolgus monkeys were first housed in pairs for 8 weeks after quarantine/acclimatization (singly housed) and subsequently housed alone for the next 8 weeks. Monkeys were subjected to evaluations of body weight gain, stereotypic or affiliative behaviors, cortisol, 4-ethylphenyl sulfate (4EPS) and catecholamine concentrations in biological samples, and blood chemistry tests under both housing conditions. Under paired housing, the stereotypic behavioral score decreased in both sexes, and the affiliative behavioral score increased in males and showed an increasing trend in females. Under single housing, the stereotypic score increased in both sexes, and the affiliative score decreased in males. Paired housing decreased serum calcium and urine cortisol concentrations in both sexes and decreased plasma cortisol in males and plasma 4EPS concentrations in females. The stereotypic score was positively correlated with serum calcium, plasma and urine cortisol, and plasma 4EPS concentration and negatively correlated with the affiliative score. The feces painting score, affiliative score, and plasma cortisol and serum calcium concentrations showed sex differences, suggesting differences in responsiveness to environmental changes between males and females. In conclusion, paired housing improved behavioral abnormalities in juvenile cynomolgus monkeys, suggesting that it may be an effective environmental enrichment paradigm. Calcium, cortisol, and 4EPS concentrations in biological samples may be useful indices for evaluating the effects of environmental enrichment.

Genetic characterization of Lassa virus strains isolated from 2012 to 2016 in southeastern Nigeria.

Lassa virus (LASV) is endemic in parts of West Africa where it causes Lassa fever (LF), a viral hemorrhagic fever with frequent fatal outcomes. The diverse LASV strains are grouped into six major lineages based on the geographical location of the isolated strains. In this study, we have focused on the lineage II strains from southern Nigeria. We determined the viral sequences from positive cases of LF reported at tertiary hospitals in Ebonyi and Enugu between 2012 and 2016. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) showed that 29 out of 123 suspected cases were positive for the virus among which 11 viral gene sequences were determined. Phylogenetic analysis of the complete coding sequences of the four viral proteins revealed that lineage II strains are broadly divided into two genetic clades that diverged from a common ancestor 195 years ago. One clade, consisting of strains from Ebonyi and Enugu, was more conserved than the other from Irrua, although the four viral proteins were evolving at similar rates in both clades. These results suggested that the viruses of these clades have been distinctively evolving in geographically separate parts of southern Nigeria. Furthermore, the epidemiological data of the 2014 outbreak highlighted the role of human-to-human transmission in this outbreak, which was supported by phylogenetic analysis showing that 13 of the 16 sequences clustered together. These results provide new insights into the evolution of LASV in southern Nigeria and have important implications for vaccine development, diagnostic assay design, and LF outbreak management.

Development and evaluation of a rapid molecular diagnostic test for Zika virus infection by reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification.

The recent outbreak of Zika virus (ZIKV) disease caused an enormous number of infections in Central and South America, and the unusual increase in the number of infants born with microcephaly associated with ZIKV infection aroused global concern. Here, we developed a reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay using a portable device for the detection of ZIKV. The assay specifically detected ZIKV strains of both Asian and African genotypes without cross-reactivity with other arboviruses, including Dengue and Chikungunya viruses. The assay detected viral RNA at 14.5 TCID50/mL in virus-spiked serum or urine samples within 15 min, although it was slightly less sensitive than reference real time RT-PCR assay. We then evaluated the utility of this assay as a molecular diagnostic test using 90 plasma or serum samples and 99 urine samples collected from 120 suspected cases of arbovirus infection in the states of Paraíba and Pernambuco, Brazil in 2016. The results of this assay were consistent with those of the reference RT-PCR test. This portable RT-LAMP assay was highly specific for ZIKV, and enable rapid diagnosis of the virus infection. Our results provide new insights into ZIKV molecular diagnostics and may improve preparedness for future outbreaks.

Development and validation of semiautomated 96-well transport assay using LLC-PK1 cells transfected with human P-glycoprotein for high-throughput screening.

Transport assays using P-gp-expressing cell lines are commonly used to identify P-gp substrates and inhibitors in drug discovery. The P-gp cell-based assay is performed manually in 12- or 24-well plates and requires improvement for high-throughput screening. In this study, we established an efficient semiautomated 96-well transport assay using LLC-PK1 cells transfected with human P-gp. The protocol was optimized with a microplate washer for exchanging media and buffer to enhance throughput. P-gp substrates and inhibitors, and the paracellular marker Dextran Texas Red® were used to validate the 96-well transport assay. Cell monolayer integrity after washing by a microplate washer was confirmed by measuring paracellular permeability of Dextran Texas Red. Permeability and net flux ratio of the P-gp substrates and the inhibitory potency of the P-gp inhibitors were comparable in 24- and 96-well plates. The regression value of net flux ratio of P-gp substrates was high between the two formats (r²=0.99). The optimized 96-well transport assay using the microplate washer was found to be an efficient high-throughput screening tool that provided the same quality data as the 24-well plate for the identification of P-gp substrates and inhibitors in drug discovery.

NMDA receptor in intestinal enteroendocrine cell, STC-1.

We earlier showed that intestinal STC-1 cells can respond to five basic taste stimuli. Here, we investigated which receptors or channels are involved in the sensing of umami in STC-1 cells. T1R family and metabotropic glutamate receptors were not involved. In contrast, we found that N-Methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors are expressed in STC-1 cells by RT-PCR analysis. Using a calcium-imaging technique, we also observed that a specific agonist NMDA induces the increase in the intracellular Ca concentration in STC-1 cells. We also found that pretreatment with NMDA enhances sweet-induced response in STC-1 cells, suggesting important roles of L-Glu-signaling in the chemosensory system of the gastrointestinal tracts.