Elevated Systemic Inflammation Is Associated with Reduced Corticolimbic White Matter Integrity in Depression

(1) Background: Growing evidence indicates that inflammation can induce neural circuit dysfunction and plays a vital role in the pathogenesis of major depressive disorder (MDD). Nevertheless, whether inflammation affects the integrity of white matter pathways is only beginning to be explored. (2) Methods: We computed quantitative anisotropy (QA) from diffusion magnetic resonance imaging as an index of white matter integrity and regressed QA on C-reactive protein (CRP), controlling for age, sex, and BMI, in 176 participants with MDD. (3) Results: The QA values of several white matter tracts were negatively correlated with CRP concentration (standardized beta coefficient = −0.22, 95%CI = −0.38–−0.06, FDR < 0.05). These tracts included the bilateral cortico-striatal tracts, thalamic radiations, inferior longitudinal fasciculi, corpus callosum (the forceps minor portion and the tapetum portion), cingulum bundles, and the left superior longitudinal fasciculus III. Importantly, the association remained robust after regressing up to twelve potential confounders. The bilateral fornix and a small portion of the thalamic radiation showed a positive association with CRP levels, but these associations did not remain significant after adjusting for confounders. (4) Conclusions: Peripheral inflammation may contribute to the etiology of MDD by impacting the microstructural integrity of brain corticolimbic white matter pathways.

Bonding With Bot: User Feedback on a Chatbot for Social Isolation

Social isolation has affected people globally during the COVID-19 pandemic and had a major impact on older adult's well-being. Chatbot interventions may be a way to provide support to address loneliness and social isolation in older adults. The aims of the current study were to (1) understand the distribution of a chatbot's net promoter scores, (2) conduct a thematic analysis on qualitative elaborations to the net promoter scores, (3) understand the distribution of net promoter scores per theme, and (4) conduct a single word analysis to understand the frequency of words present in the qualitative feedback. A total of 7,099 adults and older adults consented to participate in a chatbot intervention on reducing social isolation and loneliness. The average net promoter score (NPS) was 8.67 out of 10. Qualitative feedback was provided by 766 (10.79%) participants which amounted to 898 total responses. Most themes were rated as positive (517), followed by neutral (311) and a minor portion as negative (70). The following five themes were found across the qualitative responses: positive outcome (277, 30.8%), user did not address question (262, 29.2%), bonding with the chatbot (240, 26.7%), negative technical aspects (70, 7.8%), and ambiguous outcome (49, 5.5%). Themes with a positive valence were found to be associated with a higher NPS. The word “help” and it's variations were found to be the most frequently used words, which is consistent with the thematic analysis. These results show that a chatbot for social isolation and loneliness was perceived positively by most participants. More specifically, users were likely to personify the chatbot (e.g., “Cause I feel like I have a new friend!”) and perceive positive personality features such as being non-judgmental, caring, and open to listen. A minor portion of the users reported dissatisfaction with chatting with a machine. Implications will be discussed.

Where Epigenetics Meets Food Intake: Their Interaction in the Development/Severity of Gout and Therapeutic Perspectives

Gout is the most frequent form of inflammatory arthritis in the world. Its prevalence is particularly elevated in specific geographical areas such as in the Oceania/Pacific region and is rising in the US, Europe, and Asia. Gout is a severe and painful disease, in which co-morbidities are responsible for a significant reduction in life expectancy. However, gout patients remain ostracized because the disease is still considered “self-inflicted”, as a result of unhealthy lifestyle and excessive food and alcohol intake. While the etiology of gout flares is clearly associated with the presence of monosodium urate (MSU) crystal deposits, several major questions remain unanswered, such as the relationships between diet, hyperuricemia and gout flares or the mechanisms by which urate induces inflammation. Recent advances have identified gene variants associated with gout incidence. Nevertheless, genetic origins of gout combined to diet-related possible uric acid overproduction account for the symptoms in only a minor portion of patients. Hence, additional factors must be at play. Here, we review the impact of epigenetic mechanisms in which nutrients (such as ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids) and/or dietary-derived metabolites (like urate) trigger anti/pro-inflammatory responses that may participate in gout pathogenesis and severity. We propose that simple dietary regimens may be beneficial to complement therapeutic management or contribute to the prevention of flares in gout patients.

Autism spectrum disorder research funding may be biased in favor of studying ASD in males in the United States

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a prevalent developmental disorder that presents differently between males and females. Males are diagnosed with ASD at a higher rate than females and tend to present with more severe behavioral characteristics. Consequently, there may be funding and research discrepancies based on biological sex in ASD research where females with ASD may be less represented than their male counterparts. To assess whether such a funding and research disparity exists within the United States research system, we searched the United States National Institutes of Health grant reporting database (RePORTER) for grants and projects that studied the relationship between biological sex and ASD research in humans spanning the last 10 years (2009-2019). We document a discrepancy in the number of studies and the amount of federal funding dedicated to studies of ASD in males versus females in the United States. While funding of most of ASD research (85%) is dedicated to research in both sexes, only a minor portion (0.4%) is dedicated to ASD research in females (compare to 14% dedicated to ASD research in males). Similarly, the number of funded studies dedicated to ASD research in males (8 of 43) predominates over the number of studies dedicated to ASD research in females (1 of 43) (research in both sexes, 34 of 43). As a result, research dedicated to females with ASD is underrepresented relative to their male counterparts. We suggest that the imbalance between ASD research and funding of males and females may result in gender disparities in our understanding of ASD.

Linking Hydrogeology and Ecology in Karst Landscapes: The Response of Epigean and Obligate Groundwater Copepods (Crustacea: Copepoda)

Groundwater invertebrate communities in karst landscapes are known to vary in response to multiple environmental factors. This study aims to explore the invertebrate assemblages’ composition of an Apennine karst system in Italy mainly described by the Rio Gamberale surface stream and the Stiffe Cave. The stream sinks into the carbonate rock and predominantly feeds the saturated karst into the cave. For a minor portion, groundwater flows from the epikarst and the perched aquifer within it. The spatial distribution of the species belonging to the selected target group of the Crustacea Copepoda between the surface stream and the groundwater habitats inside the cave highlighted a different response of surface-water species and obligate groundwater dwellers to the hydrogeological traits of the karst unit. Our results suggest that fast endorheic infiltration routes promoted the drift of epigean species from the surface to groundwater via the sinking stream while most of the obligate groundwater dwellers come from the perched aquifer in the epikarst from diffuse infiltration pathways.

Large-Scale Reassessment of In-Vineyard Smoke-Taint Grapevine Protection Strategies and the Development of Predictive Off-Vine Models

Smoke taint in wine is thought to be caused by smoke-derived volatile phenols (VPs) that are absorbed into grape tissues, trapped as conjugates that are imperceptible by smell, and subsequently released into wines as their free odor-active forms via metabolism by yeasts during fermentation. Blocking VP uptake into grapes would, therefore, be an effective way for vineyards to protect ripening grape crops exposed to smoke. Here, we re-evaluated a biofilm that had previously shown promise in pilot studies in reducing levels of smoke-derived VPs. A suite of nine free and acid-labile VPs were quantitated in Pinot Noir grapes that had been exposed to smoke after being coated with the biofilm one, seven or 14 days earlier. In contrast with earlier studies, our results demonstrated that in all cases, the biofilm treatments led to increased concentrations of both free and total VPs in smoke-exposed grapes, with earlier applications elevating concentrations of some VPs more than the later time points. Tracking VP concentrations through the grape ripening process demonstrated that some (phenol, p/m-cresol, and guaiacol) were not entirely sequestered in grapes as acid-labile conjugates, suggesting the presence of VP storage forms beyond simple glycosides. Free VPs in grapes, though a minor portion of the total, most clearly correlated with concentrations present in the resulting wines. Finally, red table grapes, available year round, were observed to replicate the effects of the biofilm treatments and were capable of transforming most VPs into acid-labile conjugates in under 24 h, indicating that they might be an effective model for rapidly assessing smoke-taint prophylactic products in the laboratory.

Examining the Capacity of Indonesia’s Defense Entities on Countering Radicalism

Radicalism for the last few decades has hampered the people and national security building of Indonesia. Contemporary global and regional constellations develop an unprecedented scale of impact radicalism as well as its tractability. The formal categorization of radicalism as an ideology based-non-military threat reflects an imperative mandate for Indonesian defense entities to review and formulate relevant and comprehensive alleviation strategies to address the radicalism. However, this urgency does not appear to have been embodied in at least two points in our opinion: the perception among associated institutions barely aware of the significance of synergy and coordination and second, a minor portion of the countering of radicalism in the frame of the roadmap for Indonesia's national defense development. This research examines the perceptions of relevant defense stakeholders in Indonesia regarding radicalism and its current approach as well as the formulation of strategies that have been implemented or designed to maintain the existence of Indonesian nationalism. We collected information and data through both documentation studies and interviews with representative officials from the relevant ministries, military, and state agencies and then compiled it descriptively. By examining the perceptions of each research object as well as the construction of the strategy that has been rolled out, we conclude the Indonesian defense entities have yet significant, comprehensive, and sustainable strategies addressing the threat of radicalism.

Environmental and Economic Impacts of Nitrogen Trifluoride at an Idaho Semiconductor Facility

Nitrogen Trifluoride (NF3) is an inorganic compound widely used in the electronics industry for manufacturing various products, such as semiconductors, solar panels, and touch screens. However, NF3 emissions that accumulate in the atmosphere have 17,200 times the global warming potentials of CO2 over a 100-year time horizon. The abatement efficiency for NF3 is high, although some amount of NOx is generated. This study aims to provide economic and environmental impact assessments on the use of NF3. Life cycle assessment method is applied for evaluating environmental aspects. Additionally, a real case study for the Idaho semiconductor facility is used to assess the method and demonstrate the application of this study. The results show that slight reductions in abatement efficiency have dramatic impacts on mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Even small unplanned releases of NF3, either through mechanical failure or human error, have significant environmental impacts, and every reasonable effort should be taken to avoid such incidents. The results also indicate that the cost of abatement is the primary driver of economic impact. It is found that the considerable distance from the chemical plant in Arizona to the point of use in Idaho contributed a minor portion of GHGs associated with the use of NF3. It is also found that contaminants (e.g., SF6 and CF4) within the cylinder potentially have more substantial GHG impacts than the actual NF3, owing in part to the relative ease with which NF3 is destroyed through abatement.

Phosphoinositide-Dependent Signaling in Cancer: A Focus on Phospholipase C Isozymes

Phosphoinositides (PI) form just a minor portion of the total phospholipid content in cells but are significantly involved in cancer development and progression. In several cancer types, phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate [PtdIns(3,4,5)P3] and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PtdIns(4,5)P2] play significant roles in regulating survival, proliferation, invasion, and growth of cancer cells. Phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C (PLC) catalyze the generation of the essential second messengers diacylglycerol (DAG) and inositol 1,4,5 trisphosphate (InsP3) by hydrolyzing PtdIns(4,5)P2. DAG and InsP3 regulate Protein Kinase C (PKC) activation and the release of calcium ions (Ca2+) into the cytosol, respectively. This event leads to the control of several important biological processes implicated in cancer. PLCs have been extensively studied in cancer but their regulatory roles in the oncogenic process are not fully understood. This review aims to provide up-to-date knowledge on the involvement of PLCs in cancer. We focus specifically on PLCβ, PLCγ, PLCδ, and PLCε isoforms due to the numerous evidence of their involvement in various cancer types.

Potential distribution of a climate sensitive species, the White-winged Snowfinch Montifringilla nivalis in Europe

SummaryThe White-winged Snowfinch Montifringilla nivalis nivalis is assumed to be highly threatened by climate change, but this high elevation species has been little studied and the current breeding distribution is accurately known only for a minor portion of its range. Here, we provide a detailed and spatially explicit identification of the potentially suitable breeding areas for the Snowfinch. We modelled suitable areas in Europe and compared them with the currently known distribution. We built a distribution model using 14,574 records obtained during the breeding period that integrated climatic, topographic and land-cover variables, working at a 2-km spatial resolution with MaxEnt. The model performed well and was very robust; average annual temperature was the most important occurrence predictor (optimum between c.-3°C and 0°; unsuitable conditions below -10° and above 5°). The current European breeding range estimated by BirdLife International was almost three times greater than that classified as potentially suitable by our model. Discrepancies between our model and the distribution estimated by BirdLife International were particularly evident in eastern Europe, where the species is poorly monitored. Southern populations are likely more isolated and at major risk because of global warming. These differences have important implications for the supposed national responsibility for conservation of the species and highlight the need for new investigations on the species in the eastern part of its European range.