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Associations Between Ct-Determined Visceral Fat Burden, Hepatic Steatosis, Circulating White Blood Cell Counts And Neutrophil-To-Lymphocyte Ratio, Ricardo Cury

All Publications

Visceral adiposity is associated with cardiovascular disease, an association that may be mediated in part by inflammation. We hypothesized that regional measures of visceral adiposity would associate with commonly obtained clinical measures of immune status. We consecutively studied 3,291 subjects (mean age, 49.8±9.8 years) who underwent an annual cardiovascular risk survey. Peri-cardial (PCF) and thoracic peri-aortic adipose tissue (TAT) volumes were determined by dedicated computed tomography (CT) software (Aquarius 3D Workstation, TeraRecon, San Mateo, CA, USA). Hepatic steatosis was assessed by abdominal ultrasonography. We explored cross-sectional associations between visceral fat measures and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), leukocyte counts, and the …

Lindenwood Digest, November 20, 2018, Lindenwood University

Lindenwood Digest

The Lindenwood Digest has been a digital employee newsletter since 2009.

His Mind Will Work Better With Both Of Us”: A Qualitative Study On Fathers’ Roles And Coparenting Of Young Children In Rural Pakistan, Joshua Jeong, Saima Siyal, Günther Fink, Dana Charles Mccoy, Aisha Khizar Yousafzai

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: Parents are the primary providers of nurturing care for young children’s healthy early development. However, the literature on parenting in early childhood, especially in low- and middle-income countries, has primarily focused on mothers. In this study, we investigate how parents make meaning of fathers’ parenting roles with regards to their young children’s early health and development in rural Pakistan.
Methods: Data were collected between January and March 2017 through in-depth interviews with fathers (N = 33) and their partners (N = 32); as well as separate focus group discussions with fathers (N = 7) and mothers (N = 7). …

Synthetic Biology: Unsealing The Convergence Era Of Life Science Research, Zhao Guoping

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

It is their distinct spatial and temporal scales for natural substances defined various kinds of disciplines of natural sciences, as well as their connections. Based on the disruptive advances attributable to the revolutions of Molecular Biology and Genomics in the 20th century, by introducing the principles of engineering science into life science and biotechnology, the third revolution of Convergence has been emerged and rapidly developed into the cutting-edge frontier of academic research since the beginning of this century. The serial review articles of this issue illustrated both the history and the connotations of synthetic biology via highlighting main fields of …

Biological Components Design For Engineering Requirements, Cui Yinglu, Wu Bian

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Understanding life from the perspective of synthetic biology centers on the design, construction, and characterization of novel biological systems under the engineering design principles. Most catalytic functions in living organisms are performed by enzymes, which serve as one of the most important components in synthetic biology. While the amino acid sequence makes up the primary structure of the protein, the three-dimensional structure of protein determines its biochemical properties. Therefore, researches on biological functionality based on protein structure have become frontiers of the emerging field of synthetic biology. Meanwhile, the development of computational enzyme design algorithms can provide large amounts of …

Development And Challenges Of Synthetic Genetic Circuits, Lou Chunbo, Du Pei, Meng Fankang, Ji Xiangyu, Zhang Yihao

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Genetic circuits are dynamic regulation systems that control the life of every living organism. With the principles of engineering, synthetic genetic circuits are designed through simplifying and re-programming natural genetic circuits, and even by creating completely new principles that does not exist in nature. Genetic circuits are consisting of a wide variety of components, including genetic switches, oscillators, logic gates, and so on. The development of diverse synthetic circuits not only facilitated the understanding of basic principles of life, but also enabled the rebuilding of natural biological systems which has provided brand new solutions for a broad range of applications …

Design Of Metabolic Engineering Strategies For Biosynthesis Of Valuable Products, Ma Hongwu, Chen Xiulai, Yuan Qianqian, Liu Liming, Sun Jibin

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

One main objective of metabolic engineering is to rewire the metabolic network for efficient production of biochemicals. Due to the complexity of cellular metabolic networks, it is often not straightforward to identify the proper modification targets from thousands of metabolic genes. Therefore, a time-consuming trial & error process is often required for the successful development. Aided by computational modeling of large-scale metabolic networks, one can design optimal pathways for synthesis of objective products, reducing the uncertainty of development and thus accelerating the strain construction process. In this short text, we give brief introduction to metabolic engineering design methods from two …

Technologies For Dna Synthesis, Assembly, And Transplantation, Lu Junnan, Luo Zhouqing, Jiang Shuangying, Shen Yue, Wu Yi, Yang Huanming, Yuan Yingjin, Dai Junbiao

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

As an interdisciplinary subject between biology and engineering, synthetic biology has shown more and more applications in the fields of biomedicine, energy, new material, etc. Synthetic genomics focusing on de novo design and synthesis of new life system is one of the major directions in synthetic biology which relies on serial techniques including DNA synthesis, assembly, transplantation, etc. Here, we summary the current developments on technologies in genome synthesis, which aims to deepen the comprehension of the technique systems and shed light to the future development in this field.

Advances And Challenges In Gene Editing Technologies, Lu Junnan, Chu Xin, Pan Yanping, Chen Yingxi, Wen Luan, Dai Junbiao

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Gene editing includes genetic manipulations like deletion, replacement, insertion, etc., which aims to obtain new gene functions, phenotypes, and even new species. As a burgeoning field of life science, gene editing has brought genetic manipulation into an unprecedented grand state. Here, we summary the developments of the technologies in gene editing, and the challenges and opportunities we currently facing, which aims to deepen the comprehension of this technique systems, and help to find breakpoints of this field.

Phenotyping And Sorting Of Synthetic Cells: Building Bridge From Spectroscopy To Genetics, Ma Bo, Xu Jian

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

In synthetic biology, the dazzling methodological innovations in sequencing, editing and synthesis of genomes have resulted in an unprecedented capability in "design and manufacturing of genotype". On the other hand, "testing of cellular phenotype and function" has increasingly become one major bottleneck. Single-cell technologies have tremendous implications and potentials in rapid testing of cellular function. However, ideally, such single-cell methods should allow non-invasive live-cell probing, be label-free, provide landscapelike phenotyping capability, distinguish complex functions, operate with high speed, sufficient throughput and low-cost, and finally, be able to couple with downstream omics analysis via cell sorting. In this perspective article, we …

Genome Design And Engineering Construction, Xue Xiaoli, Qin Zhongjun

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Synthetic biology by using engineering ideas to design and construct new biological genomes is the research hotspot in recent years. The de novo synthesis of the prokaryotic Mycoplasma natural minigenome and further design and construction of the minimal genome, the continuous genome deletion of the prokaryotic model organism E. coli and the genome-wide codon simplification design and synthetic test, as well as the artificial design and synthesis tests of the eukaryotic model Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome have achieved great success and greatly promoted our understanding of life. Although the research on the genomes design and engineering construction in China started late, …

Current Situations And Perspectives Of Industrial Applications Of Synthetic Biology, Zeng Yan, Zhao Xingang, Zhou Ju

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Biosynthesis of chemicals through synthetic biology can partially relieve the dependence on petroleum resources. With the development of synthetic biology technology, the capabilities of constructing microbial cell factories for production of chemicals have been greatly improved. Development of new engineered strains and new bioprocess can replace the traditional manufacturing process, decrease the energy cost and pollution, and improve the producing capabilities of traditional fermentation industry. In this review, key factors and representative cases for constructing microbial cell factories and multi-enzyme molecular machines to produce chemicals were summarized. The future of industrial applications of synthetic biology were also discussed.

Progress Of Synthetic Biology Research In Medical Applications, Cui Jinming, Wang Liwei, Chang Zhiguang, Zang Zhongsheng, Liu Chenli

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

In the field of medical applications, synthetic biology researchers design genetic circuits to modify human cells, or to modify synthetic organisms such as bacteria and viruses and make them interact with the human body. These artificially designed organisms are capable of perceiving disease-specific signals or artificial signals, targeting abnormal cells and foci, expressing reporter molecules or releasing therapeutic drugs, thus enabling the monitoring of human physiological conditions and the diagnosis and treatment of typical diseases such as tumors, metabolic diseases, and drug-resistant bacteria infections. This article will comprehensively describe some recent research progress.

Synthetic Biology For Production Of Plant-Derived Natural Products, Dai Zhubo, Wang Yong, Zhou Zhihua, Li Shengying, Zhang Xueli

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Plant-derived natural products (PNPs) have been widely used in pharmaceutical and neutracuetical fields. Currently, extracting PNPs from their original plants is the main method to produce them. However, this extracting method is environmentally unfriendly, unsafe, and inefficient. Based on synthetic biology, construction of artificial cell factories for production of PNPs provides an alternative way. In this review, we focus on research progress for microbial production of terpenoids, alkaloids, and phenylpropanoids to give a brief introduction of construction of artificial cell factories for production of PNPs.

Research Status And Future Development Strategies Of Synthetic Biology In Photosynthesis, Zhu Xinguang, Xiong Yan, Ruan Meihua, Liu Xiao, Xu Jian, Zhong Chao

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

This perspective first introduces the current status of photosynthesis research in China and in the world, followed by a brief discussion of the major progress of photosynthesis synthetic biology. Then we demonstrate the major weakness of current photosynthesis synthetic biology research in China, which includes fragmented research topics, lack of strong link to its end application and shortage of research funding, etc. Photosynthesis research will play a crucial role for the future global food security, energy security, and maintenance of a sustainable ecosystem and environment. The future photosynthesis synthetic biology research can focus on optimization of existing photosynthetic systems, coordination …

Engineering Platforms For Synthetic Biology Research, Cui Jinming, Zhang Bingzhao, Ma Yingfei, Fu Xiongfei, Wang Meng, Liu Chenli

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

In the field of synthetic biology research, the massive scale of trial-and-error experiments in engineering goes far beyond the traditional labor-intensive research paradigm, so it needs a transformative engineering research platform. With the introduction of various types of intelligent equipment to meet the production needs, engineering platforms carry out a large-scale of customization and research paradigm innovation, to realize the remote customization, offsite design, and economic scale production of organisms. Engineering platforms can accumulate experience and knowledge quickly, and serve as the scientific basis for the predictive synthesis of organisms. This article will introduce some cases and development trends of …

Innovative Policy System To Ensure The Development Of Synthetic Biology, Liu Xiao, Zeng Yan, Wang Liwei, Zhou Guangming, Xiong Yan

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Synthetic biology is an interdisciplinary field that combines life science and engineering to study the mechanism of life, and addresses a wide range of industry sectors and types of applications, such as energy, chemicals, medicine, environment and agriculture. It will also relate public policy issues range across R&D investment and commercialization, education and training, biosafety and biosecurity, intellectual property issues, and public perception. This paper reviews the policies for the development and application of synthetic biology, proposes suggestions for strategic planning, enacting the technical and market standards, the professional training and education, risk assessment and science communication platform, to established …

Design Life: Safety Risks And Ethical Challenges In Synthetic Biology, Li Zhenzhen, Dong Yongliang, Gao Yiwei

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

The rapid development of synthetic biology has aroused widespread concern in the academic community. The engineering properties of synthetic biology individualize it the practical meaning of "design" and "reconstruction". The artificially designed life can be introduced to the traditional DNA-based life evolution process, which may lead to a series of safety risks and ethical arguments. The article explores the controversy caused by the landmark events in the development of synthetic biology, draws in-depth analysis on the safety risks of synthetic biology, as well as the ethical dilemmas and inducements of them. Based on the regulatory mechanism of European countries and …

The Epidemic Of Higher Levels Of Depression And Anxiety In Each Successive Generation Of Youth: Proposed Causes, Detrimental Effects, And The Introduction Of Positive Psychology In The Classroom, Rosemarie Parasole

Florida Law Review

The past few decades have witnessed a major increase in each successive generation of youth reporting higher levels of mental illness. The detrimental effects of mental disorders, including depression and anxiety, demand a solution that addresses a change in thinking and wellbeing among youth. Research illustrates the substantial impact the teachings of positive psychology have on developing minds. Additionally, positive psychology addresses and attempts to remedy many of the proposed factors contributing to youth depression and anxiety. This Note calls for legislation to introduce positive psychology classes on a statewide level within the K–12 curriculum in all Florida public schools.

A Crispr Platform For Rapid And Inducible Genome Editing In Human Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells, Lloyd Bartley

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for about 85% of lung cancer, which is the leading cause of cancer death in the world. High mortality rate associated with NSCLC is partially attributed to the limited understanding of NSCLC as well as ineffective therapeutic treatments. The initiation and progression of NSCLC involves genetic changes leading to alterations in the control of tissue development and homeostatic maintenance. Better knowledge about these genetic abnormalities is imperative for developing new chemotherapeutic drugs for NSCLC. Recent research demonstrates that the expression of paraoxonase 2 (PON2), a lactonase/arylesterase with anti-oxidant properties, are markedly enhanced in cancer …

Curricular Changes Proposed For 2019-2021 Morris Catalog Pt. 3, Curriculum Committee

Curriculum Committee Reports

No abstract provided.

Detection Of Correlated Hidden Factors From Single Cell Transcriptomes Using Iteratively Adjusted-Sva (Ia-Sva)., Donghyung Lee, Anthony Cheng, Nathan Lawlor, Mohan Bolisetty, Duygu Ucar

Faculty Research 2018

Single cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) precisely characterizes gene expression levels and dissects variation in expression associated with the state (technical or biological) and the type of the cell, which is averaged out in bulk measurements. Multiple and correlated sources contribute to gene expression variation in single cells, which makes their estimation difficult with the existing methods developed for batch correction (e.g., surrogate variable analysis (SVA)) that estimate orthogonal transformations of these sources. We developed iteratively adjusted surrogate variable analysis (IA-SVA) that can estimate hidden factors even when they are correlated with other sources of variation by identifying a set of genes …

Relating Cyanobacteria And Physicochemical Water-Quality Properties In Willow Creek Lake, Nebraska, 2012–14, David L. Rus, Brent M. Hall, Steven A. Thomas

United States Geological Survey: Water Reports and Publications

Document abstract

Cyanobacteria (also referred to as blue-green algae) are naturally present members of phytoplankton assemblages that may detract from beneficial uses of water because some strains produce cyanotoxins that pose health hazards to people and animals. Cyanobacteria populations observed in Willow Creek Lake during 2012 through 2014 were compared to external nutrient loading from the Willow Creek drainage basin and several other physicochemical properties within the lake, including internal nutrient loading. This report is part of a cooperative study between the United States Geological Survey, the Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District, the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality, the Nebraska …

Semaphorin 5a Drives Melanoma Progression: Role Of Bcl-2, Mir-204 And C-Myb., Simona D'Aguanno, Elisabetta Valentini, Maria Grazia Tupone, Marianna Desideri, Marta Di Martile, Manuela Spagnuolo, Simonetta Buglioni, Cristiana Ercolani, Italia Falcone, Marco De Dominici, Michele Milella, Maria Giulia Rizzo, Bruno Calabretta, Carlo Cota, Andrea Anichini, Daniela Trisciuoglio, Donatella Del Bufalo

Department of Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Melanoma, the most aggressive form of skin cancer, is characterized by high rates of metastasis, drug resistance and mortality. Here we investigated the role of Semaphorin 5A (Sema5A) on the properties associated with melanoma progression and the factors involved in Sema5A regulation.

METHODS: Western blotting, qRT-PCR, Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay, immunohistochemistry of melanoma patient specimens and xenograft tissues, in vitro Transwell assay for cell migration and invasion evaluation, in vitro capillary-like structure formation analysis.

RESULTS: A significant correlation of Sema5A mRNA expression and melanoma progression was observed by analyzing GEO profile dataset. Endogenous Sema5A protein was detected in 95% …

Week Of November 19, 2018, New York Medical College

InTouch

• Center for Disaster Medicine Hosts "Mass Casualty Events and 'Stop the Bleeding'" Symposium
• School of Medicine Alumni Association Hosts Annual Reunion
• Department of Pediatrics and the Children's Health and Research Foundation Hosts Eighth Annual Assistant Professor Pediatric Research Symposium
• NYMC Helps Move the Needle Forward in Developing Anti-Chemical Warfare Drugs
• NYMC Hosts Fourth Annual Human Rights Institute for Middle School Student Leaders

Silica Nanoparticle-Endothelial Interaction: Uptake And Effect On Platelet Adhesion Under Flow Conditions, Jiban Saikia, Raziye Mohammadpour, Mostafa Yazdimamaghani, Hannah Northrup, Vladimir Hlady, Hamidreza Ghandehari

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Silica nanoparticles are extensively used in biomedical applications and consumer products. Little is known about the interaction of these NPs with the endothelium and effect on platelet adhesion under flow conditions in circulation. In this study, we investigated the effect of silica nanoparticles on the endothelium and its inflammation, and subsequent adhesion of flowing platelets in vitro. Platelet counts adhered onto the surface of endothelial cells in the presence of nanoparticles increased at both low and high concentrations of nanoparticles. Preincubation of endothelial cells with nanoparticles also increased platelet adhesion. Interestingly, platelet adhesion onto TNF-α-treated endothelial cells decreased in the …

Regeneration Of Aged Dmf For Use In Solid-Phase Peptide Synthesis, Jordan K. Magtaan, Marc Devocelle, Fintan Kelleher

Articles

DMF, which is still the most commonly used solvent for Fmoc-SPPS, has the potential for degradation over time on exposure to air (and water vapour) and storage, to give dimethylamine and formic acid impurities. In particular, dimethylamine can lead to unwanted deprotection of the Fmoc group during for example the initial loading of Fmoc amino acids in SPPS, which leads reduced calculated loading values. We have found that treatment of such aged DMF by simple sparging with an inert gas (N₂), or vacuum sonication, can regenerate the DMF in order to restore loading levels back to those found …

Pathogenesis Of Rift Valley Fever Virus Aerosol Infection In Stat2 Knockout Hamsters, Brady T. Hickerson, Jonna B. Westover, Arnaud J. Van Wettere, Johanna D. Rigas, Jinxin Miao, Bettina L. Conrad, Neil E. Motter, Zhongde Wang, Brian B. Gowen

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is an emerging pathogen capable of causing severe disease in livestock and humans and can be transmitted by multiple routes including aerosol exposure. Several animal models have been developed to gain insight into the pathogenesis associated with aerosolized RVFV infection, but work with these models is restricted to high containment biosafety level (BSL) laboratories limiting their use for antiviral and vaccine development studies. Here, we report on a new RVFV inhalation infection model in STAT2 KO hamsters exposed to aerosolized MP-12 vaccine virus by nose-only inhalation that enables a more accurate delivery and measurement of …

Grand Valley Forum, Volume 043, Number 07, November 19, 2018, Grand Valley State University

2018-2019, Volume 43

Grand Valley Forum is Grand Valley State's faculty and staff newsletter, published from 1976 to the present.

Mynews, Georgia Southern University

My News (2014-2020)

• Georgia Southern University announces $5 million gift to the College of Business
• Georgia Southern students change the world through volunteering
• Department of Biology researchers use DNA to monitor endangered species
• Georgia Southern team awarded more than $750,000 for teacher development grant
• Georgia Southern University to host 32nd annual Southern Conference on Children
• Georgia Southern alumnus, Perot Museum of Nature and Science unveil virtual reality app
• Georgia Southern, Ocean Exchange announce winner of annual BIG Pitch Award
• Follow Georgia Southern on Snapchat!
• On-Campus News
• In the Media