Functional Categories Research Articles

Biochemical and proteomic response of the freshwater green alga Pseudochlorella pringsheimii to iron and salinity stressors

BackgroundPseudochlorella pringsheimii (Ppr) is a green unicellular alga rich with chlorophyll, carotenoids, and antioxidants. As a widespread organism, Ppr must face, and adapt to, many environmental stresses and these are becoming more frequent and more extreme under the conditions of climate change. We therefore focused on salinity induced by NaCl and iron (Fe) variation stresses, which are commonly encountered by algae in their natural environment.ResultsThe relatively low stress levels improved the biomass, growth rate, and biochemical components of Ppr. In addition, the radical-scavenging activity, reducing power, and chelating activity were stimulated by lower iron concentrations and all NaCl concentrations. We believe that the alga has adapted to the stressors by increasing certain biomolecules such as carotenoids, phenolics, proteins, and carbohydrates. These act as antioxidants and osmoregulators to protect cell membranes and other cellular components from the harmful effects of ions. We have used SDS-PAGE and 2D-PAGE in combination with tandem mass spectrometry to identify responsive proteins in the proteomes of stressed vs. non-stressed Ppr. The results of 2D-PAGE analysis showed a total of 67 differentially expressed proteins, and SDS-PAGE identified 559 peptides corresponding to 77 proteins. Of these, 15, 8, and 17 peptides were uniquely identified only under the control, iron, and salinity treatments, respectively. The peptides were classified into 12 functional categories: energy metabolism (the most notable proteins), carbohydrate metabolism, regulation, photosynthesis, protein synthesis, stress proteins, oxido-reductase proteins, transfer proteins, ribonucleic-associated proteins, hypothetical proteins, and unknown proteins. The number of identified peptides was higher under salinity stress compared to iron stress.ConclusionsA proposed mechanism for the adaptation of Ppr to stress is discussed based on the collected data. This data could serve as reference material for algal proteomics and the mechanisms involved in mediating stress tolerance.

High-sensitivity analysis of clonal hematopoiesis reveals increased clonal complexity of potential-driver mutations in severe COVID-19 patients.

Whether Clonal Hematopoiesis (CH) represents a risk factor for severity of the COVID-19 disease remains a controversial issue. We report the first high- sensitivity analysis of CH in COVID-19 patients (threshold of detection at 0.5% vs 1 or 2% in previous studies). We analyzed 24 patients admitted to ICU for COVID-19 (COV-ICU) and 19 controls, including healthy subjects and asymptomatic SARS-CoV2-positive individuals. Despite the significantly higher numbers of CH mutations identified (80% mutations with <2% variant allele frequency, VAF), we did not find significant differences between COV-ICU patients and controls in the prevalence of CH or in the numbers, VAF or functional categories of the mutated genes, suggesting that CH is not overrepresented in patients with COVID-19. However, when considering potential drivers CH mutations (CH-PD), COV-ICU patients showed higher clonal complexity, in terms of both mutation numbers and VAF, and enrichment of variants reported in myeloid neoplasms. However, we did not score an impact of increased CH-PD on patient survival or clinical parameters associated with inflammation. These data suggest that COVID-19 influence the clonal composition of the peripheral blood and call for further investigations addressing the potential long-term clinical impact of CH on people experiencing severe COVID-19. We acknowledge that it will indispensable to perform further studies on larger patient cohorts in order to validate and generalize our conclusions. Moreover, we performed CH analysis at a single time point. It will be necessary to consider longitudinal approaches with long periods of follow-up in order to assess if the COVID-19 disease could have an impact on the evolution of CH and long-term consequences in patients that experienced severe COVID-19.

The Association Between Physical Function and Hyperkyphosis in Older Females: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Thoracic hyperkyphosis may adversely influence physical function in older adults, but the literature is mixed and confounded by possible sex differences. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to examine the association between hyperkyphosis and physical function in older females. Scopus, ISI Web of Science, Cochrane Library, PubMed, CINAHL, and PEDro databases were searched through 2021 for studies that included measures of thoracic hyperkyphosis and physical function with extractable data for women older than 60 years. Studies were excluded if they were qualitative, case reports, case series, ecological studies, reviews, or were not published in English. The study quality and risk of bias were assessed using checklists from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Data were synthesized using Cohen's d effect size and 95% confidence interval (CI), and random-effects models were used for the meta-analyses. Three cohort and 22 cross-sectional studies of fair to good quality met the inclusion criteria. Eight studies reporting single-group data showed a moderate association between greater kyphosis angles and lower physical function ( d = -0.57; 95% CI -0.73, -0.40). Fourteen studies reporting 2-group data showed a large negative effect on physical function for groups with greater kyphosis angles ( d = -1.16; 95% CI -1.53, -0.78). Three studies that reported multivariate data also tended to show negative associations between physical function and hyperkyphosis. Limitations include a relative lack of causal evidence; confirming causation requires additional longitudinal studies. Studies have assessed various physical function categories, including strength, gait, and balance. Future studies could determine the categories of function most affected so that preventive interventions could target hyperkyphosis appropriately. Hyperkyphosis was associated with lower physical function in older women. Three cohort studies suggest that greater kyphosis angles may predict greater loss of physical function over time. These results imply that therapies that help to minimize hyperkyphosis may help preserve function in older women.

Prediction of Soil Bacterial Community Structure and Function in Minqin Desert-oasis Ecotone Artificial Haloxylon ammodendron Forest

Exploring the effects of artificial Haloxylon ammodendron forest planting on the structure and function of a desert soil bacterial community provides data reference for soil micro-ecological restoration and land quality improvement in desert oasis transition zones. Illumina high-throughput sequencing technology and PICRUSt2 functional prediction analysis were used to identify and analyze the structure and function of soil bacterial communities, and the Mantel correlation test and RDA analysis were used to explain the physicochemical factors affecting the structure and function of soil bacterial communities. The results showed that:① the soil bacterial OTU number, Chao1 index, and Shannon index were significantly higher in the H. ammodendron forest than in the mobile dune soil, and the PCoA analysis and Adonis test showed significant differences in the soil bacterial community structure between H. ammodendron and mobile dune soil (P=0.001). ② A total of 34 phyla, 89 classes, 174 orders, 262 families, and 432 genera of bacteria were detected in all samples, and the phyla Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria, and Chloroflexi accounted for 76.05% of the relative abundance of soil bacteria, which belonged to the dominant soil bacteria, among which the relative abundance of Actinobacteria in H. ammodendron forest soil was extremely significantly higher than that in mobile dune soil (P &lt; 0.01). ③PICRUSt2 function prediction revealed that the soil bacterial community of H. ammodendron forest included six categories of primary functions and 28 categories of secondary functions, among which the metabolism of carbohydrates, metabolism of amino acids, and metabolism of cofactors and vitamins were all greater than 10% in relative abundance and were the main metabolic functions of H. ammodendron forest soil bacteria. ④ The planting of H. ammodendron forest significantly improved the nutrient content of soil organic matter and other nutrients. Soil pH, organic matter, total nitrogen, and fast-acting phosphorus were the main physicochemical factors affecting the bacterial community, with soil organic matter significantly affecting the soil bacterial community structure (P &lt; 0.05) and metabolic function (P &lt; 0.05). In conclusion, the artificial H. ammodendron forest helped to increase desert soil microbial diversity, increase the relative abundance of soil bacterial metabolic function genes, and improve the desert soil microenvironment.

Immune and metabolic challenges induce changes in pain sensation and related pathways in the hypothalamus.

The hypothalamic molecular processes participate in the regulation of the neuro-immune-endocrine system, including hormone, metabolite, chemokine circulation, and corresponding physiological and behavioral responses. RNA-sequencing profiles were analyzed to understand the effect of juvenile immune and metabolic distress 100 days after virally elicited maternal immune activation during gestation in pigs. Over 1,300 genes exhibited significant additive or interacting effects of gestational immune activation, juvenile distress, and sex. One-third of these genes presented multiple effects, emphasizing the complex interplay of these factors. Key functional categories enriched among affected genes included sensory perception of pain, steroidogenesis, prolactin, neuropeptide, and inflammatory signaling. These categories underscore the intricate relationship between gestational immune activation during gestation, distress, and the response of hypothalamic pathways to insults. These effects were sex-dependent for many genes, such as Prdm12, Oprd1, Isg20, Prl, Oxt, and Vip. The prevalence of differentially expressed genes annotated to proinflammatory and cell cycle processes suggests potential implications for synaptic plasticity and neuronal survival. The gene profiles affected by immune activation, distress, and sex pointed to the action of transcription factors SHOX2, STAT1, and REST. These findings underscore the importance of considering sex and postnatal challenges when studying causes of neurodevelopmental disorders and highlight the complexity of the "two-hit" hypothesis in understanding their etiology. Our study furthers the understanding of the intricate molecular responses in the hypothalamus to gestational immune activation and subsequent distress, shedding light on the sex-specific effects and the potential long-lasting consequences on pain perception, neuroendocrine regulation, and inflammatory processes.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The interaction of infection during gestation and insults later in life influences the molecular mechanisms in the hypothalamus that participate in pain sensation. The response of the hypothalamic transcriptome varies between sexes and can also affect synapses and immune signals. The findings from this study assist in the identification of agonists or antagonists that can guide pretranslational studies to ameliorate the effects of gestational insults interacting with postnatal challenges on physiological or behavioral disorders.

Loss functions for spatial wildfire applications

Spatial predictions of wildfire spread are used operationally and in risk estimation. It is important that their outputs are validated to quantify predictive performance and uncertainty. There are numerous loss functions for this simulation validation. Our paper synthesises ten common and five novel loss functions for evaluating the performance of wildfire predictions against observed or simulated wildfires. We describe each loss function; test their sensitivity to scale, rotation and translation; and demonstrate their application with three case study wildfires in south-eastern Australia. Based on their purpose, there are three categories of loss functions: general overlap, partial overlap and distance. Within these categories, there is functional redundancy as many loss functions are appropriate and perform similarly. Using loss functions from across the three different categories is the most comprehensive for evaluating wildfire models, but the choice depends on the simulation purpose and interpretation.

A postpartum functional assessment tool for women based on the international classification of functioning, disability and health

BackgroundPostpartum dysfunctions and complications can occur in women. However, functional assessment should be conducted to make treatment plans before any intervention is implemented. In this context, the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) may be a useful tool for women postpartum to document functional data and set rehabilitation goals. The purpose of this study was to determine the corresponding domains that should be considered in the evaluation of women’s postpartum functioning based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) model using the Delphi method.MethodsFifteen domestic experts were invited to conduct two rounds of expert consensus survey on the ICF-based postpartum functional assessment category pool obtained through literature retrieval, clinical investigation, and reference to relevant literature. The sample was medical staff with professional knowledge of women’s health. The opinions of experts were summarized, and the positive coefficient, authority coefficient and coordination degree of experts were calculated.ResultsA total of 15 domestic experts participated in this expert consensus. Through two rounds of a questionnaire survey, 69 items were finally selected to form the ICF-based postpartum functional assessment tool for women. The items included 32 items of body function, 12 items of body structure, 17 items of activity and participation, and 8 items of environmental factors. In addition, we identified 8 items of personal factors. The expert positive coefficients of the two rounds of expert consensus were both 100%, the authority coefficient was 0.789, and the coefficient of variation was between 0.09 to 0.31.ConclusionA postpartum functional assessment tool for women based on the ICF model was constructed based on the Delphi method, which can provide more comprehensive health management and life intervention for postpartum women.Trial registrationThe Registration number of the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry is ChiCTR2200066163, 25/11/2022.

Pseudogenes act as a neutral reference for detecting selection in prokaryotic pangenomes.

A long-standing question is to what degree genetic drift and selection drive the divergence in rare accessory gene content between closely related bacteria. Rare genes, including singletons, make up a large proportion of pangenomes (all genes in a set of genomes), but it remains unclear how many such genes are adaptive, deleterious or neutral to their host genome. Estimates of species' effective population sizes (Ne) are positively associated with pangenome size and fluidity, which has independently been interpreted as evidence for both neutral and adaptive pangenome models. We hypothesized that pseudogenes, used as a neutral reference, could be used to distinguish these models. We find that most functional categories are depleted for rare pseudogenes when a genome encodes only a single intact copy of a gene family. In contrast, transposons are enriched in pseudogenes, suggesting they are mostly neutral or deleterious to the host genome. Thus, even if individual rare accessory genes vary in their effects on host fitness, we can confidently reject a model of entirely neutral or deleterious rare genes. We also define the ratio of singleton intact genes to singleton pseudogenes (si/sp) within a pangenome, compare this measure across 668 prokaryotic species and detect a signal consistent with the adaptive value of many rare accessory genes. Taken together, our work demonstrates that comparing with pseudogenes can improve inferences of the evolutionary forces driving pangenome variation.

Differential Response of MYB Transcription Factor Gene Transcripts to Circadian Rhythm in Tea Plants (Camellia sinensis).

The circadian clock refers to the formation of a certain rule in the long-term evolution of an organism, which is an invisible 'clock' in the body of an organism. As one of the largest TF families in higher plants, the MYB transcription factor is involved in plant growth and development. MYB is also inextricably correlated with the circadian rhythm. In this study, the transcriptome data of the tea plant 'Baiyeyihao' were measured at a photoperiod interval of 4 h (24 h). A total of 25,306 unigenes were obtained, including 14,615 unigenes that were annotated across 20 functional categories within the GO classification. Additionally, 10,443 single-gene clusters were annotated to 11 sublevels of metabolic pathways using KEGG. Based on the results of gene annotation and differential gene transcript analysis, 22 genes encoding MYB transcription factors were identified. The G10 group in the phylogenetic tree had 13 members, of which 5 were related to the circadian rhythm, accounting for 39%. The G1, G2, G8, G9, G15, G16, G18, G19, G20, G21 and G23 groups had no members associated with the circadian rhythm. Among the 22 differentially expressed MYB transcription factors, 3 members of LHY, RVE1 and RVE8 were core circadian rhythm genes belonging to the G10, G12 and G10 groups, respectively. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR was used to detect and validate the expression of the gene transcripts encoding MYB transcription factors associated with the circadian rhythm.

Non-coding RNA in the gut of the blood-feeding parasitic worm, Haemonchus contortus

The intestine of Haemonchus contortus is an essential tissue that has been indicated to be a major target for the prevention of haemonchosis caused by this parasitic nematode of small ruminants. Biological peculiarities of the intestine warrant in-depth exploitation, which can be leveraged for future disease control efforts. Here, we determined the intestinal ncRNA (lncRNA, circRNA and miRNA) atlas using whole-transcriptome sequencing and bioinformatics approaches. In total, 4846 novel lncRNA, 982 circRNA, 96 miRNA (65 known and 31 novel) and 8821 mRNA were identified from the H. contortus intestine. The features of lncRNA, circRNA and miRNA were fully characterized. Comparison of miRNA from the intestines and extracellular vesicles supported the speculation that the miRNA from the latter were of intestinal origin in H. contortus. Further function analysis suggests that the cis-lncRNA targeted genes were involved in protein binding, intracellular anatomical structure, organelle and cellular process, whereas the circRNA parental genes were mainly enriched in molecular function categories, such as ribonucleotide binding, nucleotide binding, ATP binding and carbohydrate derivative binding. The miRNA target genes were related to the cellular process, cellular response to stimulus, cellular protein modification process and signal transduction. Moreover, competing endogenous RNA network analysis revealed that the majority of lncRNA, circRNA and mRNA only have one or two binding sites with specific miRNA. Lastly, randomly selected circRNA, lncRNA and miRNA were verified successfully using RT-PCR. Collectively, these data provide the most comprehensive compilation of intestinal transcripts and their functions, and it will be helpful to decipher the biological and molecular complexity of the intestine and lay the foundation for further functional research.

A Meta-Analysis on Presynaptic Changes in Alzheimer's Disease.

A key aspect of synaptic dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is loss of synaptic proteins. Previous publications showed that the presynaptic machinery is more strongly affected than postsynaptic proteins. However, it has also been reported that presynaptic protein loss is highly variable and shows region- and protein-specificity. The objective of this meta-analysis was to provide an update on the available literature and to further characterize patterns of presynaptic protein loss in AD. Systematic literature search was conducted for studies published between 2015-2022 which quantified presynaptic proteins in postmortem tissue from AD patients and healthy controls. Three-level random effects meta-analyses of twenty-two identified studies was performed to characterize overall presynaptic protein loss and changes in specific regions, proteins, protein families, and functional categories. Meta-analysis confirmed overall loss of presynaptic proteins in AD patients. Subgroup analysis revealed region specificity of protein loss, with largest effects in temporal and frontal cortex. Results concerning different groups of proteins were also highly variable. Strongest and most consistently affected was the family of synaptosome associated proteins, especially SNAP25. Among the most severely affected were proteins regulating dense core vesicle exocytosis and the synaptic vesicle cycle. Results confirm previous literature related to presynaptic protein loss in AD patients and provide further in-depth characterization of most affected proteins and presynaptic functions.

What is in a chosen name? An exploratory study on the renaming experiences of transgender people

Background: For transgender people, choosing and using a name congruent with their gender identity has been identified as a factor that improved self-esteem and well-being. This study aims to explore their renaming experiences and to identify the functions of chosen names in affirming gender identity and in expressing the need for continuity or rupture with the past. Method: The study was structured in two phases. The first phase, purely inductive, consisted in nine semi-structured interviews. A short version of the interview guide was used with sixteen other participants during the second phase of the study, which was both inductive and deductive, following a non-systematic literature review. Data was analyzed based on a constructivist grounded theory approach. Results: Two categories of functions of the chosen name were identified. The first category consisted of the functions of chosen names regarding the affirmation of gender identity, which were: the classificatory, the identificatory and the symbolic functions. The second category consisted of the functions of chosen names in expressing participants’ needs for continuity or discontinuity with the past, chosen names being experienced as metaphors of a new beginning, supports for continuity through transformation, compromises between family and cultural identifications and disidentifications. Conclusion: Exploring the renaming process and the functions of the chosen names in the clinical setting with transgender people looking for mental health support may help to identify and enhance gender affirming strategies. This may further assist in reducing aspects of gender incongruence and dysphoria through subjectivation and resilience-developing processes.

DisoFLAG: accurate prediction of protein intrinsic disorder and its functions using graph-based interaction protein language model

Intrinsically disordered proteins and regions (IDPs/IDRs) are functionally important proteins and regions that exist as highly dynamic conformations under natural physiological conditions. IDPs/IDRs exhibit a broad range of molecular functions, and their functions involve binding interactions with partners and remaining native structural flexibility. The rapid increase in the number of proteins in sequence databases and the diversity of disordered functions challenge existing computational methods for predicting protein intrinsic disorder and disordered functions. A disordered region interacts with different partners to perform multiple functions, and these disordered functions exhibit different dependencies and correlations. In this study, we introduce DisoFLAG, a computational method that leverages a graph-based interaction protein language model (GiPLM) for jointly predicting disorder and its multiple potential functions. GiPLM integrates protein semantic information based on pre-trained protein language models into graph-based interaction units to enhance the correlation of the semantic representation of multiple disordered functions. The DisoFLAG predictor takes amino acid sequences as the only inputs and provides predictions of intrinsic disorder and six disordered functions for proteins, including protein-binding, DNA-binding, RNA-binding, ion-binding, lipid-binding, and flexible linker. We evaluated the predictive performance of DisoFLAG following the Critical Assessment of protein Intrinsic Disorder (CAID) experiments, and the results demonstrated that DisoFLAG offers accurate and comprehensive predictions of disordered functions, extending the current coverage of computationally predicted disordered function categories. The standalone package and web server of DisoFLAG have been established to provide accurate prediction tools for intrinsic disorders and their associated functions.

Global taxonomic and functional patterns in invertebrate assemblages from rocky-intertidal mussel beds

Mussels form extensive beds in rocky intertidal habitats on temperate seashores worldwide. They are foundation species because their beds host many invertebrates. Mussels and their associated species differ taxonomically among biogeographic regions, but all mussel beds exhibit similar structural and functional properties. Therefore, we investigated if rocky-intertidal mussel beds from around the globe host associated communities that are functionally similar despite their underlying taxonomic differences. We gathered datasets on the abundance of invertebrates found in rocky-intertidal mussel beds from the eastern and western boundaries of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans from both hemispheres and, then, we compared their taxonomic and functional properties. Taxonomic composition differed markedly among coasts when analyzed at the taxonomic resolution reported by the surveys (often species). However, taxonomic groups with similar ecologies (28 groups including barnacles, decapods, gastropods, polychaetes, etc.) were more universally present in mussel beds. Concomitantly, functional categories of trophic level, body type, and mobility were almost always present on all studied coasts. These taxonomic groups and trait categories, however, showed regional patterns based on their relative abundances. Overall, the ability of mussel beds to host a core community type based on taxonomic groups and functional traits emphasizes their importance for biodiversity and community functioning, making them critical organisms to preserve.

Audição e funcionalidade: Análise do contexto de um serviço de reabilitação auditiva com base na Classificação Internacional de Funcionalidade

ABSTRACT Purpose: to verify the association between types and degrees of hearing loss and demographic factors and categories of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health, related to “Body Structures and Functions” and “Activities and Participation.” Methods: a cross-sectional, analytical, observational study with a nonprobabilistic sample, developed with secondary data, according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health, obtained from the medical records of patients assessed for hearing rehabilitation at a specialized rehabilitation center. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were performed. Association analyses used Pearson’s chi-square test, with the significance level set at 5%. Results: the study analyzed 122 medical records, which revealed a predominance of women, a sensorineural hearing loss of a moderately severe degree and progressive history. The type of hearing loss was associated with three categories of Body Structures and Functions and three categories of Activities and Participation. The degrees of hearing loss were associated with 10 categories of Body Structures and Functions and six categories of Activities and Participation. Conclusion: types and degrees of hearing loss are associated with Body Structures and Functions and Activities and Participation, further impairing communication.

Lexical Bundles in the Discussions of Medical Sciences Articles: Frequencies, Syntactic Structures, and Discourse Functions

Lexical bundles (LBs) are frequent groups of words that appear repeatedly in different academic texts. A plethora of research has explored their distribution and usage in general, particularly in academic texts. However, to our knowledge, the extent of research investigating LBs in the discussion sections of Medical Research Articles (MRAs) is scant. The present study examined the diversity and density of four-word LBs in the discussions of 1400 MRAs. Four-word bundles totaling 413, including general and subject-bound LBs, were extracted using the freeware concordance software program AntConc and categorized based on their syntactic structures and discourse functions. The findings revealed that discussions structurally rely heavily on phrasal LBs (i.e., prepositional phrases and noun phrases) in general and subject-bound LBs compared to clausal bundles, which include VP-based and Clause-based LBs. Regarding functional categories, the general referential bundles with their subcategories were found to have the most considerable proportion in the medical RA genre. Given the importance of LBs in disciplinary writing and academic discourse, the findings could be instrumental in crafting suitable pedagogical materials and activities on general and subject-specific LBs for academic writing in English for Medical Purposes.

Prognostic Significance of Iron Metabolism and Immune-Related Genes as Risk Markers in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly lethal liver cancer with significant heterogeneity, which poses challenges in predicting prognosis and treatment outcomes. The impact of iron metabolism and immune-related genes (IMRGs) on HCC patient prognoses remains elusive. We utilized The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset to obtain mRNA expression data and clinical information from HCC patients. Through the application of LASSO regression and univariate/multivariate Cox regression analyses, we identified five IMRGs significantly associated with survival of HCC patients. We constructed a prognostic model comprising these five genes. The model demonstrated excellent predictive performance, not only within TCGA dataset but also when validated using the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) dataset. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses presented significant variations in functional categories, such as apical plasma membrane and collagen-containing extracellular matrix. Several pathways, including the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway and the calcium signaling pathway, exhibited significant variations among HCC patients with varying prognoses (P < 0.05). Immune infiltration analysis indicated significantly lower levels of various immune cells, immune functions, and immune checkpoints, such as B cells, CD8+ T cells, and TILs, in the high-risk group (P < 0.05). Immunophenoscore results suggested that the low-risk group may exhibit a more favorable response to immune therapy. Furthermore, the CellMiner database predicted anti-tumor drugs significantly associated with prognostic genes (P < 0.001). In conclusion, our findings highlight the predictive role of IMRGs in prognosis and immune treatment of HCC, indicating that ADAMTS13, CRHBP, VIPR1, FCN3, and CLEC1B may serve as potential prognostic biomarkers for HCC.

Seminal Vesicle-Derived Exosomes for the Regulation of Sperm Activity.

The seminal vesicle contributes to a large extent of the semen volume and composition. Removal of seminal vesicle or lack of seminal vesicle proteins leads to decreased fertility. Seminal plasma proteome revealed that seminal fluid contained a wide diversity of proteins. Many of them are known to modulate sperm capacitation and serve as capacitation inhibitors or decapacitation factors. Despite identifying secretory vesicles from the male reproductive tract, such as epididymosomes or prostasomes, isolation, identification, and characterization of seminal vesicle-derived exosomes are still unknown. This chapter aims to review the current understanding of the function of seminal vesicles on sperm physiology and male reproduction and provide ultracentrifugation-based isolation protocols for the isolation of seminal vesicle exosomes. Moreover, via proteomic analysis and functional categorization, a total of 726 proteins IDs were identified in the purified seminal vesicle exosomes fraction. Preliminary data showed seminal vesicle-derived exosomes inhibited sperm capacitation; however, more studies will be needed to reveal other functional involvements of seminal vesicle-derived exosomes on the sperm physiology and, more importantly, how these exosomes interact with sperm membrane to achieve their biological effects.

Do Indian Researchers Consider Functioning Issues of Lower Extremity Osteoarthritis: A Scoping Review

Lower extremity osteoarthritis (LEOA) is a noncommunicable disease with an increasing burden globally, especially the developing countries like India. Understanding the functioning issue is needed to address individuals’ daily problems. Knowing how Indian researchers consider functioning will aid in understanding the current research trend. This scoping review describes the nature and extent to which the Indian researchers considered the functioning issues of LEOA individuals and linked them with the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) categories. We conducted an electronic database search of PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Pedro for Indian studies related to the functional issue of LEOA. Keeping the standard of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses- extension for scoping reviews (ScR) guidelines, we identified 102 related articles and included 28 that match the selection criteria. We observed a limited focus on functioning issues by Indian researchers. The researchers mainly rely on functional outcome measures while considering the functioning issue of LEOA. Most Western sociocultural influence outcome measures used by the studies were linked with activity limitation and participation restriction of ICF categories only. There is an urgent need for Indian researchers across professions to employ the ICF as a conceptual framework to understand and address the functioning issues associated with LEOA comprehensively.

Identifying best fall-related balance factors and robotic-assisted gait training attributes in 105 post-stroke patients using clinical machine learning models.

Despite the promising effects of robot-assisted gait training (RAGT) on balance and gait in post-stroke rehabilitation, the optimal predictors of fall-related balance and effective RAGT attributes remain unclear in post-stroke patients at a high risk of fall. We aimed to determine the most accurate clinical machine learning (ML) algorithm for predicting fall-related balance factors and identifying RAGT attributes. We applied five ML algorithms- logistic regression, random forest, decision tree, support vector machine (SVM), and extreme gradient boosting (XGboost)- to a dataset of 105 post-stroke patients undergoing RAGT. The variables included the Berg Balance Scale score, walking speed, steps, hip and knee active torques, functional ambulation categories, Fugl- Meyer assessment (FMA), the Korean version of the Modified Barthel Index, and fall history. The random forest algorithm excelled (receiver operating characteristic area under the curve; AUC = 0.91) in predicting balance improvement, outperforming the SVM (AUC = 0.76) and XGboost (AUC = 0.71). Key determinants identified were knee active torque, age, step count, number of RAGT sessions, FMA, and hip torque. The random forest algorithm was the best prediction model for identifying fall-related balance and RAGT determinants, highlighting the importance of key factors for successful RAGT outcome performance in fall-related balance improvement.