Search results for "ARIA"

Gene Expression and Apoptosis Levels in Cumulus Cells of Patients with Polymorphisms of FSHR and LHB Undergoing in Vitro Fertilization Program

2017

Background/Aims: FSH receptor (FSHR) Ala307Thr and Asn680Ser and LHβ chain (LHB) Trp28Arg and Ile35Thr polymorphisms affect the response to pharmacological ovarian stimulation with r-FSH in women undergoing assisted reproductive treatment (ART). Here, we evaluated the expression level of selected genes involved in follicle maturation and the possible onset of apoptosis in cumulus cells of patients with single and double FSHR and LHB polymorphisms, as potential markers of oocyte competence. Methods: Cumulus cells from 36 stimulated patients were collected and SNP genotyping performed by PCR. Gene expression was evaluated through real-time PCR, and apoptosis estimated via TUNEL assay, and cle…

Aggregation patterns of helminth populations in the introduced fish, Liza haematocheilus (Teleostei: Mugilidae): disentangling host–parasite relation…

2018

International audience; A number of hypotheses exist to explain aggregated distributions, but they have seldom been used to investigate differences in parasite spatial distribution between native and introduced hosts. We applied two aggregation models, the negative binomial distribution and Taylor's power law, to study the aggregation patterns of helminth populations from Liza haematocheilus across its native (Sea of Japan) and introduced (Sea of Azov) distribution ranges. In accordance with the enemy release hypothesis, we predicted that parasite populations in the introduced host range would be less aggregated than in the native host area, because aggregation is tightly constrained by abu…

Diversity, evolution, and function of myriapod hemocyanins.

2018

Background Hemocyanin transports O2 in the hemolymph of many arthropod species. Such respiratory proteins have long been considered unnecessary in Myriapoda. As a result, the presence of hemocyanin in Myriapoda has long been overlooked. We analyzed transcriptome and genome sequences from all major myriapod taxa – Chilopoda, Diplopoda, Symphyla, and Pauropoda – with the aim of identifying hemocyanin-like proteins. Results We investigated the genomes and transcriptomes of 56 myriapod species and identified 46 novel full-length hemocyanin subunit sequences in 20 species of Chilopoda, Diplopoda, and Symphyla, but not Pauropoda. We found in Cleidogona sp. (Diplopoda, Chordeumatida) a hemocyanin-…

Risk Assessment of Hip Fracture Based on Machine Learning

2020

[EN] Identifying patients with high risk of hip fracture is a great challenge in osteoporosis clinical assessment. Bone Mineral Density (BMD) measured by Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DXA) is the current gold standard in osteoporosis clinical assessment. However, its classification accuracy is only around 65%. In order to improve this accuracy, this paper proposes the use of Machine Learning (ML) models trained with data from a biomechanical model that simulates a sideways-fall. Machine Learning (ML) models are models able to learn and to make predictions from data. During a training process, ML models learn a function that maps inputs and outputs without previous knowledge of the probl…

2017

The consequences of emerging marine diseases on the evolutionary trajectories of affected host populations in the marine realm are largely unexplored. Evolution in response to natural selection depends on the genetic variation of the traits under selection and the interaction of these traits with the environment (GxE). However, in the case of diseases, genotypes of pathogens add another dimension to this interaction. Therefore, the study of disease resistance needs to be extended to the interaction of host genotype, pathogen genotype and environment (GxGxE). In the present study we used a full-sib breeding design crossing two genetically differentiated populations of the Pacific oyster Cras…

2018

The retrieval of ancient DNA from osteological material provides direct evidence of human genetic diversity in the past. Ancient DNA samples are often used to investigate whether there was population continuity in the settlement history of an area. Methods based on the serial coalescent algorithm have been developed to test whether the population continuity hypothesis can be statistically rejected by analysing DNA samples from the same region but of different ages. Rejection of this hypothesis is indicative of a large genetic shift, possibly due to immigration occurring between two sampling times. However, this approach is only able to reject a model of full continuity model (a total absenc…

Clinical and molecular diagnosis, screening and management of Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome: An international consensus statement

2018

Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS), a human genomic imprinting disorder, is characterized by phenotypic variability that might include overgrowth, macroglossia, abdominal wall defects, neonatal hypoglycaemia, lateralized overgrowth and predisposition to embryonal tumours. Delineation of the molecular defects within the imprinted 11p15.5 region can predict familial recurrence risks and the risk (and type) of embryonal tumour. Despite recent advances in knowledge, there is marked heterogeneity in clinical diagnostic criteria and care. As detailed in this Consensus Statement, an international consensus group agreed upon 72 recommendations for the clinical and molecular diagnosis and management …

Species- and site-specific efficacy of commercial biocides and application solvents against lichens

2017

Abstract Control of lichens on stone cultural heritage is mostly achieved by a combination of mechanical removal with biocide applications. However, there is a lack of scientific evidence on the efficacy of different biocides on different species, and on the consistency of biocide effects on heritage sites in different environmental conditions. This results in some uncertainty when conservation interventions to control lichens are routinely defined on the basis of restoration tradition or empirical evaluation, without experimental measures of how lichens respond. In this work, we quantitatively evaluated (a) the efficacy of five commercially-available biocides, applied using a brush or with…

Baseline metabolic disturbances and the twenty-five years risk of incident cancer in a Mediterranean population.

2016

Abstract Background and aims Obesity is predictive of metabolic syndrome (metS), type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular (CV) disease and cancer. The aim of the study is to assess the risk of incident cancer connected to obesity and metS in a Mediterranean population characterized by a high prevalence of obesity. Methods and results As many as 1133 subjects were enrolled in two phases and followed for 25 years (859 subjects) or 11 years (274 subjects) and incident cancer was registered in the follow-up period. Anthropometric measures and biochemical parameters were filed at baseline and evaluated as predictors of incident cancer by measuring hazards ratios (HR) using multivariate Cox parametric haz…

2018

The bioactive coating of calcium phosphate cement (CPC) is a promising approach to enhance the bone-healing properties of bone substitutes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether coating CPCs with bone sialoprotein (BSP) results in increased bone formation. Forty-five female C57BL/6NRj mice with an average age of six weeks were divided into three groups. Either a BSP-coated or an uncoated three-dimensional plotted scaffold was implanted into a drilled 2.7-mm diameter calvarial defect, or the defect was left empty (control group; no CPC). Histological analyses revealed that BSP-coated scaffolds were better integrated into the local bone stock eight weeks after implantation. Bone v…