Recent developments in technology have introduced dramatic changes to the practice of the accounting profession. This paper provides a comprehensive review of current developments in big data, ...machine learning, artificial intelligence, and blockchain utilized in general business practice and by specialized practitioners in the accounting profession worldwide. This paper explores the evolution of the accounting profession following these recent technological developments and assesses the impact of future developments. Inherent challenges and opportunities posed by these new technologies pertaining to accounting professionals and accounting educators are also examined, including an increased demand for IT professionals with accounting experience as opposed to accounting major graduates. Considering the dramatic changes and developments of AI applications in accounting, this paper reflects how all these technologies and the associated requirements of job candidates will affect the desired capabilities of accounting graduates and provides further discussion regarding what higher institutions and their accounting graduates can do to adopt such changes.
Oligodendrocytes (OLs) are the myelinating glia of the central nervous system. Injury to OLs causes myelin loss. In demyelinating diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, the remyelination is hindered ...principally due to a failure of the oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) to differentiate into mature OLs. To identify inducers of OPC to OL differentiation, a high‐throughput screening based on myelin basic protein expression using neural progenitor cells‐derived OPCs has been performed and, PD0325901—an MEK (MAPK kinase) inhibitor—is found to significantly enhance OPC to OL differentiation in a dose‐ and time‐dependent manner. Other MEK inhibitors also display similar effect, indicating blockade of MAPK–ERK signaling is sufficient to induce OPC differentiation into OLs. PD0325901 facilitates the formation of myelin sheaths in OPC–neuron co‐culture in vitro. And in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis model and cuprizone‐induced demyelination model, PD0325901 displays significant therapeutic effect by promoting myelin regeneration. Our results suggest that targeting the MAPK–ERK pathway might be an intriguing way to develop new therapies for demyelinating diseases.
Main Points
MEK inhibitors, represented by PD0325901, promote oligodendrocyte generation.
PD0325901 promotes myelin formation both in vitro and in vivo.
The MAPK‐ERK pathway might be an intriguing target to develop new therapies for demyelinating diseases.
The direct conversion, or transdifferentiation, of non-cardiac cells into cardiomyocytes by forced expression of transcription factors and microRNAs provides promising approaches for cardiac ...regeneration. However, genetic manipulations raise safety concerns and are thus not desirable in most clinical applications. The discovery of full chemically induced pluripotent stem cells suggest the possibility of replacing transcription factors with chemical cocktails. Here, we report the generation of automatically beating cardiomyocyte-like cells from mouse fibroblasts using only chemical cocktails. These chemical-induced cardiomyocyte-like cells （CiCMs） express cardiomyocyte-specific mark- ers, exhibit sarcomeric organization, and possess typical cardiac calcium flux and electrophysiological features. Genetic lineage tracing confirms the fibroblast origin of these CiCMs. Further studies show the generation of CiCMs passes through a cardiac progenitor stage instead of a pluripotent stage. Bypassing the use of viral-derived factors, this proof of concept study lays a foundation for in vivo cardiac transdifferentiation with pharmacological agents and possibly safer treatment of heart failure.
Frailty associated with aging increases the risk of falls, disability, and death. We investigated gender-associated factors for frailty.
Data of 3,079 geriatric subjects were retrieved from the ...National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007-2010 database. After excluding 1,126 subjects with missing data on frailty, medical history and survival, data of 1,953 patients were analyzed. Main endpoints were frailty prevalence, mortality rates and causes of death.
Frailty prevalence was 5.4% in males, 8.8% in females. Significant risk factors for geriatric frailty in males were being widowed/divorced/separated, low daily total calorie intake, physical inactivity, sleeping >9 h, smoking and hospitalization history; and in females were obesity, physical inactivity, sleeping <6 h, family history of diabetes and heart attack, and hospitalization history. Frail subjects had higher mortality rates (22.5% male; 8.5% female) than pre-frail (8.7% male; 6.4% female) and non-frail (5.4% male; 2.5% female). Main causes of death were heart diseases (41%) and chronic lower respiratory diseases (23.0%) in males and nephritis/nephrosis (32.3%) and chronic lower respiratory diseases (17.6%) in females.
Factors associated with frailty differ by gender, with higher frailty prevalence in females and higher mortality in males. Gender-associated factors for frailty identified in this study may be useful in evaluating frailty and guiding development of public health measures for prevention.
Common predictive factors for frailty among older adults of both genders, including more frequent previous hospitalizations, physical inactivity, and certain gender-associated factors for frailty, are consistent with results of other NHANES studies in which self-reported higher levels of illness and sedentary behavior were directly associated with frailty.
The taxonomy of the dinoflagellate cyst-based genus Votadinium has been in need of revision. This is accomplished here by integrating morphology, large subunit (LSU) rDNA sequences, and cyst wall ...composition analyses through micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Three new species, Votadinium pontifossatum, V. rhomboideum and V. reidii, are described as cyst stages of Protoperidinium paraoblongum, P. quadrioblongum, and P. steidingerae, respectively. A previously undescribed type of ornamentation is reported for V. pontifossatum. A fourth new species is assigned to V. concavum. Furthermore, Lejeunecysta psilodora Benedek (= Lejeunecysta psuchra Matsuoka), is re-described as V. psilodora and the holotype re-illustrated, as is done for the holotype of V. spinosum Reid. New illustrations are provided for V. elongatum and V. nanhaiense. LSU rDNA sequences of V. concavum reveal its placement in the Oceanica section of the genus Protoperidinium, supporting earlier evidence that the Oceanica section and the cyst-based genus Votadinium form a monophyletic clade. Thus, Votadinium could be considered the cyst equivalent of the motile-defined Oceanica section. The cyst walls of Votadinium spinosum, V. calvum and V. pontifossatum are built from carbohydrate-based macromolecules with N-containing functional groups, in agreement with the heterotrophic nature of their motile stage. Comparison with related genera Trinovantedinium and Quinquecuspis reveals that the species and genera can be separated based on cyst wall composition, supporting a phylogeny based on molecular data and/or ecological differences. Furthermore, Trinovantedinium applanatum spectra unexpectedly show an additional absorption at 1510cm–1, indicating an aromatic group that is commonly reported for sporopollenin and not seen in dinoflagellate cysts so far. This study stabilizes the taxonomy of the cyst genus Votadinium, clarifies its relationship to the Oceanica section of Protoperidinium, and further supports the application of whole cyst wall chemistry in helping address problems in dinoflagellate cyst taxonomy and ecology.
Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) can propagate in an undifferentiated state indefinitely in culture and retain the potential to differentiate into any somatic lineage as well as germ cells. The catabolic ...process autophagy has been reported to be involved in ESC identity regulation, but the underlying mechanism is still largely unknown. Here we show that EPG5, a eukaryotic-specific autophagy regulator which mediates autophagosome/lysosome fusion, is highly expressed in ESCs and contributes to ESC identity maintenance. We identify that the deubiquitinating enzyme USP8 binds to the Coiled-coil domain of EPG5. Mechanistically, USP8 directly removes non-classical K63-linked ubiquitin chains from EPG5 at Lysine 252, leading to enhanced interaction between EPG5 and LC3. We propose that deubiquitination of EPG5 by USP8 guards the autophagic flux in ESCs to maintain their stemness. This work uncovers a novel crosstalk pathway between ubiquitination and autophagy through USP8-EPG5 interaction to regulate the stemness of ESCs.
Dinoflagellates are a major component of the modern plankton. Of the 2192 species of marine free-living dinoflagellates presently described, an increasing number are being shown to produce resting ...cysts (probably hypnozygotes) within their life cycle. With rare exception, only the resting cysts fossilize, so they are of central importance in tracing the history of dinoflagellates through geological time. Cysts of many of the more common dinoflagellate species have distinctive morphologies allowing their geographic and stratigraphic occurrences to be traced. An ever-increasing number of taxa are also being shown to produce distinctive and geologically preservable cysts, potentially enhancing our knowledge of the diverse representation of dinoflagellates through time. Here the organic-walled cysts of 73 rare, poorly known or morphologically problematic marine dinoflagellate cyst species belonging to the orders Gymnodiniales (nine species) and Peridiniales (64 species) are reviewed, described and illustrated, and their stratigraphic ranges assessed. The names Echinidinium aculeatum and Echinidinium transparantum are validated.
•73 rare and endemic marine dinoflagellate cyst species are reviewed, described and illustrated.•9 belong to Gymnodiniales and 64 to Peridiniales.•Echinidinium aculeatum and Echinidinium transparantum are validated.
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is an age-related disease, affecting a majority of elderly men worldwide. Medical management of BPH is an alternative to surgical treatment of this disease. ...Currently, α1-adrenergic receptor (α1-AR) antagonists are among the first line drugs to treat BPH by reducing the tension of urinary track and thus the obstructive symptoms in voiding. In drug development, old male dogs with spontaneous BPH are considered the golden standard of the animal models. However, old dogs (>6 years) are expensive and not all old dogs develop BPH. So it is necessary to develop more accessible animal models for drug efficacy evaluation. Here we describe the development of testosterone-induced BPH models in both rats and young adult dogs and their applications in the in vivo evaluation of α1-AR antagonist. The BPH rats and dogs induced by chronic testosterone treatment have significantly increased micturition frequency and reduced mean voided volume, very similar to the clinical symptoms of BPH patients. Silodosin, an α1-AR antagonist, significantly reduces the urinary frequency and increases the voided volume in BPH model animals in a dose-dependent manner. The results demonstrate that testosterone-induced BPH rat and dog models might provide a more efficient way to evaluate micturition behavior in anti-BPH drug studies.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Homoyessotoxin (homo-YTX) and nitrite (NO2-N), released during harmful dinoflagellate cell lysis adversely affect abalones. However, their toxicity mechanisms in shellfish remain unclear. This study ...investigated the economic abalone species Haliotis discus hannai exposed to varying concentrations of homo-YTX (0, 2, 5, and 10 µg L−1) and NO2-N (0, 3, and 6 mg L−1) on the basis of their 12 h LC50 values (5.05 µg L−1 and 4.25 mg L−1, respectively) and the environmentally relevant dissolved concentrations during severe dinoflagellate blooms, including mixtures. The test abalones were exposed to homo-YTX and NO2-N for 12 h. The mortality rate (D), reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, antioxidant defense capabilities, and expression levels of antioxidant-related, Hsp-related, and apoptosis-related genes in abalone gills were assessed. Results showed that the combined exposure to homo-YTX and NO2-N increased the D and ROS levels and upregulated B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL2)-associated X (BAX) and caspase3 (CASP3) expression levels while reducing glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity and GPx, CuZnSOD, and BCL2 expression levels. High concentrations of homo-YTX (10 µg L−1) and NO2-N (6 mg L−1) solutions and the combinations of these toxicants inhibited the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) and downregulated the expression levels of MnSOD, CAT, Hsp70, and Hsp90. The ROS levels were negatively correlated with the activities of SOD, CAT, and GPx and the expression levels of MnSOD, CuZnSOD, CAT, GPx, Hsp70, Hsp90, and BCL2. These results suggest that homo-YTX, in conjunction with NO2-N, induces oxidative stress, disrupts antioxidant defense systems, and triggers caspase-dependent apoptosis in the gills of abalone. ROS-mediated antioxidative and heat-shock responses and apoptosis emerge as potential toxicity mechanisms affecting the survival of H. discus hannai due to homo-YTX and NO2-N exposure.
•Homoyessotoxin (homo-YTX) and nitrite (NO2-N) negatively affected the survival of abalone.•Homo-YTX and NO2-N caused oxidative stress and disrupted antioxidant defense systems in abalone.•Homo-YTX and NO2-N induced caspase-dependent apoptotic pathways in abalone gills.•ROS-mediated antioxidative and heat-shock responses and apoptosis promoted the mortality of abalone.
•High AZA variability in Azadinium poporum.•New AZAs in A. poporum from the North Western Pacific.•Isobaric isomer of AZA-1 with almost identical chromatographic behavior.
Azadinium poporum is a ...small dinoflagellate from the family Amphidomataceae which is known for the potential production of azaspiracids (AZAs) causative of azaspiracid shellfish poisoning (AZP). A. poporum has been recorded from European and western Pacific waters. Here we report on the high variability of toxin profiles within this species in Chinese coastal waters. Out of 16 analyzed strains of A. poporum from different geographic locations along the Chinese coastline, three strains proved not to contain AZAs, whereas 13 strains contained different combinations of AZA-2, AZA-11, AZA-36, a yet unknown isomer of AZA-1 (named AZA-40) and new AZA with yet unreported molecular mass of 853Da (named AZA-41). The new AZA-40, other than AZA-1 itself, belongs to the recently discovered “348-type” group, which in tandem mass spectrometry displays a group 4 fragment with m/z 348 instead of the group 4 fragment of the classic AZAs with m/z 362, indicating a shift of a methyl group from the C24–C40 part of the molecule (rings F–I) to the C2–C9 part (carboxylic side chain and ring A). AZA-41 apparently is a dehydro variant of AZA-2. In addition, a previously reported AZA with a molecular mass 871DA could be unambiguously assigned to AZA-11, which is known to be a shellfish metabolite of AZA-2. This is the first report of AZA-11 being also de novo synthetized by dinoflagellates.
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