The increasingly aging society in developed countries has raised attention to the role of technology in seniors' lives, namely concerning isolation-related issues. Independent seniors that live alone ...frequently neglect meals, hydration and proper medication-taking behavior. This work aims at eating and drinking recognition in free-living conditions for triggering smart reminders to autonomously living seniors, keeping system design considerations, namely usability and senior-acceptance criteria, in the loop. To that end, we conceived a new dataset featuring accelerometer and gyroscope wrist data to conduct the experiments. We assessed the performance of a single multi-class classification model when compared against several binary classification models, one for each activity of interest (eating vs. non-eating; drinking vs. non-drinking). Binary classification models performed consistently better for all tested classifiers (
-NN, Naive Bayes, Decision Tree, Multilayer Perceptron, Random Forests, HMM). This evidence supported the proposal of a semi-hierarchical activity recognition algorithm that enabled the implementation of two distinct data stream segmentation techniques, the customization of the classification models of each activity of interest and the establishment of a set of restrictions to apply on top of the classification output, based on daily evidence. An F1-score of 97% was finally attained for the simultaneous recognition of eating and drinking in an all-day acquisition from one young user, and 93% in a test set with 31 h of data from 5 different unseen users, 2 of which were seniors. These results were deemed very promising towards solving the problem of food and fluids intake monitoring with practical systems which shall maximize user-acceptance.
miRNAs in Heart Development and Disease Lozano-Velasco, Estefania; Inácio, José Manuel; Sousa, Inês ...
International journal of molecular sciences,
02/2024, Letnik:
25, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are a group of disorders that affect the heart and blood vessels. They include conditions such as myocardial infarction, coronary artery disease, heart failure, ...arrhythmia, and congenital heart defects. CVDs are the leading cause of death worldwide. Therefore, new medical interventions that aim to prevent, treat, or manage CVDs are of prime importance. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression at the posttranscriptional level and play important roles in various biological processes, including cardiac development, function, and disease. Moreover, miRNAs can also act as biomarkers and therapeutic targets. In order to identify and characterize miRNAs and their target genes, scientists take advantage of computational tools such as bioinformatic algorithms, which can also assist in analyzing miRNA expression profiles, functions, and interactions in different cardiac conditions. Indeed, the combination of miRNA research and bioinformatic algorithms has opened new avenues for understanding and treating CVDs. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on the roles of miRNAs in cardiac development and CVDs, discuss the challenges and opportunities, and provide some examples of recent bioinformatics for miRNA research in cardiovascular biology and medicine.
ABSTRACT The aging of the working population and the increasing mental demands at work represent a challenge to the sustainability of working life and the organizations’ competitiveness. Research has ...focused on thriving at work as a proxy for career sustainability, particularly in its final phase. However, there is limited knowledge about the mechanisms underlying the relationship between thriving and its antecedents. This study aims to examine the mediating role of work ability in the relationship between mental demands at work and thriving among older workers. A sample of 163 workers responded to an online questionnaire. Results support the mediation hypothesis, but the direct effect of mental demands on thriving was insignificant, emphasizing the importance of work ability. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
RESUMEN El envejecimiento de la población activa y el aumento de las exigencias mentales en el trabajo representan un reto para la sostenibilidad de la vida laboral y la competitividad de las organizaciones. La investigación se ha centrado en la prosperidad en el trabajo como indicador proxy de la sostenibilidad de la carrera, especialmente en su fase final. Sin embargo, aún se sabe poco sobre los mecanismos que subyacen a la relación entre la prosperidad y sus antecedentes. El objetivo de este estudio es examinar el papel mediador de la capacidad de trabajo en la relación entre las exigencias mentales del trabajo y la prosperidad en el grupo de trabajadores mayores. Una muestra de 163 trabajadores respondió a un cuestionario online. Los resultados apoyan la hipótesis de mediación, pero el efecto directo de las demandas mentales sobre la prosperidad no fue significativo, lo que subraya la importancia de la capacidad de trabajo. Se discuten las implicaciones teóricas y prácticas.
RESUMO O envelhecimento da população ativa e as crescentes exigências mentais no trabalho representam um desafio para a sustentabilidade da vida profissional e para a competitividade das organizações. A investigação tem-se debruçado sobre a prosperidade no trabalho como um proxy da sustentabilidade de carreira, particularmente na sua fase final. No entanto, pouco ainda se sabe sobre os mecanismos subjacentes às relações entre prosperidade e seus antecedentes. O objetivo deste estudo é examinar o papel mediador da capacidade para o trabalho na relação entre as exigências mentais do trabalho e a prosperidade no grupo dos trabalhadores mais velhos. Uma amostra de 163 trabalhadores respondeu a um questionário on-line. Os resultados suportam a hipótese de mediação, mas o efeito direto das exigências mentais na prosperidade não foi significativo, o que enfatiza a importância da capacidade para o trabalho. As implicações teóricas e práticas são discutidas.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a major public health problem and the most common form of chronic liver disease, affecting 25% of the global population. Although NAFLD is closely linked ...with obesity, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes mellitus, knowledge on its pathogenesis remains incomplete. Emerging data have underscored the importance of Rho-kinase (Rho-associated coiled-coil-containing kinase ROCK) action in the maintenance of normal hepatic lipid homeostasis. In particular, pharmacological blockade of ROCK in hepatocytes or hepatic stellate cells prevents the progression of liver diseases such as NAFLD and fibrosis. Moreover, mice lacking hepatic ROCK1 are protected against obesity-induced fatty liver diseases by suppressing hepatic de novo lipogenesis. Here we review the roles of ROCK as an indispensable regulator of obesity-induced fatty liver disease and highlight the key cellular pathway governing hepatic lipid accumulation, with focus on de novo lipogenesis and its impact on therapeutic potential. Consequently, a comprehensive understanding of the metabolic milieu linking to liver dysfunction triggered by ROCK activation may help identify new targets for treating fatty liver diseases such as NAFLD.
Microalgae are an enormous source of nutrients that can be utilized to enrich common food of inherently low nutritional value, such as gluten-free (GF) bread. Addition of the algae species:
(Tc),
...(Cv), and
(Ng) biomass led to a significant increase in proteins, lipids, minerals (Ca, Mg, K, P, S, Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn), and antioxidant activity. Although, a compromise on dough rheology and consequential sensory properties was observed. To address this, ethanol treatment of the biomass was necessary to eliminate pigments and odor compounds, which resulted in the bread receiving a similar score as the control during sensory trials. Ethanol treatment also resulted in increased dough strength depicted by creep/recovery tests. Due to the stronger dough structure, more air bubbles were trapped in the dough resulting in softer breads (23-65%) of high volume (12-27%) vs. the native algae biomass bread. Breads baked with Ng and Cv resulted in higher protein-enrichment than the Tc, while Tc enrichment led to an elevated mineral content, especially the Ca, which was six times higher than the other algae species. Overall, Ng, in combination with ethanol treatment, yielded a highly nutritious bread of improved technological and sensory properties, indicating that this species might be a candidate for functional GF bread development.
Amino acids are crucial nutrients involved in several cellular and physiological processes, including fertilization and early embryo development. In particular, Leucine and Arginine have been shown ...to stimulate implantation, as lack of both in a blastocyst culture system is able to induce a dormant state in embryos. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of Leucine and Arginine withdrawal on pluripotent mouse embryonic stem cell status, notably, their growth, self-renewal, as well as glycolytic and oxidative metabolism. Our results show that the absence of both Leucine and Arginine does not affect mouse embryonic stem cell pluripotency, while reducing cell proliferation through cell-cycle arrest. Importantly, these effects are not related to Leukemia Inhibitory Factor (LIF) and are reversible when both amino acids are reconstituted in the culture media. Moreover, a lack of these amino acids is related to a reduction in glycolytic and oxidative metabolism and decreased protein translation in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs), while maintaining their pluripotent status.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) causes a wide range of immune-mediated manifestations in most organ-systems. The presentation of SLE is highly heterogeneous in terms of affected systems, type, and ...severity of disease features, both between- and within- patients over disease course (SLE disease activity). This complexity hinders the development of Clinical Outcome Assessments (COA) for SLE. Lupus clinical trials evaluate the efficacy of drugs that directly reduce or control disease activity through a mode-of-action that modifies immune processes. Clinical expertise is required to identify and quantify appropriately the treatment-related changes in SLE disease activity. Therefore, a Clinician-Reported Outcome Measure (ClinRO) is required as COA for primary assessment of efficacy in SLE clinical trials. Importantly, the primary endpoint in clinical trials should be patient-focused, that is, must be associated with meaningful impact in the main health aspects of importance to patients that are affected by SLE disease activity. Notably, there is an indirect association between how the patients fell and function and SLE disease activity. The primary endpoint for SLE clinical trials should be a precisely defined variable that is cumulatively able to: (1) capture a direct effect of the study drug in changing the SLE disease activity (with a ClinRO); (2) associate with a meaningful (indirect) impact in the patients’ main health aspects; (3) be statistically analised to address the research question of drug efficacy in the context of use.However, the primary endpoints currently used in SLE clinical trials have well recognized limitations that may have hampered the demonstration of efficacy of many promising drugs in SLE clinical trials. These endpoints are defined as a dichotomous response variable obtained through composite responder indexes, namely the SLE Responder Index (SRI) and the British Isles Lupus Assessment Group (BILAG) Composite Lupus Assessment (BICLA), both aggregating the BILAG, the SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI), and the Physician Global Assessment (PGA). Therefore, novel COA are needed to provide an optimal primary endpoint for lupus clinical trials.The Treatment Response Measure for SLE (TRM-SLE) consortium is in the early phases of a project to develop and validate a novel COA for use in SLE clinical trials. The SLE Disease Activity Score (SLE-DAS) is a novel, easy to use (http://sle-das.eu/), validated ClinRO COA instrument, with high accuracy and sensitivity to change in SLE disease activity. New evidence with validation of thresholds in the context of clinical trials support the interpretation of the SLE-DAS scores into categories of SLE disease activity and treatment targets. These SLE-DAS score categories are concordant with a wide range of health aspects impacted by SLE assessed in Patient-Reported Outcomes (PRO). Importantly, differences in the SLE-DAS scores are sensitive to clinically meaningful and interpretable changes within patients over time in SLE disease activity and reflect an expected impact on patients’ health experiences. There is promising evidence that SLE-DAS is a fit-for-purpose COA and may provide an optimised primary endpoint for lupus clinical trials.
Poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL)/collagen scaffolds were produced using a four-step procedure comprising (i) the fabrication of PCL scaffolds through an additive bioextrusion system, (ii) the PCL surface ...modification using a plasma treatment, (iii) the acrylic acid (AAc) grafting by ultraviolet (UV) polymerization, and (iv) the immobilization of collagen into the scaffold surface through the carbodiimide chemistry. This procedure allowed the quick fabrication of highly porous scaffolds with interconnected pores, well-defined internal architecture and improved cell adhesion properties. The immobilization of collagen into the PCL surface led to a significant enhancement in the hydrophilicity, while the biological tests showed a further improvement in the adhesion of fibroblast cells. These results indicate that the collagen surface modification is an effective strategy to render the hydrophobic nature of PCL and overcome the limited cell interaction of 3D PCL scaffolds.
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•The surface of porous 3D PCL scaffolds was modified through an efficient procedure.•Bovine collagen was immobilized into scaffold surface forming an adherent coating.•Surface modification improves the hydrophilic and cellular properties of scaffolds.
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