The transcription factor Blimp-1 is necessary for the generation of plasma cells. Here we studied its functions in plasmablast differentiation by identifying regulated Blimp-1 target genes. Blimp-1 ...promoted the migration and adhesion of plasmablasts. It directly repressed genes encoding several transcription factors and Aicda (which encodes the cytidine deaminase AID) and thus silenced B cell-specific gene expression, antigen presentation and class-switch recombination in plasmablasts. It directly activated genes, which led to increased expression of the plasma cell regulator IRF4 and proteins involved in immunoglobulin secretion. Blimp-1 induced the transcription of immunoglobulin genes by controlling the 3' enhancers of the loci encoding the immunoglobulin heavy chain (Igh) and κ-light chain (Igk) and, furthermore, regulated the post-transcriptional expression switch from the membrane-bound form of the immunoglobulin heavy chain to its secreted form by activating Ell2 (which encodes the transcription-elongation factor ELL2). Notably, Blimp-1 recruited chromatin-remodeling and histone-modifying complexes to regulate its target genes. Hence, many essential functions of plasma cells are under the control of Blimp-1.
The elucidation of the transcriptional mechanisms that regulate glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) gene expression is important for the understanding of the molecular mechanisms that control ...astrocyte differentiation during brain development. We investigated regulatory elements located in a proximal region of the GFAP promoter, important for expression in cortical precursor cells differentiating into astrocytes. One of these elements recognizes transcription factors of the nuclear factor‐I family (NFI). We found that, in primary cultures of cortical cells, NFI occupies the GFAP promoter prior to the induction of astrocyte differentiation. In the developing cerebral cortex, the onset of expression of NFI coincides chronologically with the beginning of astrocytogenesis. Mutational analysis of the GFAP gene and transfections in primary cortical precursors show that inhibition of binding of NFI to the GFAP promoter results in decreased levels of transcriptional activity and is required for the synergistic stimulation of the GFAP promoter by the astrogenic agents, pituitary adenylate cyclase‐activating polypeptide and ciliary neurotrophic factor, which in combination enhance astrocyte differentiation to generate astrocytes with longer processes. Thus, NFI appears to be an important factor for the integration of astrogenic stimuli in the developing central nervous system.
As more countries worldwide develop national viral hepatitis strategies, it is important to ask whether context-specific factors affect their decision-making. This study aimed to determine whether ...country-level socioeconomic factors are associated with viral hepatitis programmes and policy responses across WHO Member States (MS).
WHO MS focal points completed a questionnaire on national viral hepatitis policies. This secondary analysis of data reported in the 2013 Global Policy Report on the Prevention and Control of Viral Hepatitis in WHO Member States used logistic regression to examine associations between four survey questions and four socioeconomic factors: country income level, Human Development Index (HDI), health expenditure and physician density.
This analysis included 119 MS. MS were more likely to have routine viral hepatitis surveillance and to have a national strategy and/or policy/guidelines for preventing infection in healthcare settings if they were in the higher binary categories for income level, HDI, health expenditure and physician density. In multivariable analyses, the only significant finding was a positive association between having routine surveillance and being in the higher binary HDI category (adjusted odds ratio 26; 95% confidence interval 2.0-340).
Countries with differing socioeconomic status indicators did not appear to differ greatly regarding the existence of key national policies and programmes. A more nuanced understanding of the multifaceted interactions of socioeconomic factors, health policy, service delivery and health outcomes is needed to support country-level efforts to eliminate viral hepatitis.
In the developing mouse brain, once the generation of neurons is mostly completed during the prenatal period, precisely coordinated signals act on competent neural precursors to direct their ...differentiation into astrocytes, which occurs mostly after birth. Among these signals, those provided by neurotrophic cytokines and bone morphogenetic proteins appear to have a key role in triggering the neurogenic to gliogenic switch and in regulating astrocyte numbers. In addition, we have reported previously that the neurotrophic peptide pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) is able to promote astrocyte differentiation of cortical precursors via activation of a cAMP-dependent pathway. Signals acting on progenitor cells of the developing cortex to generate astrocytes activate glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) gene expression, but the transcriptional mechanisms that regulate this activation are unclear. Here, we identify the previously known transcriptional repressor downstream regulatory element antagonist modulator (DREAM) as an activator of GFAP gene expression. We found that DREAM occupies specific sites on the GFAP promoter before and after differentiation is initiated by exposure of cortical progenitor cells to PACAP. PACAP raises intracellular calcium concentration via a mechanism that requires cAMP, and DREAM-mediated transactivation of the GFAP gene requires the integrity of calcium-binding domains. Cortical progenitor cells from dream(-/-) mice fail to express GFAP in response to PACAP. Moreover, the neonatal cortex of dream(-/-) mice exhibits a reduced number of astrocytes and increased number of neurons. These results identify the PACAP-cAMP-Ca(2+)-DREAM cascade as a new pathway to activate GFAP gene expression during astrocyte differentiation.
Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) acts on cortical precursor cells to trigger glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) gene expression and astrocyte differentiation by ...stimulation of intracellular cAMP production. Here, we show that as expected, PACAP activates cAMP-dependent protein kinase A. However, inhibition of protein kinase A does not prevent PACAP-induced GFAP gene expression or astrocytogenesis. PACAP also activates the small GTPases Rap1 and Ras, but either activation of Rap1 alone by selective stimulation of the guanine nucleotide exchange factor Epac, or expression of a constitutively active form of Ras, do not induce GFAP gene expression. Ras is activated by PACAP in a cAMP-dependent manner, and inhibition of Ras and/or Rap1 decreases PACAP-induced GFAP promoter stimulation. Thus, cAMP-dependent PACAP-induced GFAP expression during astrocytogenesis involves the coordinated activation of both Ras and Rap1, but activation of either one of them in isolation is not sufficient to trigger this response.
In the developing mouse brain, once the generation of neurons is mostly completed during the prenatal period, precisely coordinated signals act on competent neural precursors to direct their ...differentiation into astrocytes, which occurs mostly after birth. Among these signals, those provided by neurotrophic cytokines and bone morphogenetic proteins appear to have a key role in triggering the neurogenic to gliogenic switch and in regulating astrocyte numbers. In addition, we have reported previously that the neurotrophic peptide pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) is able to promote astrocyte differentiation of cortical precursors via activation of a cAMP-dependent pathway. Signals acting on progenitor cells of the developing cortex to generate astrocytes activate glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) gene expression, but the transcriptional mechanisms that regulate this activation are unclear. Here, we identify the previously known transcriptional repressor downstream regulatory element antagonist modulator (DREAM) as an activator of GFAP gene expression. We found that DREAM occupies specific sites on the GFAP promoter before and after differentiation is initiated by exposure of cortical progenitor cells to PACAP. PACAP raises intracellular calcium concentration via a mechanism that requires cAMP, and DREAM-mediated transactivation of the GFAP gene requires the integrity of calcium-binding domains. Cortical progenitor cells from dream super(-/-) mice fail to express GFAP in response to PACAP. Moreover, the neonatal cortex of dream super(-/-) mice exhibits a reduced number of astrocytes and increased number of neurons. These results identify the PACAP-cAMP-Ca super(2+)-DREAM cascade as a new pathway to activate GFAP gene expression during astrocyte differentiation.
High gas temperatures can be reached inside a hydrogen tank during the filling process because of the large pressure increase (up to 70–80 MPa) and because of the short time (∼3 min) of the process. ...High temperatures can potentially jeopardize the structural integrity of the storage system and one of the strategies to reduce the temperature increase is to pre-cool the hydrogen before injecting it into the tank. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tools have the capabilities of capturing the flow field and the temperature rise in the tank. The results of CFD simulations of fast filling with pre-cooling are shown and compared with experimental data to assess the accuracy of the CFD model.
•Good agreement between the CFD results and the experiment for temperature histories.•Real gas equation of state is required not to underestimate the maximum temperature.•Linear correlation between the pre-cooling and the maximum gas temperature.•The effect of gas pre-cooling on the state of charge is quantified.
The treatment of celiac disease (CD) is a lifelong gluten-free diet (GFD). The current methods for monitoring GFD conformance, such as a dietary questionnaire or serology tests, may be inaccurate in ...detecting dietary transgressions, and duodenal biopsies are invasive, expensive, and not a routine monitoring technique.
Our aim was to determine the clinical usefulness of urine gluten immunogenic peptides (GIP) as a biomarker monitoring GFD adherence in celiac patients and to evaluate the concordance of the results with the degree of mucosal damage.
A prospective observational study was conducted involving 22 de novo CD patients, 77 celiac patients consuming a GFD, and 13 nonceliac subjects. On 3 d of the week, urine samples were collected and the GIP concentrations were tested. Simultaneously, anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies, questionnaire results, clinical manifestations, and histological findings were analyzed.
Approximately 24% (18 of 76) of the celiac patients consuming a GFD exhibited Marsh II–III mucosal damage. Among this population, 94% (17 of 18) had detectable urine GIP; however, between 60% and 80% were asymptomatic and exhibited negative serology and appropriate GFD adherence based on the questionnaire. In contrast, 97% (31 of 32) of the celiac patients without duodenal damage had no detectable GIP. These results demonstrated the high sensitivity (94%) and negative predictive value (97%) of GIP measurements in relation to duodenal biopsy findings. In the de novo CD-diagnosed cohort, 82% (18 of 22) of patients had measurable amounts of GIP in the urine.
Determining GIP concentrations in several urine samples may be an especially convenient approach to assess recent gluten exposure in celiac patients and appears to accurately predict the absence of histological lesions. The introduction of GIP testing as an assessment technique for GFD adherence may help in ascertaining dietary compliance and to target the most suitable intervention during follow-up.
During the 20th century, European cities experimented with industrialization processes and the mechanization of agriculture that triggered the rural-urban exodus. A primarily young population left ...their rural territories of origin to work in cities in the industrial and service sectors. These massive migratory movements catalyzed the depopulation and aging in many rural regions of Europe. Spain, where the great exodus occurred in the 1960s and 1970s, is one of the European countries most affected by depopulation. Significantly, the region of Castilla y León, in the northwest of the country, due to its orographic characteristics and the dispersion of its population in many small municipalities, has been and still is especially vulnerable to the loss of inhabitants in favor of large cities, converting a large part of its territory in an excellent example of demographic desert. The article's objective is twofold: First, to provide a methodology to identify municipalities or geographic areas at risk of digital exclusion and subject to substantial demographic imbalances. Consequently, based on the proposed methodology, to prioritize the areas of Castilla y León where to act to try to reverse the situation. Thus, this study goes beyond previous research. It provides a comprehensive view that integrates demographic and technological aspects. As a result, a specific methodology is proposed, which also connects the above with the European context and policies. Identifying and prioritizing areas for technological improvement in Castilla y León represent a valuable contribution to addressing the challenge of rural depopulation.
•Appropriate technological endowment could reverse or stop depopulation.•Technological endowment of rural areas is essential for rural development.•Geostatistical analysis allows for the identification of priority areas for action.
Since enzyme replacement therapy for Gaucher disease (MIM#230800) has become available, both awareness of and the natural history of the disease have changed. However, there remain unmet needs such ...as the identification of patients at risk of developing bone crisis during therapy and late complications such as cancer or parkinsonism. The Spanish Gaucher Disease Registry has worked since 1993 to compile demographic, clinical, genetic, analytical, imaging and follow-up data from more than 400 patients. The aims of this study were to discover correlations between patients' characteristics at diagnosis and to identify risk features for the development of late complications; for this a machine learning approach involving correlation networks and decision trees analyses was applied.
A total of 358 patients, 340 type 1 Gaucher disease and 18 type 3 cases were selected. 18% were splenectomyzed and 39% had advanced bone disease. 81% of cases carried heterozygous genotype. 47% of them were diagnosed before the year 2000. Mean age at diagnosis and therapy were 28 and 31.5 years old (y.o.) respectively. 4% developed monoclonal gammopathy undetermined significance or Parkinson Disease, 6% cancer, and 10% died before this study. Previous splenectomy correlates with the development of skeletal complications and severe bone disease (p = 0.005); serum levels of IgA, delayed age at start therapy (> 9.5 y.o. since diagnosis) also correlates with severe bone disease at diagnosis and with the incidence of bone crisis during therapy. High IgG (> 1750 mg/dL) levels and age over 60 y.o. at diagnosis were found to be related with the development of cancer. When modelling the decision tree, patients with a delayed diagnosis and therapy were the most severe and with higher risk of complications.
Our work confirms previous observations, highlights the importance of early diagnosis and therapy and identifies new risk features such as high IgA and IgG levels for long-term complications.
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