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Human-bird conflicts are in a critical state, involving economic losses such as agricultural losses, bird strikes on aircraft and avian influenza. Traditional technologies leveraging bird vision and hearing often lose their effectiveness over time as birds become habituated to these stimuli. To address these challenges, our study introduces a novel countermeasure technology based on neurophysiology. The human brain reacts to flickering light, which can cause symptoms like headaches, nausea, and dizziness. In extremely rare cases, 15 Hz flickering red light can even lead to epilepsy. Not only humans, but chickens also suffer from 14 Hz flickering light. This led us to consider the possibility that similar flickering light stimuli could be applicable to bird management. In our experiments conducted during the day, we used long-range flashlights. White flickering light had no effect on bird escape behavior. However, when cellophane film was attached to the flashlights to restrict the wavelength, the emitted red light induced escape behavior in birds. Additionally, employing two types of flashlights to generate flickering red + blue or red + green lights elicited escape behavior. However, the blue and green combination proved to be less effective. The most intense flickering frequency for crows was 15 Hz. These results are highly similar to those found in human neurophysiology, showing that red light alone and the combination of red and blue lights have the most significant impact on the brain. By measuring the flight initiation distance (FID) of birds, we found that illuminated areas had a significantly higher FID (137 m) compared to non-illuminated areas (12 m). These findings suggest that applying principles of human physiology to wildlife management can offer new solutions for bird damage control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing consumer demand for health-oriented dairy products has necessitated innovative food systems. This study investigates the fortification of yoghurt with various concentrations (0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, and 2.0% w/v) of Moringa pod pulp powder (MPP) and evaluates its physicochemical and in-vitro bio-functional properties, such as antioxidant, antidiabetic, and antihypertensive activities, during a 21-day storage period at 4 °C. Yoghurt fortified with 0.5% (w/v) MPP showed no significant sensory changes compared to the control, prompting its selection for further analysis. Fortified yoghurt exhibited no significant changes in most compositional parameters except for ash content. Furthermore, it demonstrated significantly higher water holding capacity, firmness, and consistency, and reduced syneresis compared to the control. However, no significant differences were observed in sensory score, acidity, pH, viscosity, and total lactic acid bacteria count. Fortification of yoghurt with MPP significantly increased total phenol and total flavonoid content, thereby enhancing its antioxidant, antidiabetic, and antihypertensive properties. Throughout the 21-day storage period, there were no significant changes noted in the composition and physicochemical properties of the yoghurt, and it retained the studied bio-functional properties. In conclusion, yoghurt fortified with MPP has the potential to be a multifunctional dairy product with beneficial implications for human health and physiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Now in its 25th year, the Mutant Mouse Resource and Research Center (MMRRC) consortium continues to serve the United States and international biomedical scientific community as a public repository and distribution archive of laboratory mouse models of human disease for research. Supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the MMRRC consists of 4 regionally distributed and dedicated vivaria, offices, and specialized laboratory facilities and an Informatics Coordination and Service Center (ICSC). The overarching purpose of the MMRRC is to facilitate groundbreaking biomedical research by offering an extensive repertoire of mutant mice that are essential for advancing the understanding of human physiology and disease. The function of the MMRRC is to identify, acquire, evaluate, characterize, cryopreserve, and distribute mutant mouse strains to qualified biomedical investigators around the nation and the globe. Mouse strains accepted from the research community are held to the highest scientific standards to optimize reproducibility and enhance scientific rigor and transparency. All submitted strains are thoroughly reviewed, documented, and validated using extensive scientific quality control measures. In addition, the MMRRC conducts resource-related research on cryopreservation, mouse genetics, environmental conditions, and other topics that enhance operations of the MMRRC. Today, the MMRRC maintains an archive of mice, cryopreserved embryos and sperm, embryonic stem (ES) cell lines, and murine hybridomas for nearly 65,000 alleles. Since its inception, the MMRRC has fulfilled more than 20,000 orders from 13,651 scientists at 8441 institutions worldwide. The MMRRC also provides numerous services to assist researchers, including scientific consultation, technical assistance, genetic assays, microbiome analysis, analytical phenotyping, pathology, cryorecovery, husbandry, breeding and colony management, infectious disease surveillance, and disease modeling. The ICSC coordinates MMRRC operations, interacts with researchers, and manages the website (mmrrc.org) and online catalogue. Researchers benefit from an expansive list of well-defined mouse models of disease that meet the highest scientific standards while submitting investigators benefit by having their mouse strains cryopreserved, protected, and distributed in compliance with NIH policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: L-arginine (Arg) is an amino acid that contributes to several aspects of human biochemistry. Individuals with malnutrition and certain physical conditions could benefit from arginine intake. However, as Arg is required by certain viruses, it is advised to avoid it in one's diet and supplementation during viral illnesses. New studies have emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, and pioneering research has been reviewed. The purpose of this review is to determine when and why Arg depletion, supplementation, or avoidance is advisable, considering the divergent results. A narrative review was conducted by surveying scientific publications indexed in electronic databases. Studies published from 1960 up to 2024, with no language restrictions, were included. Arg comes from proteins in the human diet. The kidney is the main site of endogenous Arg synthesis and also responsible for the overall metabolism of this amino acid, participating in synthesis, degradation and reabsorption. The liver can synthesize Arg, but since this is completely recycled in the urea cycle, it contributes little or no to the Arg plasma flux. Arg present in diet is passively absorbed in the small intestine and also transformed into urea and ornithine via urea cycle in hepatocytes. It is associated with macrophage metabolism, vasomotor control, intracellular signaling, memory formation, immune response, and an important messenger of the bronchopulmonary, cardiovascular and neural systems. Thus, excessive or decreased Arg concentration could impair health condition. High Arg concentrations stimulated rapid reactivation and resumption of protein synthesis in some viruses. Conclusion: According to research, caution should be exercised when supplementing or depleting the amino acid arginine. Individuals who are carriers of latent viruses, such as herpesviruses, and/or who have been exposed to other viruses studied, should avoid arginine supplements and the consumption of foods rich in arginine. However, as prophylaxis or antiviral therapy, control of arginine intake as well as the use of lysine supplements, its antagonist, is recommended for short periods starting after a possible viral exposure, or in face of stimuli that can remove viruses from their latent state and/or at the very beginning of the viral manifestation, in order to avoid a large viral multiplication and consequently control the infection. Long-term arginine depletion can significantly affect cellular metabolism and its use as supplemental therapy needs case-by-case evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The colonic epithelium is comprised of three-dimensional crypts (3D) lined with mucus secreted by a heterogeneous population of goblet cells. In this study, we report the formation of a long-lived, and self-renewing replica of human 3D crypts with a mucus layer patterned in the X–Y–Z dimensions. Primary colon cells were cultured on a shaped scaffold under an air–liquid interface to yield architecturally accurate crypts with a mucus bilayer (605 ± 180 μm thick) possessing an inner (149 ± 50 μm) and outer (435 ± 111 μm) region. Lectins with distinct carbohydrate-binding preferences demonstrated that the mucus in the intercrypt regions was chemically distinct from that above and within the crypts replicating in vivo chemical patterning. Constitutive mucus secretion ejected beads from crypt lumens in 8–10 days, while agonist-stimulated secretion increased mucus thickness by 17-fold in 8 h. The tissue was long-lived, > 50 days, the longest time assessed. In conclusion, the in vitro mucus replicated key physiology of the human mucus, including the bilayer (Z) structure and intercrypt-crypt (X–Y) zones, constitutive mucus flow, spatially complex chemical attributes, and mucus secretion response to stimulation, with the potential to reveal local and global determinants of mucus function and its breakdown in disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NASA has employed high-throughput molecular assays to identify sub-cellular changes impacting human physiology during spaceflight. Machine learning (ML) methods hold the promise to improve our ability to identify important signals within highly dimensional molecular data. However, the inherent limitation of study subject numbers within a spaceflight mission minimizes the utility of ML approaches. To overcome the sample power limitations, data from multiple spaceflight missions must be aggregated while appropriately addressing intra- and inter-study variabilities. Here we describe an approach to log transform, scale and normalize data from six heterogeneous, mouse liver-derived transcriptomics datasets (ntotal = 137) which enabled ML-methods to classify spaceflown vs. ground control animals (AUC ≥ 0.87) while mitigating the variability from mission-of-origin. Concordance was found between liver-specific biological processes identified from harmonized ML-based analysis and study-by-study classical omics analysis. This work demonstrates the feasibility of applying ML methods on integrated, heterogeneous datasets of small sample size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Drosophila model is pivotal in deciphering the pathophysiological underpinnings of various human ailments, notably aging and cardiovascular diseases. Cutting-edge imaging techniques and physiology yield vast high-resolution videos, demanding advanced analysis methods. Our platform leverages deep learning to segment optical microscopy images of Drosophila hearts, enabling the quantification of cardiac parameters in aging and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Validation using experimental datasets confirms the efficacy of our aging model. We employ two innovative approaches deep-learning video classification and machine-learning based on cardiac parameters to predict fly aging, achieving accuracies of 83.3% (AUC 0.90) and 79.1%, (AUC 0.87) respectively. Moreover, we extend our deep-learning methodology to assess cardiac dysfunction associated with the knock-down of oxoglutarate dehydrogenase (OGDH), revealing its potential in studying DCM. This versatile approach promises accelerated cardiac assays for modeling various human diseases in Drosophila and holds promise for application in animal and human cardiac physiology under diverse conditions. A novel deep learning method is developed to analyse Drosophila hearts which is able to predict ageing and study cardiac dysfunction, offering potential for modeling human ailments in Drosophila [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document contains a collection of studies on various topics related to sports and fitness. The first study focuses on the validity of wearable sensors in measuring respiratory frequency in soccer players. The second study explores the effects of aerobic and sprint endurance training on adolescent women soccer players. The third study examines the differences in motor competence between children practicing open skills sports and closed skills sports. The fourth study investigates the role of preparticipation screening in detecting silent coronary artery disease in master athletes. The fifth study looks at the correlation between mild traumatic brain injuries in boxers and the release of cell free mitochondrial DNA. Lastly, the document includes a study comparing the proportionality of young water polo and soccer players based on maturity offset. [Extracted from the article]

The human microbiome, a diverse ecosystem of microorganisms within the body, plays pivotal roles in health and disease. This review explores site-specific microbiomes, their role in maintaining health, and strategies for their upkeep, focusing on oral, lung, vaginal, skin, and gut microbiota, and their systemic connections. Understanding the intricate relationships between these microbial communities is crucial for unraveling mechanisms underlying human health. Recent research highlights bidirectional communication between the gut and distant microbiome sites, influencing immune function, metabolism, and disease susceptibility. Alterations in one microbiome can impact others, emphasizing their interconnectedness and collective influence on human physiology. The therapeutic potential of gut microbiota in modulating distant microbiomes offers promising avenues for interventions targeting various disorders. Through interdisciplinary collaboration and technological advancements, we can harness the power of the microbiome to revolutionize healthcare, emphasizing microbiome-centric approaches to promote holistic well-being while identifying areas for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sickle cell disease (SCD) affects millions worldwide, yet there are few therapeutic options. To develop effective treatments, preclinical models that recapitulate human physiology and SCD pathophysiology are needed. SCD arises from a single Glu-to-Val substitution at position 6 in the β subunit of hemoglobin (Hb), promoting Hb polymerization and subsequent disease. Sheep share important physiological and developmental characteristics with humans, including the same developmental pattern of fetal to adult Hb switching. Herein, we investigated whether introducing the SCD mutation into the sheep β-globin locus would recapitulate SCD's complex pathophysiology by generating high quality SWISS-MODEL sheep Hb structures and performing MD simulations of normal/sickle human (huHbA/huHbS) and sheep (shHbB/shHbS) Hb, establishing how accurately shHbS mimics huHbS behavior. shHbS, like huHbS, remained stable with low RMSD, while huHbA and shHbB had higher and fluctuating RMSD. shHbB and shHbS also behaved identically to huHbA and huHbS with respect to β2-Glu6 and β1-Asp73 (β1-Asn72 in sheep) solvent interactions. These data demonstrate that introducing the single SCD-causing Glu-to-Val substitution into sheep β-globin causes alterations consistent with the Hb polymerization that drives RBC sickling, supporting the development of a SCD sheep model to pave the way for alternative cures for this debilitating, globally impactful disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this review, we summarized the results of experimental and clinical studies about three human endogenous retroviruses and their products—syncytin-1, syncytin-2, and suppressyn in human physiology and pathophysiology. We summed up the described connection with various pathological processes and diseases, mainly with pregnancy-induced hypertensive diseases such as preeclampsia, oncogenesis, gestational trophoblastic disease, and multiple sclerosis. Supposed mechanisms of action and the potential of clinical applications are also described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital environments like learning management systems can afford opportunities for students to engage in cognitive learning strategies including preparatory reading of advance organizers including lecture outlines and self-testing using ungraded quizzes. When timed appropriately, self-testing can afford distributed practice, an optimal approach to self-testing that confers additional benefits. At a large, public university in the southwestern USA, we examined the frequency and timing of digital learning behaviors that reflect these practices in a large gateway science course and how these event types predicted exam performance of 220 undergraduates' exam grades in the first unit of a 16-week anatomy and physiology course. Coursework over this 31-day span included lessons on cytology, histology, the integumentary system, and osteology; we observed the timing and frequency of students' use of the lecture outline, ungraded self-testing quizzes, and hypothesized that those who self-regulated by downloading advance organizers before lecture (i.e., pre-reading) and utilizing quizzes to self-test (i.e., retrieval practice) and distributed this practice would achieve superior performances. Whereas students massed self-testing prior to the exam, a regression model that also included pre-reading, self-testing, and its distribution predicted achievement over and above massed practice. In authentic contexts, students used digital resources and benefitted from early lecture access or pre-reading advance organizers, and self-testing despite challenges to distribute practice and to self-test frequently and on recommended schedules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses a scientific study of a mummified child from Zagreb Cathedral in Croatia. The study aimed to gain a deeper understanding of the child's life and human physiology through medical and scientific assessment of the remains. The remains were imaged using various techniques, including digital radiographs and CT scans, and isotope analysis was conducted. The findings revealed that the child was between three and five years old at the time of death and that the mummification process likely occurred in the tenth century CE. The study raises questions about why the child was mummified using an old Egyptian technique despite the practice being discontinued in Egypt by the seventh century CE. Further molecular analysis is hoped to provide more insights into these questions. [Extracted from the article]

Most studies projecting human survivability limits to extreme heat with climate change use a 35 °C wet-bulb temperature (Tw) threshold without integrating variations in human physiology. This study applies physiological and biophysical principles for young and older adults, in sun or shade, to improve current estimates of survivability and introduce liveability (maximum safe, sustained activity) under current and future climates. Our physiology-based survival limits show a vast underestimation of risks by the 35 °C Tw model in hot-dry conditions. Updated survivability limits correspond to Tw~25.8–34.1 °C (young) and ~21.9–33.7 °C (old)—0.9–13.1 °C lower than Tw = 35 °C. For older female adults, estimates are ~7.2–13.1 °C lower than 35 °C in dry conditions. Liveability declines with sun exposure and humidity, yet most dramatically with age (2.5–3.0 METs lower for older adults). Reductions in safe activity for younger and older adults between the present and future indicate a stronger impact from aging than warming. Research examining the ability to survive or safely live under extreme heat often oversimplifies human exposure and responses. Here, the authors apply a physiology-based approach for young and older adults to improve survivability estimates and introduce liveability in current and future climates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bayer Color-Filter-Array (CFA) is commonly used in single-chip digital image sensors as it efficiently approximates the physiology of the human eye. These sensors capture only one color component per pixel, not an entire RGB image. Conventionally, a Bayer CFA image is converted to an RGB image, and then compressed for processing and storage. However, storing a Bayer CFA image before converting to RGB can preserve more details, which is preferable for post-processing tasks. Due to the arrangement of color channels in a CFA image, compression algorithms cannot efficiently reduce the size of the raw CFA image. In this paper, a Cascade Overlapping Color Transformation (COCT) method is proposed and implemented. In the first step, the Haar Wavelet Transform (HWT) is performed on the image to reduce the spectral redundancy. The second step of the color transformation reduces the redundancy of color components even higher, resulting in a color map that can be compressed better using an image coding system. Experiments performed on several datasets showed that the COCT improves the compression ratio compared to the state-of-the-art techniques. The proposed method improved the compression ratio by 17.6% and 15.6% for 16 bpp and 8 bpp CFA images, respectively. Computational load has also been improved by the proposed method. In addition, the hardware implementation is discussed using a CMOS 65 nm technology that costs 3.18 K gates and 2.05 mW of power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current advances in geroscience are due in part to the discovery of biomarkers with high predictive ability in short-lived laboratory animals such as flies and mice. These model species, however, do not always adequately reflect human physiology and disease, highlighting the need for a more comprehensive and relevant model of human aging. Domestic dogs offer a solution to this obstacle, as they share many aspects not only of the physiological and pathological trajectories of their human counterpart, but also of their environment. Furthermore, they age at a considerably faster rate. Studying aging in the companion dog provides an opportunity to better understand the biological and environmental determinants of healthy lifespan in our pets, and to translate those findings to human aging. Biobanking, the systematic collection, processing, storage, and distribution of biological material and associated data has contributed to basic, clinical, and translational research by streamlining the management of high-quality biospecimens for biomarker discovery and validation. In this review, we discuss how veterinary biobanks can support research on aging, particularly when integrated into large-scale longitudinal studies. As an example of this concept, we introduce the Dog Aging Project Biobank. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that is a pivotal regulator of human physiology and pathophysiology. Allosteric inhibition of AhR was previously thought to be untenable. Here, we identify carvones as noncompetitive, insurmountable antagonists of AhR and characterize the structural and functional consequences of their binding. Carvones do not displace radiolabeled ligands from binding to AhR but instead bind allosterically within the bHLH/PAS-A region of AhR. Carvones do not influence the translocation of ligand-activated AhR into the nucleus but inhibit the heterodimerization of AhR with its canonical partner ARNT and subsequent binding of AhR to the promoter of CYP1A1. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate physiologically relevant Ahr-antagonism by carvones in vivo in female mice. These substances establish the molecular basis for selective targeting of AhR regardless of the type of ligand(s) present and provide opportunities for the treatment of disease processes modified by AhR. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor regulates the expression of genes involved in many cell processes and its dysregulation has been implicated in different diseases. Here, the authors identify dietary monoterpenoid carvone as an atypical non-competitive antagonist of human aryl hydrocarbon receptor and demonstrate that it can protect against ultraviolet skin damage in female mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck is well known as a pre-Darwinian proponent of evolution. But much of what has been written on Lamarck, on his 'Lamarckian' belief in the inheritance of acquired characters, and on his conception of the role of the will in biological development mischaracterizes his views. Indeed, surprisingly little in-depth analysis has been published regarding his views on human physiology and development. Further, although since Robert M. Young's signal 1969 essay on Malthus and the evolutionists, Darwin scholars have sought to place Darwin's work in its social and political context, this has yet to be done adequately for Lamarck. Here I address this gap. I argue that the will was of particular importance to Lamarck's social commentary and his hopes for the transformation of the French people and nation. Further, I argue that if we are to really grasp Lamarck's ideas and intentions we need to contextualize his works in relation to prevailing debates in France about the physiology of mind and morals and the future of the nation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large-scale perturbations in the microbiome constitution are strongly correlated, whether as a driver or a consequence, with the health and functioning of human physiology. However, understanding the difference in the microbiome profiles of healthy and ill individuals can be complicated due to the large number of complex interactions among microbes. We propose to model these interactions as a time-evolving graph where nodes represent microbes and edges are interactions among them. Motivated by the need to analyse such complex interactions, we develop a method that can learn a low-dimensional representation of the time-evolving graph while maintaining the dynamics occurring in the high-dimensional space. Through our experiments, we show that we can extract graph features such as clusters of nodes or edges that have the highest impact on the model to learn the low-dimensional representation. This information is crucial for identifying microbes and interactions among them that are strongly correlated with clinical diseases. We conduct our experiments on both synthetic and real-world microbiome datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Textile and garment-based biosensing approaches allow the integration of diagnostic devices in wearable format, which can be used to develop non-invasive approaches for quantitative measurement of biomarkers in body fluids. Anchoring nanostructured materials on textile materials is key in designing wearable electrochemical sensing devices as the nanomaterials provide multi-faceted application including bioreceptor immobilization and signal transduction. In this work, SnO2 nanoflake-integrated conductive carbon fiber (SnO2/CCY) was explored for biosensing of cortisol. Cortisol is known as a stress hormone and plays crucial role in human physiology and immune system. Accurate detection of cortisol is crucial in personalized health monitoring and quantitative estimation of acute and chronic stress levels in humans. Anti-cortisol antibodies were immobilized onto the SnO2/CCY for improving the selectivity of the detection. The response of the electrochemical immunosensor towards cortisol binding was monitored using an electroactive redox probe (Fe(CN)63−/4−). The oxidation current of the redox probe (− 0.42 V vs. Ag/AgCl) was probed for creating sensor calibration plot. The electrochemical immunosensor responded to a broad range of cortisol concentration (10 fg/mL to 1 µg/mL) and showed a good detection limit (1.6 fg/mL) towards cortisol detection. Under optimized conditions, the immunosensor has been evaluated to measure cortisol levels in human sweat. The sensor results were correlated using commercial chemiluminescence immunoassay (CILA) method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The development of generic ophthalmic drug products is challenging due to the complexity of the ocular system, and a lack of sensitive testing to evaluate the interplay of physiology with ophthalmic formulations. While measurements of drug concentration at the site of action in humans are typically sparse, these measurements are more easily obtained in rabbits. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the utility of an ocular physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model for translation of ocular exposure from rabbit to human. Method: The Ocular Compartmental Absorption and Transit (OCAT™) model within GastroPlus® v9.8.2 was used to build PBPK models for levofloxacin (Lev), moxifloxacin (Mox), and gatifloxacin (Gat) ophthalmic solutions. in the rabbit eye. The models were subsequently used to predict Lev, Mox, and Gat exposure after ocular solution administrations in humans. Drug-specific parameters were used as fitted and validated in the rabbit OCAT model. The physiological parameters were scaled to match human ocular physiology. Results: OCAT model simulations for rabbit well described the observed concentrations in the eye compartments following Lev, Mox, and Gat solution administrations of different doses and various administration schedules. The clinical ocular exposure following ocular administration of Lev, Mox, and Gat solutions at different doses and various administration schedules was well predicted. Conclusion: Even though additional case studies for different types of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and formulations will be needed, the current study represents an important step in the validation of the extrapolation method to predict human ocular exposure for ophthalmic drug products using PBPK models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endogenous sulfur dioxide (SO2), as a gas signal molecule, has a certain physiological functions. Understanding the role of endogenous SO2 in human physiology and pathology is of great significance to the biological characteristics of SO2,which bring challenges to develop fluorescent probes with excellent performance. Herein, we rationally designed and constructed a novel near-infrared bioprobe benzaldehyde-benzopyrylium (BBp) by employing the nucleophilic addition benzopyrylium perchlorate fluorophore and benzaldehyde moiety by means of C = C/C = O group that serves as both fluorescence reporting unit. Probe BBp exhibit excellent sensing performance with fluorescent "On − Off"rapid response (100 s) and long-wavelength emission (670 nm). With the treatment of HSO3−, the color of BBp solution obviously varies from purple to colorless, and the fluorescent color varies from red to colorless. By the fluorescence and colorimetric changes, probe BBp was capable of sensitive determination HSO3− with low limits of detection (LOD) of 0.43 μM, realizing visual quantitative monitoring SO2 derivative levels. Due to the low phototoxicity and good biocompatibility, it was successfully applied to monitor SO2 derivatives and fluorescence imaging in HepG2 and HeLa living cells. Hopefully, this work supplies a new strategy for designing NIR fluorescent probes for quantitative determination SO2 derivatives in biological samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When sojourners visit to high altitude, various symptoms may appear in the body including gastrointestinal symptoms such as poor appetite or nausea, vomiting, and incapacitating. The gastrointestinal tract is a key organ involved in the development of acute mountain sickness (AMS). The intestinal epithelial lining is covered by mucus layer. Mucosal barrier is considered as first line of protection of the gut wall which not only helps in lubricating and facilitating progression of bolus but also protects intestinal epithelial lining. Gut microbes play a major role in alterations of mucus barrier and may have important role in curtailing gastrointestinal symptoms at high altitude. In our previous study, we have reported ~ 17% decrease in Akkermansia muciniphila bacteria under hypobaric hypoxia exposure in Sprague–Dawley rats. A. muciniphila is a mucin-degrading bacterium. Its presence in the human intestine is inversely associated to a number of diseases. A. muciniphila is found in the mucus layer, where it helps to maintain intestinal integrity and protects from various inflammatory diseases. Hypoxia decreases A. muciniphila bacterium in gut leading to gastrointestinal barrier injury. It could be an important probiotic that may have physiological benefits in high-altitude hypoxia induced clinical scenarios. A large-scale clinical experiments, production feasibility, and regulatory clearances need to be resolved to develop it as next generation probiotic. In this review, we have searched various databases including PubMed and Google Scholar with keywords Akkermansia muciniphila, A. muciniphila, human physiology, etc. to comprehensively highlight the importance of this gut bacterium. Key points: • High-altitude hypoxia leads to gastrointestinal barrier injury. • Hypoxia decreases Akkermansia muciniphila bacterium in gut. • A. muciniphila as probiotic may help to maintain intestinal integrity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible wearable sweat sensors allow continuous, real-time, noninvasive detection of sweat analytes, provide insight into human physiology at the molecular level, and have received significant attention for their promising applications in personalized health monitoring. Electrochemical sensors are the best choice for wearable sweat sensors due to their high performance, low cost, miniaturization, and wide applicability. Recent developments in soft microfluidics, multiplexed biosensing, energy harvesting devices, and materials have advanced the compatibility of wearable electrochemical sweat-sensing platforms. In this review, we summarize the potential of sweat for medical detection and methods for sweat stimulation and collection. This paper provides an overview of the components of wearable sweat sensors and recent developments in materials and power supply technologies and highlights some typical sensing platforms for different types of analytes. Finally, the paper ends with a discussion of the challenges and a view of the prospective development of this exciting field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Since the first human experience in space, the interest in space research and medicine to explore universe is growing day by day. The extreme space conditions mainly radiation and microgravity effects on human physiology, antimicrobial susceptibility, and efficacy, safety, and stability of drugs. Therefore, the aim of this review is to address the impact of extreme space conditions, mainly microgravity and radiation, on human physiology and highlights the need for future approaches by evaluating the effectiveness of strategies to prevent or mitigate health problems.Published papers and NASA technical documents were searched in Pubmed and Google Scholar databases using the keywords ‘‘antimicrobial susceptibility or drug resistance or drug stability or innovations or pharmacokinetic or pharmacodynamics’’ and ‘‘radiation or microgravity or space environments or space medicine or space pharmacy’' to prepare this review.In this review, the challenges regarding physiological effects and drug-related problems are examined through the evaluation of extreme conditions in space. Medications used in spaceflight are summarized, and the role of pharmacists specializing in space medicine is briefly explained. Last but not least, to overcome the aforementioned issues, novel approaches have been addressed, such as personalised treatments, development of space-resistant formulations and various microbial applications.Further research in the space medicine is required to facilitate the safe and healthy travel of humans to the Moon, Mars and other extraterrestrial destinations. One bear in mind that space research will contribute not only to the exploration of the universe, but also to the advancement of health and technological discoveries on Earth.Methods: Since the first human experience in space, the interest in space research and medicine to explore universe is growing day by day. The extreme space conditions mainly radiation and microgravity effects on human physiology, antimicrobial susceptibility, and efficacy, safety, and stability of drugs. Therefore, the aim of this review is to address the impact of extreme space conditions, mainly microgravity and radiation, on human physiology and highlights the need for future approaches by evaluating the effectiveness of strategies to prevent or mitigate health problems.Published papers and NASA technical documents were searched in Pubmed and Google Scholar databases using the keywords ‘‘antimicrobial susceptibility or drug resistance or drug stability or innovations or pharmacokinetic or pharmacodynamics’’ and ‘‘radiation or microgravity or space environments or space medicine or space pharmacy’' to prepare this review.In this review, the challenges regarding physiological effects and drug-related problems are examined through the evaluation of extreme conditions in space. Medications used in spaceflight are summarized, and the role of pharmacists specializing in space medicine is briefly explained. Last but not least, to overcome the aforementioned issues, novel approaches have been addressed, such as personalised treatments, development of space-resistant formulations and various microbial applications.Further research in the space medicine is required to facilitate the safe and healthy travel of humans to the Moon, Mars and other extraterrestrial destinations. One bear in mind that space research will contribute not only to the exploration of the universe, but also to the advancement of health and technological discoveries on Earth.Results: Since the first human experience in space, the interest in space research and medicine to explore universe is growing day by day. The extreme space conditions mainly radiation and microgravity effects on human physiology, antimicrobial susceptibility, and efficacy, safety, and stability of drugs. Therefore, the aim of this review is to address the impact of extreme space conditions, mainly microgravity and radiation, on human physiology and highlights the need for future approaches by evaluating the effectiveness of strategies to prevent or mitigate health problems.Published papers and NASA technical documents were searched in Pubmed and Google Scholar databases using the keywords ‘‘antimicrobial susceptibility or drug resistance or drug stability or innovations or pharmacokinetic or pharmacodynamics’’ and ‘‘radiation or microgravity or space environments or space medicine or space pharmacy’' to prepare this review.In this review, the challenges regarding physiological effects and drug-related problems are examined through the evaluation of extreme conditions in space. Medications used in spaceflight are summarized, and the role of pharmacists specializing in space medicine is briefly explained. Last but not least, to overcome the aforementioned issues, novel approaches have been addressed, such as personalised treatments, development of space-resistant formulations and various microbial applications.Further research in the space medicine is required to facilitate the safe and healthy travel of humans to the Moon, Mars and other extraterrestrial destinations. One bear in mind that space research will contribute not only to the exploration of the universe, but also to the advancement of health and technological discoveries on Earth.Conclusions: Since the first human experience in space, the interest in space research and medicine to explore universe is growing day by day. The extreme space conditions mainly radiation and microgravity effects on human physiology, antimicrobial susceptibility, and efficacy, safety, and stability of drugs. Therefore, the aim of this review is to address the impact of extreme space conditions, mainly microgravity and radiation, on human physiology and highlights the need for future approaches by evaluating the effectiveness of strategies to prevent or mitigate health problems.Published papers and NASA technical documents were searched in Pubmed and Google Scholar databases using the keywords ‘‘antimicrobial susceptibility or drug resistance or drug stability or innovations or pharmacokinetic or pharmacodynamics’’ and ‘‘radiation or microgravity or space environments or space medicine or space pharmacy’' to prepare this review.In this review, the challenges regarding physiological effects and drug-related problems are examined through the evaluation of extreme conditions in space. Medications used in spaceflight are summarized, and the role of pharmacists specializing in space medicine is briefly explained. Last but not least, to overcome the aforementioned issues, novel approaches have been addressed, such as personalised treatments, development of space-resistant formulations and various microbial applications.Further research in the space medicine is required to facilitate the safe and healthy travel of humans to the Moon, Mars and other extraterrestrial destinations. One bear in mind that space research will contribute not only to the exploration of the universe, but also to the advancement of health and technological discoveries on Earth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of acute normobaric (NH, decreased FiO2) and hypobaric (HH, 4200 m ascent) hypoxia exposures compared to sea level (normobaric normoxia, NN). Tissue oxygenation, cardiovascular, and body fluid variables measured during rest and a 3-min step-test following 90-min exposures (NH, HH, NN). Muscle oxygenated hemoglobin (O2Hb) decreased, and muscle deoxygenated hemoglobin (HHb) increased environmentally independent from rest to exercise (p < 0.001). During exercise, brain O2Hb was lower at HH compared to NN (p = 0.007), trending similarly with NH (p = 0.066), but no difference between NN and NH (p = 0.158). During exercise, HR at NH (141 ± 4 beats·min−1) and HH (141 ± 3 beats·min−1) were higher than NN (127 ± 44 beats·min−1, p = 0.002), but not each other (p = 0.208). During exercise, stroke volume at HH (109.6 ± 4.1 mL·beat−1) was higher than NH (97.8 ± 3.3 mL·beat−1) and NN (99.8 ± 3.9 mL·beat−1, p ≤ 0.010) with no difference between NH and NN (p = 0.481). During exercise, cardiac output at NH (13.8 ± 0.6 L) and HH (15.5 ± 0.7 L) were higher than NN (12.6 ± 0.5 L, p ≤ 0.006) with HH also higher than NH (p = 0.001). During acute hypoxic stimuli, skeletal muscle maintains oxygenation whereas the brain does not. These differences may be mediated by environmentally specific cardiovascular compensation. Thus, caution is advised when equating NH and HH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substantial effort is being invested in the creation of a virtual human—a model which will improve our understanding of human physiology and diseases and assist clinicians in the design of personalised medical treatments. A central challenge of achieving blood flow simulations at full-human scale is the development of an efficient and accurate approach to imposing boundary conditions on many outlets. A previous study proposed an efficient method for implementing the two-element Windkessel model to control the flow rate ratios at outlets. Here we clarify the general role of the resistance and capacitance in this approach and conduct a parametric sweep to examine how to choose their values for complex geometries. We show that the error of the flow rate ratios decreases exponentially as the resistance increases. The errors fall below 4% in a simple five-outlets model and 7% in a human artery model comprising ten outlets. Moreover, the flow rate ratios converge faster and suffer from weaker fluctuations as the capacitance decreases. Our findings also establish constraints on the parameters controlling the numerical stability of the simulations. The findings from this work are directly applicable to larger and more complex vascular domains encountered at full-human scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The circadian clock is a 24 h cellular timekeeping mechanism that regulates human physiology. Answering several fundamental questions in circadian biology will require joint measures of single-cell circadian phases and transcriptomes. However, no widespread experimental approaches exist for this purpose. While computational approaches exist to infer cell phase directly from single-cell RNA-sequencing data, existing methods yield poor circadian phase estimates, and do not quantify estimation uncertainty, which is essential for interpretation of results from very sparse single-cell RNA-sequencing data. To address these unmet needs, we introduce Tempo, a Bayesian variational inference approach that incorporates domain knowledge of the clock and quantifies phase estimation uncertainty. Through simulations and analyses of real data, we demonstrate that Tempo yields more accurate estimates of circadian phase than existing methods and provides well-calibrated uncertainty quantifications. Tempo will facilitate large-scale studies of single-cell circadian transcription. Previous efforts to study the circadian clock using scRNA-seq have relied on time course designs that treat cell collection time as a proxy for circadian time. Here, the authors introduce a statistical method to infer circadian timing directly from expression, enabling researchers to study circadian phase heterogeneity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tissue-hardening effect and health-hazard issue of formaldehyde (FA) have long been a great disadvantage of this conventional fixative in anatomical research. We recently developed a FA-free embalming method for cadavers which utilizes N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (NVP) and enables assessment of motion kinetics by maintaining the softness of embalmed tissue. By assessing the feasibility of NVP-embalmed tissue to mimic vocalization, this study aimed to prove the potential of embalmed cadavers, which have previously been used only for the understanding of anatomical morphology, for the assessment of precise motion physiology in the human body. Ten cadavers embalmed in NVP (n = 6) and FA (n = 4) were incorporated in this study. Excised larynges underwent experimental phonation to mimic vocalization with fast and pliable vibration of vocal folds. High-speed digital imaging was utilized for the assessment of vocal fold vibration. Furthermore, acoustic analysis of the voiced sound, and reproducibility examination were also performed. Regular vocal fold vibrations successfully produced voiced sounds during experimental phonation using NVP-embalmed larynges. The vibratory frequency, vibration amplitude, and stretch rate of the vocal folds were comparable to those of living humans. Six months after the first experiment, the vocal parameters were reproduced, to suggest the long-term preservation potential of our NVP-embalming technique. On the other hand, neither voiced sound nor vocal fold vibration were observed in FA-embalmed larynges. This novel embalming technique could pioneer the next era to utilize embalmed cadavers for the examination of motion physiology in the human body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of civil aviation industry and the continuous improvement in passenger demand, higher requirements have been put forward for safety and comfort in the design process of civil aircraft. In order to develop a special ergonomic simulation experimental system for civil aircraft cabin seats, from the perspective of "human", this paper comprehensively considers the impact on civil aircraft cabin seats environment on human physiology and psychology, and puts forward an evaluation method of civil aircraft cabin ergonomic simulation experimental system based on passengers' perception of key design features. Based on the principles of ergonomics, the connection between key design features of seat comfort and the requirements of user preference is comprehensively considered, a simulation experimental system based on comfort evaluation is constructed using subjective and objective evaluation methods. Moreover, according to the experimental requirements of the simulation experimental system and the characteristics of seat structure, an ergonomic simulation experimental system for civil aircraft cabin is developed. The final experimental results prove the practicability and validity of the simulation experiment system designed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the role of the corpus luteum (CL) in human reproductive physiology and its importance in pregnancy recognition and establishment. It highlights the impact of controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) in assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) and the potential consequences of the physical disruption of somatic follicular cells on the luteal phase. The article also explores the complex interactions between the conceptus, CL, uterus, and fallopian tubes, and the role of glycosylation variants in pregnancy establishment. It raises questions about the need for further research on luteal phase support and the potential risks associated with manipulated cycles in ARTs. The article concludes by emphasizing the importance of recognizing the complexities of reproductive processes and the need for improvement in both efficacy and safety in ARTs. [Extracted from the article]

The plasmids in gut microbiomes have the potential to contribute to the microbiome community, as well as human health and physiology. Nevertheless, this niche remains poorly explored. In general, most microbiome studies focus on urban-industrialized groups, but here, we studied semi-isolated groups from South America and Africa, which would represent a link between ancestral and modern human groups. Based on open metagenomic data, we characterized the set of plasmids, including their genes and functions, from the gut microbiome of the Hadza, Matses, Tunapuco, and Yanomami, semi-isolated groups with a hunter, gather or subsistence lifestyle. Unique plasmid clusters and gene functions for each human group were identified. Moreover, a dozen plasmid clusters circulating in other niches worldwide are shared by these distinct groups. In addition, novel and unique plasmids harboring resistance (encompassing six antibiotic classes and multiple metals) and virulence (as type VI secretion systems) genes were identified. Functional analysis revealed pathways commonly associated with urban-industrialized groups, such as lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis that was characterized in the Hadza gut plasmids. These results demonstrate the richness of plasmids in semi-isolated human groups' gut microbiome, which represents an important source of information with biotechnological/pharmaceutical potential, but also on the spread of resistance/virulence genes to semi-isolated groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eye blinking is closely related to human physiology and psychology. It is an effective method of communication among people and can be used in human–machine interactions. Existing blink monitoring methods include video-oculography, electro-oculograms and infrared oculography. However, these methods suffer from uncomfortable use, safety risks, limited reliability in strong light or dark environments, and infringed informational security. In this paper, we propose an ultrasound-based portable approach for eye-blinking activity monitoring. Low-power pulse-echo ultrasound featuring biosafety is transmitted and received by microelectromechanical system (MEMS) ultrasonic transducers seamlessly integrated on glasses. The size, weight and power consumption of the transducers are 2.5 mm by 2.5 mm, 23.3 mg and 71 μW, respectively, which provides better portability than conventional methods using wearable devices. Eye-blinking activities were characterized by open and closed eye states and validated by experiments on different volunteers. Finally, real-time eye-blinking monitoring was successfully demonstrated with a response time less than 1 ms. The proposed solution paves the way for ultrasound-based wearable eye-blinking monitoring and offers miniaturization, light weight, low power consumption, high informational security and biosafety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For centuries, cold temperatures have been used by humans for therapeutic, health and sporting recovery purposes. This application of cold for therapeutic purposes is regularly referred to as cryotherapy. Cryotherapies including ice, cold-water and cold air have been popularised by an ability to remove heat, reduce core and tissue temperatures, and alter blood flow in humans. The resulting downstream effects upon human physiologies providing benefits that include a reduced perception of pain, or analgesia, and an improved sensation of well-being. Ultimately, such benefits have been translated into therapies that may assist in improving post-exercise recovery, with further investigations assessing the role that cryotherapies can play in attenuating the ensuing post-exercise inflammatory response. Whilst considerable progress has been made in our understanding of the mechanistic changes associated with adopting cryotherapies, research focus tends to look towards the future rather than to the past. It has been suggested that this might be due to the notion of progress being defined as change over time from lower to higher states of knowledge. However, a historical perspective, studying a subject in light of its earliest phase and subsequent evolution, could help sharpen one's vision of the present; helping to generate new research questions as well as look at old questions in new ways. Therefore, the aim of this brief historical perspective is to highlight the origins of the many arms of this popular recovery and treatment technique, whilst further assessing the changing face of cryotherapy. We conclude by discussing what lies ahead in the future for cold-application techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several concerns regarding the safety of face masks use have been propounded in public opinion. The objective of this review is to examine if these concerns find support in the literature by providing a comprehensive overview of physiological responses to the use of face masks. We have performed a systematic review, pairwise and network meta-analyses to investigate physiological responses to the use of face masks. The study has been registered with PROSPERO (C RD42020224791). Obtained results were screened using our exclusion and inclusion criteria. Meta-analyses were performed using the GeMTC and meta R packages. We have identified 26 studies meeting our inclusion and exclusion criteria, encompassing 751 participants. The use of face masks was not associated with significant changes in pulsoxymetrically measured oxygen saturation, even during maximal-effort exercises. The only significant physiological responses to the use of face masks during low-intensity activities were a slight increase in heart rate, mildly elevated partial pressure of carbon dioxide (not meeting criteria for hypercarbia), increased temperature of facial skin covered by the mask, and subsequent increase of the score in the rating of heat perception, with N95 filtering facepiece respirators having a greater effect than surgical masks. In high-intensity conditions, the use of face masks was associated with decreased oxygen uptake, ventilation, and RR. Face masks are safe to use and do not cause significant alterations in human physiology. The increase in heart rate stems most likely from increased respiratory work required to overcome breathing resistance. The increase in carbon dioxide is too small to be clinically relevant. An increased rating of heat perception when using face masks results from higher temperature of facial skin covered by the mask. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intestinal stem cells (ISC) are characterized by their ability to continuously self-renew and differentiate into various functionally distinct intestinal epithelial cell types. Impaired stem cell proliferation and differentiation can cause severe dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract and lead to the development of several clinical disorders. Animal mouse models provide a valuable platform to study ISC function, disease mechanisms, and the intestinal epithelium's regenerative capacity upon tissue damage. However, advanced in vitro systems that are more relevant to human physiology are needed to understand better the diverse disease-triggering factors and the heterogeneity in clinical manifestations. Intestinal biopsies from patients might serve as potent starting material for such "gut-in-a-dish" approaches. While many promising tools for intestinal tissue processing, in vitro expansion, and downstream analysis have been developed in recent years, a comprehensive guide with recommendations to successfully launch or improve intestinal stem cell culture is missing. In this review, we present a selection of currently established methods, highlight recent publications and discuss the potential and limitations of those methodological approaches to facilitate and support the future design of novel and more personalized therapeutic options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tetraspanins are a family of small proteins with four transmembrane segments (TMSs) playing multiple roles in human physiology. Nevertheless, we know little about the factors determining their structure. In the study at hand, we focus on the small intracellular loop (SIL) between TMS2 and TMS3. There we have identified a conserved five amino acid core region with three charged residues forming an M-shaped backbone, which we call M-motif. The M´s plane runs parallel to the membrane surface and the central amino acid constitutes the inter-helix turning point. At the second position of the M-motif, in tetraspanin crystal structures we identified a glutamate oriented towards a lysine in the juxtamembrane region of TMS1. Using Tspan17 as example, we find that by mutating either the glutamate or juxtamembrane-lysine, but not upon glutamate/lysine swapping, expression level, maturation and ER-exit are reduced. We conclude that the SIL is more than a short linking segment but propose it is involved in shaping the tertiary structure of tetraspanins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RNA editing by adenosine deaminases changes the information encoded in the mRNA from its genomic blueprint. Editing of protein-coding sequences can introduce novel, functionally distinct, protein isoforms and diversify the proteome. The functional importance of a few recoding sites has been appreciated for decades. However, systematic methods to uncover these sites perform poorly, and the full repertoire of recoding in human and other mammals is unknown. Here we present a new detection approach, and analyze 9125 GTEx RNA-seq samples, to produce a highly-accurate atlas of 1517 editing sites within the coding region and their editing levels across human tissues. Single-cell RNA-seq data shows protein recoding contributes to the variability across cell subpopulations. Most highly edited sites are evolutionary conserved in non-primate mammals, attesting for adaptation. This comprehensive set can facilitate understanding of the role of recoding in human physiology and diseases. Gabay et al. provide a highly-accurate atlas of recoding by A-to-I RNA editing in human, profiled across tissues and cell subpopulations. Most highly edited sites are evolutionary conserved in non-primate mammals, attesting for adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-light environment affects human physiology, psychology, and behavior. It causes errors in work and increases accidents. In this study, we built a coal mine lighting simulation experiment system. The system not only includes an experimental environment simulation system and a physiological indicator test system, but also adds a miners' working simulation system. We aim to study the effect of different illumination levels (0lx, 10lx, 50lx, 100lx, and 200lx) on three indicators: heart rate, electrodermal activity, and respiration. The results show illuminance has a significant negative correlation with all the above three indicators. Heart rate seems to be most significantly affected by illuminance, and it changes significantly from the normal level (200lx) at 50lx. By contrast, the respiratory rate and electrodermal activity change significantly at 10lx. When the illuminance is 50~100lx, all the three indicators return to the normal level. The results suggest that coal mine illumination should be around 50~100lx. When the minimum illumination is less than 10lx, accidents tend to increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A diverse milieu of harmless microbes thrives on the surface of the human body. These human-associated microbes comprise an enormous collection of prokaryotes (archaea and bacteria), eukaryotes (fungi and protozoa), and viruses. The discovery of universal phylogenetic taxonomic molecular markers and the availability of robust deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequencing tools have enabled the identification of several previously unknown human-associated microbes. Consequently, the Human Microbiome Project (HMP)—the first comprehensive survey of the human-associated microbes—has determined the microbial diversity and its abundance in health and disease. HMP study shows that human adults have a similar microbial composition as that of higher taxonomic level (phylum), although uniquely differing from lower taxonomic level (genus and species). Bacteria are the predominant microbial constituent of the human body, and the large intestine (the lower gut), especially, is the most densely populated microbial niche. The human gut is estimated to have over 100 trillion microbes encompassing over 1000 bacterial species, outnumbering the total human body cells by a factor of ten. Gut microbes have a significant impact on human physiology through their role in protection against gut infections, expanding nutrient harvest, educating the infant immune system, modulating drug efficacy, and so forth. The gut microbial communities are collectively recognized as an 'organ' for their indispensable contribution to health. Gut microbes supplement human biology with numerous functional genes, metabolic pathways, bioactive metabolites, etc. The perturbation of gut microbiota composition has a pathological impact on human physiology. Hence, the ensemble of the microbial genetic material associated with us represents 'our acquired genome'. Overall, the human-microbial synergistic interaction is an evolutionary amalgamation of three domains of cellular life—Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya—mutually co-existing with acellular viruses, and collectively referred to as a 'superorganism'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: History dependence can refer to the fact that parts of the human physiology (e.g., one or a group of muscles, or the nervous system) as well as functional aspects of the human (e.g., motor behaviour, or performance) depend on prior muscle activation. In the present study, it was investigated whether initial cycling at relatively low and high preset target cadences affected a subsequent freely chosen cadence at the end of the same bout of submaximal ergometer cycling. Methods: Twenty-two participants performed a single test session, which consisted of separate bouts of submaximal ergometer cycling. In one bout, cycling at 50 rpm was followed by cycling at freely chosen cadence. In another bout, cycling at 90 rpm was followed by cycling at freely chosen cadence. In yet another bout (denoted reference), the cadence was freely chosen throughout. Behavioural (cadence), biomechanical (tangential pedal force), and physiological (heart rate) responses were measured. Results: Increased cadence resulted in decreased maximal tangential pedal force in accordance with existing knowledge. Initial cycling at 50 and 90 rpm caused freely chosen cadence to be about 5% lower and higher, respectively, than the freely chosen cadence (72.4 ± 2.4 rpm) at the end of the reference bout. These differences in cadence were not accompanied by statistically significant differences in heart rate. Conclusion: The freely chosen cadence depended on the preset cadence applied at the beginning of the bout. This was denoted a phenomenon of motor behavioural history dependence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated how touching and being touched by a humanoid robot affects human physiology, impressions of the interaction, and attitudes towards humanoid robots. 21 healthy adult participants completed a 3 (touch style: touching, being touched, pointing) × 2 (body part: hand vs buttock) within-subject design using a Pepper robot. Skin conductance response (SCR) was measured during each interaction. Perceived impressions of the interaction (i.e., friendliness, comfort, arousal) were measured per questionnaire after each interaction. Participants' demographics and their attitude towards robots were also considered. We found shorter SCR rise times in the being touched compared to the touching condition, possibly reflecting psychological alertness to the unpredictability of robot-initiated contacts. The hand condition had shorter rise times than the buttock condition. Most participants evaluated the hand condition as most friendly and comfortable and the robot-initiated interactions as most arousing. Interacting with Pepper improved attitudes towards robots. Our findings require future studies with larger samples and improved procedures. They have implications for robot design in all domains involving tactile interactions, such as caring and intimacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article introduces AI2D-RST, a multimodal corpus of 1000 English-language diagrams that represent topics in primary school natural sciences, such as food webs, life cycles, moon phases and human physiology. The corpus is based on the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence Diagrams (AI2D) dataset, a collection of diagrams with crowdsourced descriptions, which was originally developed to support research on automatic diagram understanding and visual question answering. Building on the segmentation of diagram layouts in AI2D, the AI2D-RST corpus presents a new multi-layer annotation schema that provides a rich description of their multimodal structure. Annotated by trained experts, the layers describe (1) the grouping of diagram elements into perceptual units, (2) the connections set up by diagrammatic elements such as arrows and lines, and (3) the discourse relations between diagram elements, which are described using Rhetorical Structure Theory (RST). Each annotation layer in AI2D-RST is represented using a graph. The corpus is freely available for research and teaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All homoiothermic organisms are capable of maintaining a stable body temperature using various negative feedback mechanisms. However, current models cannot satisfactorily describe the thermal adaptation of homoiothermic living systems in a physiologically meaningful way. Previously, we introduced stress entropic load, a novel variable designed to quantify adaptation costs, i.e. the stress of the organism, using a thermodynamic approach. In this study, we use stress entropic load as a starting point for the construction of a novel dynamical model of human thermoregulation. This model exhibits bi-stable mechanisms, a physiologically plausible features which has thus far not been demonstrated using a mathematical model. This finding allows us to predict critical points at which a living system, in this case a human body, may proceed towards two stabilities, only one of which is compatible with being alive. In the future, this may allow us to quantify not only the direction but rather the extent of therapeutic intervention in critical care patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humans are unique in their diet, physiology and socio-reproductive behavior compared to other primates. They are also unique in the ubiquitous adaptation to all biomes and habitats. From an evolutionary perspective, these trends seem to have started about two million years ago, coinciding with the emergence of encephalization, the reduction of the dental apparatus, the adoption of a fully terrestrial lifestyle, resulting in the emergence of the modern anatomical bauplan, the focalization of certain activities in the landscape, the use of stone tools, and the exit from Africa. It is in this period that clear taphonomic evidence of a switch in diet with respect to Pliocene hominins occurred, with the adoption of carnivory. Until now, the degree of carnivorism in early humans remained controversial. A persistent hypothesis is that hominins acquired meat irregularly (potentially as fallback food) and opportunistically through klepto-foraging. Here, we test this hypothesis and show, in contrast, that the butchery practices of early Pleistocene hominins (unveiled through systematic study of the patterning and intensity of cut marks on their prey) could not have resulted from having frequent secondary access to carcasses. We provide evidence of hominin primary access to animal resources and emphasize the role that meat played in their diets, their ecology and their anatomical evolution, ultimately resulting in the ecologically unrestricted terrestrial adaptation of our species. This has major implications to the evolution of human physiology and potentially for the evolution of the human brain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circadian rhythms have natural relative variations among humans known as chronotype. Chronotype or being a morning or evening person, has a specific physiological, behavioural, and also genetic manifestation. Whether and how chronotype modulates human brain physiology and cognition is, however, not well understood. Here we examine how cortical excitability, neuroplasticity, and cognition are associated with chronotype in early and late chronotype individuals. We monitor motor cortical excitability, brain stimulation-induced neuroplasticity, and examine motor learning and cognitive functions at circadian-preferred and non-preferred times of day in 32 individuals. Motor learning and cognitive performance (working memory, and attention) along with their electrophysiological components are significantly enhanced at the circadian-preferred, compared to the non-preferred time. This outperformance is associated with enhanced cortical excitability (prominent cortical facilitation, diminished cortical inhibition), and long-term potentiation/depression-like plasticity. Our data show convergent findings of how chronotype can modulate human brain functions from basic physiological mechanisms to behaviour and higher-order cognition. How being a "morning person" or "evening person" affects human cognition and brain physiology is not well understood. Here the authors show evidence of an association of chronotype with cognitive functions and related physiological parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The individual variation in the circadian rhythms at the physiological level is not well understood. Albeit self-reported circadian preference profiles have been consolidated, their premises are grounded on human experience, not on physiology. We used data-driven, unsupervised time series modelling to characterize distinct profiles of the circadian rhythm measured from skin surface temperature in free-living conditions. We demonstrate the existence of three distinct clusters of individuals which differed in their circadian temperature profiles. The cluster with the highest temperature amplitude and the lowest midline estimating statistic of rhythm, or rhythm-adjusted mean, had the most regular and early-timed sleep–wake rhythm, and was the least probable for those with a concurrent delayed sleep phase, or eveningness chronotype. While the clusters associated with the observed sleep and circadian preference patterns, the entirely unsupervised modelling of physiological data provides a novel basis for modelling and understanding the human circadian functions in free-living conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lockdowns imposed to stem the spread of COVID-19 massively disrupted the daily routines of many worldwide, but studies to date have been mostly confined to observations within a limited number of countries, based on subjective reports and surveys from specific time periods during the pandemic. We investigated associations between lockdown stringency and objective sleep and resting-heart rate measures in ~ 113,000 users of a consumer sleep tracker across 20 countries from Jan to Jul 2020, compared to an equivalent period in 2019. With stricter lockdown measures, midsleep times were universally delayed, particularly on weekdays, while midsleep variability and resting heart rate declined. These shifts (midsleep: + 0.09 to + 0.58 h; midsleep variability: − 0.12 to − 0.26 h; resting heart rate: − 0.35 to − 2.08 bpm) correlated with the severity of lockdown across different countries (all Ps < 0.001) and highlight the graded influence of stringency lockdowns on human physiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New approaches to assessing the role of the kidneys in water–salt homeostasis in humans have been proposed. The roles of the kidneys in the continuous restoration of the ideal composition and volume of fluids of the internal environment, the formation of the protein composition of blood serum, its oncotic pressure for maintaining the volumes of intra- and extravascular fluid are considered. The significance and endocrine mechanisms of regulation of fluid reabsorption in the proximal segment of the nephron have been shown. The role of the kidneys in maintaining the endocrine status of the blood has been analyzed. The functional and diagnostic value of not only the absolute concentration of sodium and potassium ions in the blood serum, but also their ratio has been proven. The idea of the importance of the cascade system of regulation of water–salt balance in the body in mitigating drastic shifts in the physicochemical parameters of fluids in the internal environment during water and food consumption has been formulated. The problem of the functional organization of sensory support of blood physicochemical parameters (osmoregulation etc.) is discussed. An approach has been found for the use of clearance equations to assess the role of the kidneys in cell volume regulation as one of the most significant physiological parameters. The problem of the specificity of the physiology of the kidney and water–salt homeostasis in humans is analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]