Human thermal physiological response of wearing personal protective equipment: An educational building semi-open space experimental investigation.

With the outbreak and spread of the COVID-19 epidemic, HCWs are frequently required to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) for nucleic acid sample collection in semi-open transition spaces. Wearing PPE causes significant psychological and physical stress in HCWs. In this study, operative temperature (Top) and wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) were used to assess thermal conditions through field experiments, while multiple physiological parameters were measured in the subjects. The results indicated that the subjects showed statistically significant differences in thermal perception and physiological parameters with and without PPE. Using observed increases in heart rate (HR), auditory canal temperature (Tac), mean skin temperature (MST), and end-tidal CO2 pressure, subjects were shown to have an increased metabolic rate and heat storage while wearing PPE. Additionally, a decrease in oxygen concentration was also observed, and this decrease may be linked to fatigue and cognitive impairment. Moreover, HR, MST, and Tac showed a significant linear relationship, which increased with temperature and operative temperature, and the HR response was stronger with PPE than without PPE. The neutral, preferred, and acceptable temperatures were significantly lower with PPE than without PPE, and the deviations for neutral Top/WBGT were 9.5/7.1 °C and preferred Top/WBGT was 2.2/4.0 °C, respectively. Moreover, the upper limits of acceptable WBGT, 29.4 °C with PPE and 20.4 °C without PPE, differed significantly between the two phases. Furthermore, the recorded physiological parameter responses and thermal perception responses of the subjects while wearing PPE indicated that they were at risk of thermal stress. Overall, these results suggest that people who wear PPE should focus on their health and thermal stress. This study provides a reference for the development of strategies to counteract heat stress and improve thermal comfort.

[Narratives on changes in health-related behaviours during lockdown in Spain according to gender]. / Narrativas sobre cambios de conductas en salud durante el confinamiento en España según género.

OBJECTIVE: To explore experiences related to health-oriented behaviours during lockdown in the Spanish resident population from a gender perspective. METHOD: Qualitative research with a critical and feminist approach. Twenty-nine semi-structured interviews (17 women and 12 men) were conducted between June and July 2020 via telephone with people who had previously answered an online survey. The interviews were transcribed and a thematic content analysis was carried out, differentiating between the experiences of women and men. The data were triangulated by the research team. RESULTS: Among women, greater diversity emerged in terms of health behaviours. Among them, the difficult experiences related to COVID-19, the complexity of living together and doing unpaid care work, as well as the importance of support networks, stood out. Among men, there were different attitudes towards sport, self-care and having time for healthy eating were positively valued, and there was a good assessment of coexistence and organisation in household chores. In both men and women, work overload and economic problems were related to emotional distress and difficulties in carrying out healthy activities. CONCLUSIONS: Health-oriented behaviours during lockdown differed according to gender. They were mostly limited to COVID-19 experiences, socio-economic conditions and burden of care. It is essential to tailor public health and primary care programmes according to people's life moments, taking into account their social context and questioning traditional gender roles.

A qualitative study on stress, coping strategies and feasibility of music intervention among women with cancer receiving chemotherapy during COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam.

Breast and gynaecological cancer (BGC) patients receiving chemotherapy may experience high levels of stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Music interventions may be effective in lowering their stress levels. This study explored stressors, coping strategies, and the feasibility of music interventions among BGC patients in Vietnam. An exploratory qualitative study with individual face-to-face semi-structured interviews was conducted. A convenience sample of BGC patients receiving chemotherapy was recruited from the oncology centre of a public hospital in Vietnam. Twenty patients were interviewed with open-ended questions developed based on the transactional model of stress and coping to explore stress-causing factors and coping strategies and based on guidelines for music therapy practice to explore their music preferences and perceptions. Field notes and interview transcripts were analysed following the qualitative content analysis approach. Two stressor themes were identified: undesirable experiences during treatment and patients' inability to fulfil their own roles and responsibilities. Our findings revealed a new coping strategy-self-realisation of responsibilities towards the family-that is not listed in the transactional model of stress and coping. Future psychological interventions for stress management among BGC patients should focus on raising the patients' awareness of their values and responsibilities towards their families. Three categories of preferred music genres for stress reduction were identified: religious, softly melodic, and revolutionary music. The patients were aware of the positive effects of music and had different musical preferences. This study also explored the acceptance of music interventions and facilitators and barriers to implementing them among BGC patients in Vietnam. The findings suggest that before implementing music interventions, the musical preferences, religions, and beliefs of each individual should be considered to achieve desirable results. Music interventions for BGC patients receiving chemotherapy in Vietnam are feasible. Further intervention studies are needed to evaluate their effectiveness.

CRISPR/Cas Genome Editing Technologies for Plant Improvement against Biotic and Abiotic Stresses: Advances, Limitations, and Future Perspectives.

Crossbreeding, mutation breeding, and traditional transgenic breeding take much time to improve desirable characters/traits. CRISPR/Cas-mediated genome editing (GE) is a game-changing tool that can create variation in desired traits, such as biotic and abiotic resistance, increase quality and yield in less time with easy applications, high efficiency, and low cost in producing the targeted edits for rapid improvement of crop plants. Plant pathogens and the severe environment cause considerable crop losses worldwide. GE approaches have emerged and opened new doors for breeding multiple-resistance crop varieties. Here, we have summarized recent advances in CRISPR/Cas-mediated GE for resistance against biotic and abiotic stresses in a crop molecular breeding program that includes the modification and improvement of genes response to biotic stresses induced by fungus, virus, and bacterial pathogens. We also discussed in depth the application of CRISPR/Cas for abiotic stresses (herbicide, drought, heat, and cold) in plants. In addition, we discussed the limitations and future challenges faced by breeders using GE tools for crop improvement and suggested directions for future improvements in GE for agricultural applications, providing novel ideas to create super cultivars with broad resistance to biotic and abiotic stress.

Prolonged Physiological Stress Is Associated With a Lower Rate of Exploratory Learning That Is Compounded by Depression.

BACKGROUND: Stress is a major risk factor for depression, and both are associated with important changes in decision-making patterns. However, decades of research have only weakly connected physiological measurements of stress to the subjective experience of depression. Here, we examined the relationship between prolonged physiological stress, mood, and explore-exploit decision making in a population navigating a dynamic environment under stress: health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We measured hair cortisol levels in health care workers who completed symptom surveys and performed an explore-exploit restless-bandit decision-making task; 32 participants were included in the final analysis. Hidden Markov and reinforcement learning models assessed task behavior. RESULTS: Participants with higher hair cortisol exhibited less exploration (r = -0.36, p = .046). Higher cortisol levels predicted less learning during exploration (ß = -0.42, false discovery rate [FDR]-corrected p [pFDR] = .022). Importantly, mood did not independently correlate with cortisol concentration, but rather explained additional variance (ß = 0.46, pFDR = .022) and strengthened the relationship between higher cortisol and lower levels of exploratory learning (ß = -0.47, pFDR = .022) in a joint model. These results were corroborated by a reinforcement learning model, which revealed less learning with higher hair cortisol and low mood (ß = -0.67, pFDR = .002). CONCLUSIONS: These results imply that prolonged physiological stress may limit learning from new information and lead to cognitive rigidity, potentially contributing to burnout. Decision-making measures link subjective mood states to measured physiological stress, suggesting that they should be incorporated into future biomarker studies of mood and stress conditions.

PFAPA flares observed during COVID outbreak: can emotional stress trigger PFAPA attacks? A multicenter cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: It is common knowledge among clinicians who treat PFAPA (Periodic Fever, Aphthous Stomatitis, Pharyngitis, Adenitis) patients that emotional stress can trigger PFAPA attacks similarly to other autoinflammatory diseases. However, it has never been proved scientifically. Our aim was to examine whether emotional stress serves as a trigger for PFAPA attacks. METHODS: Patients aged 3-12 years, with active PFAPA, from two Israeli medical centers were enrolled to this study. Patient's parents were reached via phone calls in two occasions: a stressful period related to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and a less stressful period. In both times they were asked to report occurrence of PFAPA attacks in the preceding 2 weeks. The relative stress levels of the two periods were validated by an emotional distress scale questionnaire. The significance level was set at 0.05. RESULTS: Mean age was 7.28 ± 2.7 for the 99 paediatric patients enrolled in the study. Scores for the mean emotional distress questionnaire were statistically significant higher in the stressful period compared to the less stressful period (35.6 ± 8.1 vs. 32.1 ±7.7, respectively, P = 0.047). In the stressful period, 41 (38.7%) reported at least one attack during the preceding 2 weeks, compared to 24 (22.6%) in the less stressful period (p = 0.017). CONCLUSION: PFAPA flares during COVID-19 outbreak are described. This study is the first to suggest that emotional stress is associated with PFAPA attacks.

Dynamic and Comparative Transcriptome Analyses Reveal Key Factors Contributing to Cadmium Tolerance in Broomcorn Millet.

Broomcorn millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) has great potential in Cd phytoextraction, but its mechanisms are largely unknown. Two contrasting broomcorn millet varieties, 'Ningmi6' (Cd-sensitive variety) and '4452' (Cd-tolerant variety), were investigated through morphological, physiological, and transcriptomic analyses to determine the factors responsible for their differential Cd tolerance and translocation. The Cd-tolerant variety can accumulate more Cd, and its cell wall and vacuole component Cd proportions were higher compared with the Cd-sensitive variety. Under Cd stress, the glutathione content and peroxidase activity of the Cd-tolerant variety were significantly higher than those of the Cd-sensitive variety. Additionally, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) revealed hub modules that were associated with Cd stress and/or variety. Notably, genes involved in these hub modules were significantly enriched for roles in glutathione metabolism, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, ABC transport, and metal ion transport process. These results suggested that regulation of genes associated with cell wall precipitation and vacuole compartmentalization may increase Cd tolerance and reduce Cd translocation in the Cd-tolerant variety, although it can absorb more Cd. This study provides a foundation for exploring molecular mechanisms of Cd tolerance and transport in broomcorn millet and new insights into improving Cd phytoremediation with this crop through genetic engineering.

Determinants of Chronic Biological Stress, Measured as Hair Cortisol Concentration, in a General Population of Adolescents: From Individual and Household Characteristics to Neighborhood Urbanicity.

Chronic biological stress may adversely affect adolescents' physical and mental health, but insight in the personal and environmental factors that determine chronic stress is limited. We measured 3-month cumulative hair cortisol concentration (HCC) in 419 adolescents, participating in the Flemish Environment and Health Study. Adolescents' health and lifestyle characteristics, household and neighborhood socio-economic status as well as neighborhood urbanicity were assessed as potential determinants of HCC, using multiple linear regression models. We additionally explored heterogeneity of our results by sex. HCC were significantly higher in boys from densely populated neighborhoods, the association was not significant in girls. Accordingly, boys living outside cities had significantly lower HCC than boys, living in cities. HCC was significantly lower in adolescents with an optimal vitality, a measure of a positive mental health status. In adolescent girls, menarcheal status (pre-/postmenarche) was a significant determinant of HCC. Our findings are the first to suggest that residential urbanicity may have an impact on chronic biological stress in a general population of adolescent boys.

Characteristics and impact of Long Covid: Findings from an online survey.

BACKGROUND: Long Covid is a public health concern that needs defining, quantifying, and describing. We aimed to explore the initial and ongoing symptoms of Long Covid following SARS-CoV-2 infection and describe its impact on daily life. METHODS: We collected self-reported data through an online survey using convenience non-probability sampling. The survey enrolled adults who reported lab-confirmed (PCR or antibody) or suspected COVID-19 who were not hospitalised in the first two weeks of illness. This analysis was restricted to those with self-reported Long Covid. Univariate comparisons between those with and without confirmed COVID-19 infection were carried out and agglomerative hierarchical clustering was used to identify specific symptom clusters, and their demographic and functional correlates. RESULTS: We analysed data from 2550 participants with a median duration of illness of 7.6 months (interquartile range (IQR) 7.1-7.9). 26.5% reported lab-confirmation of infection. The mean age was 46.5 years (standard deviation 11 years) with 82.8% females and 79.9% of participants based in the UK. 89.5% described their health as good, very good or excellent before COVID-19. The most common initial symptoms that persisted were exhaustion, chest pressure/tightness, shortness of breath and headache. Cognitive dysfunction and palpitations became more prevalent later in the illness. Most participants described fluctuating (57.7%) or relapsing symptoms (17.6%). Physical activity, stress, and sleep disturbance commonly triggered symptoms. A third (32%) reported they were unable to live alone without any assistance at six weeks from start of illness. 16.9% reported being unable to work solely due to COVID-19 illness. 37.0% reported loss of income due to illness, and 64.4% said they were unable to perform usual activities/duties. Acute systems clustered broadly into two groups: a majority cluster (n = 2235, 88%) with cardiopulmonary predominant symptoms, and a minority cluster (n = 305, 12%) with multisystem symptoms. Similarly, ongoing symptoms broadly clustered in two groups; a majority cluster (n = 2243, 88.8%) exhibiting mainly cardiopulmonary, cognitive symptoms and exhaustion, and a minority cluster (n = 283, 11.2%) exhibiting more multisystem symptoms. Belonging to the more severe multisystem cluster was associated with more severe functional impact, lower income, younger age, being female, worse baseline health, and inadequate rest in the first two weeks of the illness, with no major differences in the cluster patterns when restricting analysis to the lab-confirmed subgroup. CONCLUSION: This is an exploratory survey of Long Covid characteristics. Whilst this is a non-representative population sample, it highlights the heterogeneity of persistent symptoms, and the significant functional impact of prolonged illness following confirmed or suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection. To study prevalence, predictors and prognosis, research is needed in a representative population sample using standardised case definitions.

Future anxiety and coping methods of nursing students during COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study.

ABSTRACT: The aim of this research is to examine the methods of nursing students to deal with future anxiety and stress.It is a cross-sectional survey conducted in Turkey with 291 students in Çukurova University of Faculty of Health Sciences, Kahramanmaras Sütçü Imam University Health College and Batman University Health College Nursing Department in June 2020. Personal Data Form, Stress Coping Scale, State and Trait Anxiety Scale were sent online to students' smartphones and/or e-mails as data collection tools and it was collected this way.The mean age of the participants was 21.09 ±â€Š2.02 (years). 78% of respondents were women. 48.4% of the participants were students of Çukurova University. It was determined that 201 (69.1%) of the participants isolated themselves during the pandemic. It was found that 171 students (58.8%) spent 23 to 24 hours at home, whereas 284 students (97.6%) spent time with their parents/siblings. 47.4% of respondents stated that they had spent the pandemic watching a series/film. 47.1% of respondents had good family relationships. 50.2% of respondents had good relationships with college friends. 74.9% of respondents said they were happy. Women's trait anxiety scale scores were higher than men's (P < .05). Men have higher problem-Oriented coping scores than women (P < .05). Significant differences were found in the Status Anxiety Scale scores and trait anxiety scale scores according to self-isolation status (P < .05). A significant difference was found in terms of state anxiety scale and trait anxiety scale according to happiness status (P < .05). The problem-based coping scores of those who were happy with the Stress Coping Scale were higher than those who were not happy (P < .05). The state anxiety scale of the students was 42.54, and the trait anxiety scale was 45.16.Nursing students' status and sustained Anxiety Scale scores were moderate. It is important for individuals to have good family and friends and to be happy in the process of the Corona Virus Disease pandemic.

Mathematical Approach to Investigate Stress due to Control Measures to Curb COVID-19.

COVID-19 is a world pandemic that has affected and continues to affect the social lives of people. Due to its social and economic impact, different countries imposed preventive measures that are aimed at reducing the transmission of the disease. Such control measures include physical distancing, quarantine, hand-washing, travel and boarder restrictions, lockdown, and the use of hand sanitizers. Quarantine, out of the aforementioned control measures, is considered to be more stressful for people to manage. When people are stressed, their body immunity becomes weak, which leads to multiplying of coronavirus within the body. Therefore, a mathematical model consisting of six compartments, Susceptible-Exposed-Quarantine-Infectious-Hospitalized-Recovered (SEQIHR) was developed, aimed at showing the impact of stress on the transmission of COVID-19 disease. From the model formulated, the positivity, bounded region, existence, uniqueness of the solution, the model existence of free and endemic equilibrium points, and local and global stability were theoretically proved. The basic reproduction number (R 0) was derived by using the next-generation matrix method, which shows that, when R 0 < 1, the disease-free equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable whereas when R 0 > 1 the endemic equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable. Moreover, the Partial Rank Correlation Coefficient (PRCC) method was used to study the correlation between model parameters and R 0. Numerically, the SEQIHR model was solved by using the Rung-Kutta fourth-order method, while the least square method was used for parameter identifiability. Furthermore, graphical presentation revealed that when the mental health of an individual is good, the body immunity becomes strong and hence minimizes the infection. Conclusively, the control parameters have a significant impact in reducing the transmission of COVID-19.

The Role of Na+/K+-ATPase in the Development of Hyponatrenemia under Conditions of Hypoxic Stress in Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

We studied laboratory parameters of patients with COVID-19 against the background of chronic pathologies (cardiovascular pathologies, obesity, type 2 diabetes melitus, and cardiovascular pathologies with allergy to statins). A decrease in pH and a shift in the electrolyte balance of blood plasma were revealed in all studied groups and were most pronounced in patients with cardiovascular pathologies with allergy to statin. It was found that low pH promotes destruction of lipid components of the erythrocyte membranes in patients with chronic pathologies, which was seen from a decrease in Na+/K+-ATPase activity and significant hyponatrenemia. In patients with cardiovascular pathologies and allergy to statins, erythrocyte membranes were most sensitive to a decrease in pH, while erythrocyte membranes of obese patients showed the greatest resistance to low pH and oxidative stress.

Mother and child hair cortisol during the COVID-19 pandemic: Associations among physiological stress, pandemic-related behaviors, and child emotional-behavioral health.

The current study assessed the associations between pandemic-related stressors and physiological stress, as indexed by hair cortisol concentration (HCC), for mothers and their children (N = 180) aged 5-14-years old (M = 8.91). The associations between maternal HCC and children's HCC and children's behavioral adjustment were also examined. Mothers reported on COVID-19-related behaviors and children's adjustment, and both mother and child participants collected and mailed hair samples between August and November of 2020. Results indicated that higher maternal HCC was correlated with living in a more urban environment, job loss, working from home, exposure to pandemic-related news, and social isolation. Child HCC was correlated with family job loss and social isolation. Mother HCC and child HCC were significantly associated, and this association was moderated by child age; younger children's HCC was more strongly associated with mothers' HCC than older children's HCC. Finally, maternal HCC was associated with greater child internalizing symptoms, but was not associated with children's externalizing symptoms. Child HCC was not associated with child behavior.

The Outcomes of Patients Incidentally Confirmed with Covid-19 After Cardiac Surgery.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical outcomes of cardiac surgery in patients who were incidentally diagnosed with Covid-19 in the postoperative period. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed 826 open cardiac surgeries in five tertiary centers. Most of the surgeries were elective coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) (93.8%). A preoperative RT-PCR test and transcutaneous oxygen saturation were routinely investigated prior to surgery. We also investigated whether the patients already received Covid-19 treatment or had any contact with a Covid-19 patient in the last two weeks. We analyzed high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), d-dimer, and fibrinogen, which plays a main role in the activation of procoagulant state after surgeries. RESULTS: Acute lung injury related to Covid-19 activation was observed in 48 out of 826 patients (5.8%). The median age of 48 patients was 63.9±12.4 years. Euro-Score and body mass index (BMI) were 6.1±1.1 and 29.2±4.1kg/m², respectively. RT-PCR test results were positive in 29 patients (60.4%). We performed thoracic computed tomography (CT) in all patients with or without positive RT-PCR test results. Thoracic CT images showed that there was a different degree of ARDS (mild, moderate, and serious). The median time of extracorporeal circulation (ECC) was 93.2±14.6 min. in on-pump surgery (IQR, 68-155 min.). Common symptoms included dyspnea (N = 22; 45.8%) and fever (N = 12; 25%). Eleven patients needed readmission to ICU. Compared with non-admitted to ICU patients, ICU patients were higher comorbidities and severe laboratory abnormalities (eg, high blood d-dimer and fibrinogen). We also detected significantly low oxygen saturation, hypercapnia, and severe acidosis in readmitted patients. Radiologic investigations showed that there were severe ARDS with bilateral pneumonic infiltration resistant to medical treatment in 6 out of 11 patients who died (54.5%). CONCLUSION: Diffuse pneumonic infiltration related to Covid-19 may develop in asymptomatic cardiac surgery patients with negative RT-PCR test results. Immunologic disorders resulting from ECC, physiologic distress, and anesthesia may activate Covid-19 during the incubation period. We need randomized clinical trials to explain Covid-19 activation in the latent period of the virus, and clinical outcomes in cardiac surgery.

The voice of those who provide care during the pandemic - a lexicographic study in Brazil-Portugal.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the most frequent words in interviews given by nurses during the coronavirus pandemic. METHOD: This is a qualitative, exploratory, descriptive study, carried out with 45 interviews granted by nurses to newspapers of great circulation in Brazil and Portugal. The data were processed using the ATLAS.ti® software and analyzed using the word cloud tool. RESULTS: The seven most frequent words were: "home" (respect for isolation), "nurses" (valuing of the profession and structural problems), "patients/diseased" and "care" (referring to the severity of the disease), "family" (missing her own family/emotional stress) and "fear" (fear of contamination of oneself and others). FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: The word cloud revealed how straining nurses' experiences have been and reinforced the urgent need to rethink nursing work and the risks faced. Reflections like this contribute to the construction of more valued nursing and public policies for the protection of nurses.

The TPR- and J-domain-containing proteins DJC31 and DJC62 are involved in abiotic stress responses in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Molecular chaperones play an important role during the response to different stresses. Since plants are sessile organisms, they need to be able to adapt quickly to different conditions. To do so, plants possess a complex chaperone machinery, composed of HSP70, HSP90, J proteins and other factors. In this study we characterized DJC31 (also known as TPR16) and DJC62 (also known as TPR15) of Arabidopsis thaliana, two J proteins that additionally carry clamp-type tetratricopeptide repeat domains. Using cell fractionation and split GFP, we could show that both proteins are attached to the cytosolic side of the endoplasmic reticulum membrane. Moreover, an interaction with cytosolic HSP70.1 and HSP90.2 could be shown using bimolecular fluorescence complementation. Knockout of both DJC31 and DJC62 caused severe defects in growth and development, which affected almost all organs. Furthermore, it could be shown that the double mutant is more sensitive to osmotic stress and treatment with abscisic acid, but surprisingly exhibited enhanced tolerance to drought. Taken together, these findings indicate that DJC31 and DJC62 might act as important regulators of chaperone-dependent signaling pathways involved in plant development and stress responses.

Pituitary-Adrenal Responses and Glucocorticoid Receptor Expression in Critically Ill Patients with COVID-19.

The hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis was described as the principal component of the stress response 85 years ago, along with the acute-phase reaction, and the defense response at the tissue level. The orchestration of these processes is essential since systemic inflammation is a double-edged sword; whereas inflammation that is timely and of appropriate magnitude is beneficial, exuberant systemic inflammation incites tissue damage with potentially devastating consequences. Apart from its beneficial cardiovascular and metabolic effects, cortisol exerts a significant immunoregulatory role, a major attribute being that it restrains the excessive inflammatory reaction, thereby preventing unwanted tissue damage. In this review, we will discuss the role of the HPA axis in the normal stress response and in critical illness, especially in critically ill patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Finally, a chapter will be dedicated to the findings from clinical studies in critical illness and COVID-19 on the expression of the mediator of glucocorticoid actions, the glucocorticoid receptor (GCR).

Rice SUT and SWEET Transporters.

Sugar transporters play important or even indispensable roles in sugar translocation among adjacent cells in the plant. They are mainly composed of sucrose-proton symporter SUT family members and SWEET family members. In rice, 5 and 21 members are identified in these transporter families, and some of their physiological functions have been characterized on the basis of gene knockout or knockdown strategies. Existing evidence shows that most SUT members play indispensable roles, while many SWEET members are seemingly not so critical in plant growth and development regarding whether their mutants display an aberrant phenotype or not. Generally, the expressions of SUT and SWEET genes focus on the leaf, stem, and grain that represent the source, transport, and sink organs where carbohydrate production, allocation, and storage take place. Rice SUT and SWEET also play roles in both biotic and abiotic stress responses in addition to plant growth and development. At present, these sugar transporter gene regulation mechanisms are largely unclear. In this review, we compare the expressional profiles of these sugar transporter genes on the basis of chip data and elaborate their research advances. Some suggestions concerning future investigation are also proposed.

Comparative Computational Modeling of the Bat and Human Immune Response to Viral Infection with the Comparative Biology Immune Agent Based Model.

Given the impact of pandemics due to viruses of bat origin, there is increasing interest in comparative investigation into the differences between bat and human immune responses. The practice of comparative biology can be enhanced by computational methods used for dynamic knowledge representation to visualize and interrogate the putative differences between the two systems. We present an agent based model that encompasses and bridges differences between bat and human responses to viral infection: the comparative biology immune agent based model, or CBIABM. The CBIABM examines differences in innate immune mechanisms between bats and humans, specifically regarding inflammasome activity and type 1 interferon dynamics, in terms of tolerance to viral infection. Simulation experiments with the CBIABM demonstrate the efficacy of bat-related features in conferring viral tolerance and also suggest a crucial role for endothelial inflammasome activity as a mechanism for bat systemic viral tolerance and affecting the severity of disease in human viral infections. We hope that this initial study will inspire additional comparative modeling projects to link, compare, and contrast immunological functions shared across different species, and in so doing, provide insight and aid in preparation for future viral pandemics of zoonotic origin.