A Role for miRNAs in the Regulation of Brown Adipose Tissue Whitening in Goats (Capra Hircus).

A study of the mechanism of and metabolic regulation of brown adipose tissue (BAT) production is important for improving the survival rate of young animals. In the present study, we observed that perirenal adipose tissue in goats undergoes a rapid BAT whitening after birth. However, the underlying regulatory mechanism remains unknown. To address this further, we investigated the role of miRNAs in regulating the whitening process of BAT in goats. First, we identified the dynamic expression profiles of miRNAs during the whitening of BAT in Dazu black goat using RNA-seq. We identified a total of 1374 miRNAs, including 408 exist miRNAs, 693 known miRNAs, and 273 novel miRNAs. By analysis of the differentially expressed miRNAs (DE miRNAs), we found that 102 highly expressed miRNAs, including chi-miR-144-3p, chi-miR-144-5p, chi-miR-378-5p, chi-miR-136-3p, chi-miR-381, chi-miR-323b, chi-miR-1197-3p, chi-miR-411b-3p, and chi-miR-487a-3p, were enriched in BAT. In addition, 60 highly expressed miRNAs, including chi-miR-184, chi-miR-193a, chi-miR-193b-3p, chi-let-7c-5p, and chi-let-7e-5p, were enriched in white fat-like tissue. An analysis of miRNAs that were linearly down-regulated (profile 0) or linearly up-regulated (profile 19) over the D0 - D28 period found that these DE miRNAs were mainly enriched in the Hippo signaling pathway, Cytokine-cytokine receptor interactions, and the TGF-beta signaling pathway. Furthermore, we confirmed that chi-let-7e-5p promotes the proliferation and differentiation of brown adipocytes. These results should facilitate a better understanding of the molecular regulation of miRNAs involved in BAT whitening in goats.

Global gene expression profiling of perirenal brown adipose tissue whitening in goat kids reveals novel genes linked to adipose remodeling.

BACKGROUND: Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is known to be capable of non-shivering thermogenesis under cold stimulation, which is related to the mortality of animals. In the previous study, we observed that goat BAT is mainly located around the kidney at birth, and changes to white adipose tissue (WAT) in the perirenal adipose tissue of goats within one month after birth. However, the regulatory factors underlying this change is remain unclear. In this study, we systematically studied the perirenal adipose tissue of goat kids in histological, cytological, and accompanying molecular level changes from 0 to 28 d after birth. RESULTS: Our study found a higher mortality rate in winter-born goat kids, with goat birthing data statistics. Then we used thermal imaging revealing high temperature in goat hips at postnatal 0 d and gradually decrease during 28 d. This is consistent with the region of perirenal BAT deposition and highlights its critical role in energy expenditure and body temperature regulation in goat kids. Additionally, we found a series of changes of BAT during the first 28 d after birth, such as whitening, larger lipid droplets, decreased mitochondrial numbers, and down-regulation of key thermogenesis-related genes (UCP1, DIO2, UCP2, CIDEA, PPARGC1a, C/EBPb, and C/EBPa). Then, we used RNA-seq found specific marker genes for goat adipose tissue and identified 12 new marker genes for BAT and 10 new marker genes for WAT of goats. Furthermore, 12 candidate genes were found to potentially regulate goat BAT thermogenesis. The mechanism of the change of this biological phenomenon does not involve a large-scale death of brown adipocytes and subsequent proliferation of white adipocytes. While apoptosis may play a limited role, it is largely not critical in this transition process. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that perirenal BAT plays a crucial role in thermoregulation in newborn goat kids, with notable species differences in the expression of adipose tissue marker genes, and we highlighted some potential marker genes for goat BAT and WAT. Additionally, the change from BAT to WAT does not involve a large-scale death of brown adipocytes and subsequent proliferation of white adipocytes.

Remodelers of the vascular microenvironment: The effect of biopolymeric hydrogels on vascular diseases.

Vascular disease is the leading health problem worldwide. Vascular microenvironment encompasses diverse cell types, including those within the vascular wall, blood cells, stromal cells, and immune cells. Initiation of the inflammatory state of the vascular microenvironment and changes in its mechanics can profoundly affect vascular homeostasis. Biomedical materials play a crucial role in modern medicine, hydrogels, characterized by their high-water content, have been increasingly utilized as a three-dimensional interaction network. In recent times, the remarkable progress in utilizing hydrogels and understanding vascular microenvironment have enabled the treatment of vascular diseases. In this review, we give an emphasis on the utilization of hydrogels and their advantages in the various vascular diseases including atherosclerosis, aneurysm, vascular ulcers of the lower limbs and myocardial infarction. Further, we highlight the importance and advantages of hydrogels as artificial microenvironments.

Liquid Metal Encased in Biomimic Polydopamine Armor to Reinforce Photothermal Conversion and Photothermal Stability.

Liquid metal (LM) faces numerous obstacles like spontaneous coalescence, prone oxidizability, and deterioration in photothermal conversion, impeding the potential application as photothermal agent. To tackle these issues, several studies have focused on surface engineering strategy. Developing a feasible and efficient surface engineering strategy is crucial to prevent the aggregation and coalescence of LM, while also ensuring exceptional photothermal conversion and biosecurity. In order to achieve these goals in this work, the biomimetic polydopamine (PDA) armor was chosen to encase a typical LM (eutectic gallium-indium-tin alloy) via self-polymerization. Characterization results showed that the PDA encased LM nanoparticle exhibited enhanced photothermal stability, photothermal conversion, and biosecurity, which could be derived from the following factors: (1) The PDA protective shell acted as an "armor", isolating LM from dissolved oxygen and water, inhibiting heating-accelerated oxidation and shape morphing. (2) The exceptional near-infrared absorption of PDA was conducive to the photothermal conversion. (3) The biomimetic characteristic of polydopamine (PDA) was advantageous for improving the biosecurity. Hence, this work presented a new surface engineering strategy to reinforce LM for photothermal conversion application.

Influence of Verbal Instruction on Gait Training in Parkinson Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: Verbal instruction is one of the most commonly used methods that therapists use to correct walking pattern for people with Parkinson disease. This study aimed to compare the long-term training effects of two different verbal instructions that either asked the participants to "take big steps" or "strike the ground with the heel" on walking ability in individuals with Parkinson disease. DESIGN: Forty-five participants with Parkinson disease were randomized into the big-step or heel strike group. The participants underwent 12 sessions of treadmill and overground gait training. Throughout the interventions, the big-step group received an instruction to "take big steps," while the heel strike group received an instruction to "strike the ground with your heel." The primary outcome was gait performance, including velocity, stride length, cadence, and heel strike angle. The participants were assessed before, immediately after, and 1 mo after training. RESULTS: Both groups showed significant improvements in gait performance after training. The heel strike group showed continuous improvements in velocity and stride length during the follow-up period; however, the big-step group showed slightly decreased performance. CONCLUSIONS: A verbal instruction emphasizing heel strike can facilitate long-term retention of walking performance in people with Parkinson disease.

Ancestral neural circuits potentiate the origin of a female sexual behavior.

Courtship interactions are remarkably diverse in form and complexity among species. How neural circuits evolve to encode new behaviors that are functionally integrated into these dynamic social interactions is unknown. Here we report a recently originated female sexual behavior in the island endemic Drosophila species D. santomea, where females signal receptivity to male courtship songs by spreading their wings, which in turn promotes prolonged songs in courting males. Copulation success depends on this female signal and correlates with males' ability to adjust his singing in such a social feedback loop. Functional comparison of sexual circuitry across species suggests that a pair of descending neurons, which integrates male song stimuli and female internal state to control a conserved female abdominal behavior, drives wing spreading in D. santomea. This co-option occurred through the refinement of a pre-existing, plastic circuit that can be optogenetically activated in an outgroup species. Combined, our results show that the ancestral potential of a socially-tuned key circuit node to engage the wing motor program facilitates the expression of a new female behavior in appropriate sensory and motivational contexts. More broadly, our work provides insights into the evolution of social behaviors, particularly female behaviors, and the underlying neural mechanisms.

The influences of finite aperture size in photoacoustic computed tomography.

In photoacoustic computed tomography (PACT), the "finite aperture effect" is often characterized as a tangential resolution that increases proportionally with the distance from the rotation center. However, this conclusion is based on the inaccurate point-detector assumption used in image reconstruction. In this study, we appropriately modeled the finite size of the acoustic detector in the back-projection (BP) based image reconstruction to improve the accuracy of the time delay calculation and systematically investigated its effects. Our results showed that the main effect of the finite aperture size is the creation of a limited high-quality imaging region (HQIR) around the scanning center, due to the directional sensitivity of the detector. We also demonstrated that the "finite aperture effect" can reduce the optimal number of detectors required for spatial anti-aliasing. These new findings provide novel perspectives for optimizing PACT systems and corresponding reconstruction methods.

LC-ESI-QTOF-MS2 Characterization of Phenolic Compounds in Different Lentil (Lens culinaris M.) Samples and Their Antioxidant Capacity.

BACKGROUND: Lentil (Lens culinaris M.) is a legume widely consumed worldwide. It is rich in bioactive compounds, including polyphenolic compounds that contribute to positive health benefits. METHODS: This study aimed to determine the phenolic content and antioxidant activity of black, red, green, and brown whole lentils. Towards this end, the lentils' phenolic compounds were evaluated regarding their total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), total tannin content (TTC), total condensed tannin (TCT), total proanthocyanin content (TPAC), total anthocyanin content (TAC). For the antioxidant activity 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 2,2'-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), hydroxyl radical scavenging activity (•OH-RSA), ferrous ion chelating activity (FICA), reducing power assay (RPA) and phosphomolybdate (PMA) assay were accessed. To identify individual phenolic compounds, liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-QTOF-MS2) was used. RESULTS: The results showed that green lentils exhibited the highest TPC (0.96 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g) whereas red lentils presented the highest TFC (0.06 mg quercetin equivalents (QE)/g). Black lentils were noted with the highest TCT (0.03 mg catechin equivalents (CE)/g), TPAC (0.009 mg cyanidin chloride equivalents (CCE)/g), and TAC (3.32 mg/100 g) contents. While the greatest TTC (2.05 mg tannic acid equivalents (TAE)/g) was observed in the brown lentil. Regarding the total antioxidant capacity, red lentils (4.01 mg ascorbic acid equivalents (AAE)/g) presented the greatest activity, whereas the lowest was found in the brown samples (2.31 mg AAE/g). The LC-ESI-QTOF-MS2 tentatively identified a total of 22 phenolic compounds, containing 6 phenolic acids, 13 flavonoids, 2 lignans, and 1 other polyphenol. The relationships among phenolic compounds by Venn Diagram showed a high number of overlapping compounds in brown and red lentils (6.7%), and a low number of overlapping compounds between the green, brown, and black lentils (2.6%). Flavonoids were the most abundant phenolic compound within the studied whole lentils, with the brown lentils being the richest in phenolic compounds, especially flavonoids. CONCLUSIONS: This study emphasized a comprehensive understanding of the antioxidant potential of lentils and disclosed the phenolic distribution across various lentil samples. This may increase interest in the development of functional food products, nutraceutical ingredients, and pharmaceutical applications with lentils.

In vitro digestion and colonic fermentation of phenolic compounds and their bioaccessibility from raw and roasted nut kernels.

Roasting and digestion affect nut kernel phenolic compounds' bioaccessibility and bioactivity. In this study, three types of raw and commercially roasted nut kernels (almonds, cashews, and walnuts) were treated by in vitro digestion and colonic fermentation. The objective was to analyze the effect of roasting on their phenolic content, associated antioxidant potential, bioaccessibility, and short chain fatty acid (SCFA) synthesis altering. Among these, raw and roasted walnuts performed best, with significantly higher total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), free radical scavenging (2,2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay) values, and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) values after completing gastrointestinal digestion. With the exception of cashews, roasting had no significant effect on antioxidant capacity during digestion from oral to small intestinal phase. Almonds showed the highest DPPH values after 16-hour colonic fermentation, reaching above 7.60 mg TE per g. Roasting had a positive effect on the free radical savagery capacity of walnuts within 16-24 hours of fecal fermentation. Significant differences were found in the bioaccessibility of individual compounds in raw and roasted nuts. As for almond and walnut, roasting increases the release and breakdown of phenolic compounds during colonic fermentation and have a positive impact on the bioaccessibility of specific phenolic compounds. The colonic bioaccessibility of most phenolic compounds was the highest. Due to heat polysaccharide breakdown, the total SCFAs produced were limited up to 0.03 mM. Raw almonds produced the most SCFAs at 16-hour fermentation and illustrated more benefits to gut health.

Intelligent attendance monitoring system with spatio-temporal human action recognition.

This paper proposes an intelligent attendance monitoring system based on spatio-temporal human action recognition, which includes human skeleton gait recognition, multi-action body silhouette recognition and face recognition. Our system solves several problems, for example, when a mask is worn to conceal the face, which leads to a decrease in recognition accuracy performance, and when a 3D face mask is used to fake an identity. The skeleton gait feature of our intelligent attendance monitoring system uses a temporal weighted K-nearest neighbours algorithm to train the recognition model and carry out identification, while the multi-action body silhouette feature uses a multiple K-nearest neighbours algorithm to train the recognition model, identify the person and vote on the outcome. Using the proposed system, which integrates skeleton gait features, action silhouette features and face features, more effective recognition can be achieved. When the system encounters a situation with feature masking, such as when an individual is wearing a mask or has changed their clothes, or when the viewing angle is masked, it can continue to deliver good recognition ability through multi-angle skeleton synthesis gait recognition. Our experimental results show that the recognition accuracy of the system is 83.33% when a specific person wears a mask and passes through a monitored area. The intelligent attendance monitoring system uses a LINE messaging API as the access control notification function and provides a responsive web platform that allows managers to perform follow-up management and monitoring.

In Vitro Gastrointestinal Bioaccessibility, Bioactivities and Colonic Fermentation of Phenolic Compounds in Different Vigna Beans.

Beans are widely consumed throughout the world, rich in non-nutrient phenolic compounds and other bioactive constituents, including alkaloids, lectins, and others. However, research about in vitro digestion impacts on the changes of bioactive compounds' release and related antioxidant potential in different Vigna beans is limited. This research aimed to assess the modifications that occur in the content and bioaccessibility of phenolic compounds in four Vigna samples (adzuki bean, black urid whole, black eye bean, and mung bean), their antioxidant properties, and short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) production through static in vitro gastrointestinal digestion and colonic fermentation. Adzuki bean exhibited relatively higher total phenolic content (TPC; 4.76 mg GAE/g) and antioxidant activities after in vitro digestion. The black eye beans' total flavonoid content (0.74 mg QE/g) and total condensed tannins (10.43 mg CE/g) displayed higher tendencies. For colonic fermentation, the greatest TPC value of entire samples was detected through a 2-h reaction. In most selected beans, phenolic compounds were comparably more bioaccessible during the oral phase. Acetic acid showed the highest level through SCFAs production, and the total SCFAs in adzuki beans was the greatest (0.021 mmol/L) after 16-h fermentation. Adzuki beans may be more beneficial to gut health and possess a stronger antioxidant potential after consumption.

Functional mobility effects of progressive early mobilization protocol on people with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury: A pre-post intervention study.

BACKGROUND: Brain plasticity evoked by environmental enrichment through early mobilization may improve sensorimotor functions of patients with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Increasing evidence also suggests that early mobilization increases verticalization, which is beneficial to TBI patients in critical care. However, there are limited data on early mobilization interventions provided to patients with moderate-to-severe TBI. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the possible enhancing effects of revised progressive early mobilization on functional mobility and the rate of out-of-bed mobility attained by patients with moderate-to-severe TBI. METHODS: This is a quantitative study with a retrospective and prospective pre-post intervention design. We implemented a revised progressive early mobilization protocol for patients with moderate-to-severe TBI admitted to the trauma intensive care unit (ICU) within the previous seven days. The outcome parameters were the rate of patients attaining early mobilization (sitting on the edge of the bed) and the Perme ICU Mobility Score at discharge from the ICU. The outcome parameters in the intervention cohort were compared with those from a historical control cohort who received standard medical care a year previously. Differences in the Perme ICU Mobility Score between the two cohorts were assessed using univariate analysis of covariance. RESULTS: Forty-two patients were included in the progressive early mobilization program and were compared with 44 patients who underwent standard medical care. In the intervention cohort, 100% and 57.2% of the patients completed early rehabilitation and early mobilization, respectively, compared to 0% in the control cohort. The intervention cohort at ICU discharge showed significantly improved the Perme ICU Mobility Scores. CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of the revised progressive early mobilization program for patients with moderate-to-severe TBI resulted in significantly improved mobility at ICU discharge; however, the length of overall stay in the ICU may be not affected.

Topographical Relationship Between Acute Macular Neuroretinopathy and Choroidal Watershed Zone or Patchy Choroidal Filling.

PURPOSE: To study the topographical relationship between acute macular neuroretinopathy (AMN) lesions and the choroidal watershed zone (CWZ) or patchy choroidal filling (PCF) using multimodal imaging. METHODS: Lesions in patients diagnosed with AMN were clinically examined using multimodal imaging, including fundus photography, near-infrared reflectance imaging, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT), fluorescein angiography, indocyanine green angiography, OCT angiography, and microperimetry. The topographical relationship between AMN and the CWZ or PCF was evaluated. RESULTS: Seven eyes of six patients were included in the study. The mean age of the patients was 35.8 ± 11.7 years. The AMN lesions were collocated with the CWZ in five eyes and the PCF in one eye. Among these eyes, three had complete patterns, and three had partial patterns. Only one eye showed no topographical relationship between AMN and the CWZ or PCF. CONCLUSION: The colocation of AMN and CWZ/PCF suggests that the AMN lesions were within an area with a dual-watershed zone: the watershed zone between the retinal deep capillary plexus and choriocapillaris, and the choroidal watershed zone or patchy choroidal filling. This retinal area was highly vulnerable to hypoperfusion. Our results suggest a novel pathophysiological mechanism for AMN.

In Vitro Digestion and Colonic Fermentation of UHT Treated Faba Protein Emulsions: Effects of Enzymatic Hydrolysis and Thermal Processing on Proteins and Phenolics.

Faba bean (Vicia faba L.) protein is a new plant protein alternative source with high nutrient content especially protein and phenolic compounds. The present study investigated physicochemical properties, phenolic content, antioxidant potential, and short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) production during in vitro digestion and colonic fermentation of faba bean hydrolysates and oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions. Results indicate that the enzymic hydrolysates of faba proteins exhibited higher protein solubility, increased electronegativity, and decreased surface hydrophobicity than native faba protein. O/W emulsions showed improved colloidal stability for the faba protein hydrolysates after ultra-high temperature processing (UHT). Furthermore, UHT processing preserved total phenolic content, DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging abilities while decreasing total flavonoid content and ferric reducing power. Besides, the release of phenolic compounds in faba bean hydrolysates (FBH) and emulsions (FBE) improved after intestinal digestion by 0.44 mg GAE/g and 0.55 mg GAE/g, respectively. For colonic fermentation, FBH demonstrated an approximately 10 mg TE/g higher ABTS value than FBE (106.45 mg TE/g). Total SCFAs production of both FBH and FBE was only 0.03 mM. The treatment of FBH with 30 min enzymatic hydrolysis displayed relatively higher antioxidant capacities and SCFAs production, indicating its potential to bring more benefits to gut health. Overall, this study showed that enzymic hydrolysis of faba proteins not only improved the colloidal emulsion stability, but also released antioxidant capacity during in vitro digestibility and colonic fermentation. Colonic fermentation metabolites (SCFAs) were related to the degree of hydrolysis for both FBH and FBE. Additional studies are required to further elucidate and differentiate the role of phenolics during faba protein processing and digestion stages in comparison to contributions of peptides, amino acids and microelements to digestion rates, antioxidant capacities and colonial SCFA production.

Total venous nature of retinal deep capillary plexus inferred by continuity of prominent middle limiting membrane sign in optical coherence tomography.

This study aimed to theoretically identify the vascular nature of the deep capillary plexus (DCP) by examining patients presenting with both paracentral acute middle maculopathy (PAMM) and prominent middle limiting membrane (p-MLM) sign and p-MLM sign alone in spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). A retrospective review of the medical records of patients with retinal vein or artery occlusion from two tertiary medical centers was performed. Consecutive patients with a clinical diagnosis of all categories of retinal artery occlusion (RAO) and retinal vein occlusion (RVO) (branch or central and ischemic or non-ischemic) who had undergone SD-OCT imaging from January 2015 to May 2020 were recruited and their p-MLM signs and PAMM lesions were assessed. We included 118 patients who presented with p-MLM sign with or without PAMM lesions. Amon them, 40 were female and 78 were male, with a mean age of 61.1 years. Of the 109 patients with both p-MLM sign and PAMM lesions, 23 had branch RAO, two had branch RVO, 67 had central RAO, 13 had central RVO, and four had a combination of central RAO and central RVO. All nine patients with the p-MLM sign alone had central RVO accompanied by cystoid macular edema. In all the enrolled patients, the hyperreflective lines of the p-MLM sign were continuous, regardless of the type of PAMM lesions. In conclusion, when PAMM and p-MLM sign are examined together, further proof regarding the possible complete venous nature of the vasculature of the retinal DCP might be speculated.

Reliability of using foot-worn devices to measure gait parameters in people with Parkinson's disease.

BACKGROUND: Recent advances in technology have warranted the use of wearable sensors to monitor gait and posture. However, the psychometric properties of using wearable devices to measure gait-related outcomes have not been fully established in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the test-retest reliability of body-worn sensors for gait evaluation in people with PD. Additionally, the influence of disease severity on the reliability was determined. METHODS: Twenty individuals with PD were recruited. During the first evaluation, the participants wore inertial sensors on their shoes and walked along a walkway thrice at their comfortable walking speed. The participants were then required to return to the lab after 3-5 days to complete the second evaluation with the same study procedure. Test-retest reliability of gait-related outcomes were calculated. To determine whether the results would be affected by disease severity, reliability was re-calculated by subdividing the participants into early and mid-advanced stages of the disease. RESULTS: The results showed moderate to good reliability (ICC = 0.64-0.87) of the wearable sensors for gait assessment in the general population with PD. Subgroup analysis showed that the reliability was higher among patients at early stages (ICC = 0.71-0.97) compared to those at mid-advanced stages (ICC = 0.65-0.81) of PD. CONCLUSIONS: Wearable sensors could reliably measure gait parameters in people with PD, and the reliability was higher among individuals at early stages of the disease compared to those at mid-advanced stages. Absolute reliability values were calculated to act as references for future studies.

Multimodal Imaging of Parry Romberg Syndrome-associated Panuveitis: A Case Report and Review of Literature.

Purpose: We describe a case of Parry-Romberg syndrome (PRS) presenting with panuveitis and retinal vasculitis.Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of our patient's case and related literature published through May 2019.Results: A 26-year-old woman with history of PRS was diagnosed with panuveitis and retinal vasculitis. Intraocular inflammation was controlled with local and systemic corticosteroids. The relationship between PRS and intraocular inflammation is discussed with references to the relevant on literature.Conclusions: Our findings and the accompanying literature review suggest that the patient's ocular involvement included multiple fundus lesions, retinal vascular disorder, and unilateral poliosis - all of which may be attribute to trigeminal neuro vasculitis. As the Varicella-zoster virus may contribute to the onset of the autoimmune processes associated with PRS, this requires further exploration. This report confirms the utility of multimodal imaging in the study, screening, and follow-up of intraocular inflammation in patients with PRS.

Structures of Echovirus 30 in complex with its receptors inform a rational prediction for enterovirus receptor usage.

Receptor usage that determines cell tropism and drives viral classification closely correlates with the virus structure. Enterovirus B (EV-B) consists of several subgroups according to receptor usage, among which echovirus 30 (E30), a leading causative agent for human aseptic meningitis, utilizes FcRn as an uncoating receptor. However, receptors for many EVs remain unknown. Here we analyzed the atomic structures of E30 mature virion, empty- and A-particles, which reveals serotype-specific epitopes and striking conformational differences between the subgroups within EV-Bs. Of these, the VP1 BC loop markedly distinguishes E30 from other EV-Bs, indicative of a role as a structural marker for EV-B. By obtaining cryo-electron microscopy structures of E30 in complex with its receptor FcRn and CD55 and comparing its homologs, we deciphered the underlying molecular basis for receptor recognition. Together with experimentally derived viral receptor identifications, we developed a structure-based in silico algorithm to inform a rational prediction for EV receptor usage.

Corticomotor Excitability Changes Associated With Freezing of Gait in People With Parkinson Disease.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Freezing of gait (FOG) is a debilitating gait disorder in people with Parkinson's disease (PD). While various neuroimaging techniques have been used to investigate the pathophysiology of FOG, changes in corticomotor excitability associated with FOG have yet to be determined. Research to date has not concluded if changes in corticomotor excitability are associated with gait disturbances in this patient population. This study aimed to use transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to investigate corticomotor excitability changes associated with FOG. Furthermore, the relationship between corticomotor excitability and gait performances would be determined. METHODS: Eighteen participants with PD and FOG (PD + FOG), 15 without FOG (PD - FOG), and 15 non-disabled adults (Control) were recruited for this study. Single and paired-pulse TMS paradigms were used to assess corticospinal and intracortical excitability, respectively. Gait performance was measured by the 10-Meter-Walk test. Correlation analysis was performed to evaluate relationships between TMS outcomes and gait parameters. RESULTS: Compared with the Control group, the PD + FOG group showed a significantly lower resting motor threshold and reduced short intracortical inhibition (SICI). Correlation analysis revealed a relationship between resting motor evoked potential and step length, and between SICI and walking velocity in the Control group. While the silent period correlated with step length in the PD - FOG group, no significant relationship was observed in the PD + FOG group. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Compared to the Control group, the PD + FOG group exhibited reduced corticomotor inhibition. Distinct correlations observed among the three groups suggest that the function of the corticomotor system plays an important role in mediating walking ability in non-disabled adults and people with PD - FOG, while people with PD + FOG may rely on neural networks other than the corticomotor system to control gait.