Article
Entomology
Lei Nie, Fei Zhao, Yiming Chen, Qian Xiao, Zhiping Pan, Hao Ran, Yijuan Xu
Summary: The paralysis behavior of Harpegnathos venator towards different prey is affected by prey activity level and size, but not prey density. Longer stinging time leads to a longer recovery time for the prey to revive and move. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the behavioral mechanism underlying food storage in predatory insects.
Article
Biology
Clint A. Penick, Majid Ghaninia, Kevin L. Haight, Comzit Opachaloemphan, Hua Yan, Danny Reinberg, Jurgen Liebig
Summary: Brain plasticity in reproductive workers of the ant Harpegnathos saltator is demonstrated to be reversible, allowing significant changes in behavior, physiology, and gene expression even after being reverted back to a non-reproductive status. This reversibility in brain volume changes resembles that found in some long-lived vertebrates, highlighting the unique characteristics of phenotypic plasticity in different species.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biology
Comzit Opachaloemphan, Francisco Carmona-Aldana, Hua Yan
Summary: Living organisms have the ability to respond to environmental cues and adapt their behaviors and physiologies for survival. Eusocial insects exhibit advanced sociality and display distinct behaviors and physiologies in a colony setting. Harpegnathos saltator, a type of ant, is highly plastic and thus a valuable tool for investigating the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying phenotypic plasticity in eusocial organisms.
Article
Entomology
S. Aupanun, W. Jaitrong, P. Suttiprapan, C. Peeters, F. Ito
Summary: This study investigated the nest architecture and colony reproductive structure of Harpegnathos venator in northern Thailand. The nest architecture was similar to that of Harpegnathos saltator, but the colony reproductive structure was different, with H. venator primarily reproducing through mated queens.
Article
Entomology
Sunittra Aupanun, Mitsuhiro Obika, Riou Mizuno, Weeyawat Jaitrong, Piyawan Suttiprapan, Rosli Hashim, Fuminori Ito
Summary: There are variations in the production and fate of trophic eggs among different species of ponerine ants. Non-reproductive females usually lay trophic eggs, which are then consumed by mated queens or gamergates. The type and proportion of food consumed by reproductive females vary among different species and colonies.
Article
Ecology
Yike Zou, Samuel T. Turvey, Jie Cui, Hui Zhang, Wenfeng Gong
Summary: The study determines the relationship between habitat quality and Hainan gibbon population growth. It is found that overall gibbon population growth is positively correlated with improved habitat quality, but the number of individuals within social groups does not show a similar relationship. This suggests that increasing forest cover and connectivity are not direct determinants of Hainan gibbon recovery, and other factors are likely at play.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Nooshin Ghodsian, Eloi Gagnon, Jerome Bourgault, Emilie Gobeil, Hasanga D. Manikpurage, Nicolas Perrot, Arnaud Girard, Patricia L. Mitchell, Benoit J. Arsenault
Summary: Analysis of RNA sequencing data from patients with NAFLD showed no significant differences in SMOC1 expression levels across stages. Mendelian randomization analysis did not find evidence that genetically predicted NAFLD, T2D, and glycemic traits influenced SMOC1 levels.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ilena Bauer, Franziska Schleger, Julia Hartkopf, Ralf Veit, Muriel Breuer, Nathalie Schneider, Jan Pauluschke-Froehlich, Andreas Peter, Hubert Preissl, Andreas Fritsche, Louise Fritsche
Summary: The study found that low stress symptoms during pregnancy were not significantly associated with maternal insulin sensitivity and IL-6 levels, while higher cortisol levels during pregnancy were related to elevated IL-6 concentrations. Additionally, pre-pregnancy BMI had a strong impact on IL-6 levels and was negatively correlated with insulin sensitivity during pregnancy.
FRONTIERS IN BIOSCIENCE-LANDMARK
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Diego Fernandez-Lazaro, Juan Luis Garcia Hernandez, Eva Lumbreras, Juan Mielgo-Ayuso, Jesus Seco-Calvo
Summary: This study investigates the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and sarcopenia in institutionalized elderly men. The researchers evaluated the impact of genetic variations in certain genes, serum 25-OH/D concentrations, and the degree of sarcopenia. The results show that allelic variations in specific genes affect vitamin D levels and have a strong influence on the degree of sarcopenia in elderly individuals.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Anthropology
N. Lettinga, H. Mell, Y. Algan, P. O. Jacquet, C. Chevallier
Summary: Research suggests that environmental conditions may influence the amount of resources people invest in cooperative activities. In this study, although the latent variables of cooperation and life-history strategy were adequately captured by the models, the hypothesised relationship between childhood environmental adversity and adult cooperation, as well as the mediation effect of life-history strategy, were not found.
EVOLUTIONARY HUMAN SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Pediatrics
Bhaskar V. K. S. Lakkakula, Smaranika Pattnaik
Summary: This study demonstrates that HBG2 rs7482144 polymorphism is associated with HbF levels, but it does not affect the severity of sickle cell anemia (SCA).
JOURNAL OF PEDIATRIC GENETICS
(2023)
Review
Food Science & Technology
Riccardo Secci, Alexander Hartmann, Michael Walter, Hans Joergen Grabe, Sandra van der Auwera-Palitschka, Axel Kowald, Daniel Palmer, Gerald Rimbach, Georg Fuellen, Israel Barrantes
Summary: This review focuses on the role of diet in protecting against aging, discussing biomarkers based on omics and clinical data, as well as the effects of berry-based interventions. It also emphasizes the importance of individuals' dietary history in geroprotection.
CRITICAL REVIEWS IN FOOD SCIENCE AND NUTRITION
(2023)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Svenja Fedde, Gerald Rimbach, Karin Schwarz, Anja Bosy-Westphal
Summary: Ultra-processed food constitutes a significant portion of daily energy intake in Germany and is associated with non-communicable diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and depression. This association could be attributed to factors like high energy density, imbalanced nutritional composition, high glycemic index, and adverse additives found in ultra-processed food.
DEUTSCHE MEDIZINISCHE WOCHENSCHRIFT
(2022)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Daan Kremer, Adrian Post, Ulrike Seidel, Patricia Huebbe, Yvonne van der Veen, Dion Groothof, Antonio W. Gomes-Neto, Tim J. Knobbe, Kai Lueersen, Michele F. Eisenga, Gerjan J. Navis, Gerald Rimbach, Stephan J. L. Bakker
Summary: Through investigating the impact of boron intake on the long-term outcomes of kidney transplant recipients, the study found a strong association between high boron excretion and a lower risk of mortality, suggesting the potential for improving long-term survival through pathways other than previously suggested mechanisms.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NUTRITION
(2022)
Review
Nutrition & Dietetics
Maryam S. Hafiz, Matthew D. Campbell, Lauren L. O'Mahoney, Melvin Holmes, Caroline Orfila, Christine Boesch
Summary: The study showed that pulse intake can significantly reduce postprandial glucose concentration in both diabetic and nondiabetic individuals, and has a positive impact on long-term glycemic control parameters.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NUTRITION
(2022)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Katharina S. Weber, Ilka Ratjen, Janna Enderle, Ulrike Seidel, Gerald Rimbach, Wolfgang Lieb
Summary: The study found that higher plasma boron concentrations were associated with a healthier diet, lower BMI, a more favorable cardio-metabolic risk profile, and seasonal variations.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NUTRITION
(2022)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Lu Li, Biyun Zhang, Ludovica De Pieri, Yue Wu, Karen Birch, Christine Boesch
Summary: The study found that nobiletin can enhance endothelial cell function under nonstimulated and inflammatory conditions by upregulating eNOS and antioxidant genes while downregulating ET-1, showing a promising protective effect for cardiovascular health, likely through the NO/ET-1 dynamics and Nrf2 signaling pathway.
JOURNAL OF FOOD QUALITY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Virginia Eickelberg, Kai Lueersen, Stefanie Staats, Gerald Rimbach
Summary: This article introduces the application of Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism in nutrition research, and provides a detailed description of the methods for phenotyping Drosophila. The practical application of fly phenotyping is demonstrated through a discussion of obese phenotypes in response to high-sugar diet and high-fat diet feeding. It is also found that the diets have impacts on the transcriptome and metabolome of Drosophila, which is important for understanding the underlying molecular mechanisms.
Article
Ecology
Wesam S. Meshrif, Sandy H. Elkayal, Mohamed A. Soliman, Amal I. Seif, Thomas Roeder
Summary: The study results show that defined genotypes exhibit highly divergent responses to varying stressors, while heterogeneous populations show a very high degree of plasticity and differences between different genotypes in response to stress.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Review
Agronomy
Raul Huertas, Barbara Karpinska, Sophia Ngala, Bertha Mkandawire, Joyce Maling'a, Elizabeth Wajenkeche, Paul M. Kimani, Christine Boesch, Derek Stewart, Robert D. Hancock, Christine H. Foyer
Summary: Micronutrient deficiencies, particularly in iron and zinc, are a serious public health challenge affecting more than three billion people globally. Various strategies, including dietary diversification, food fortification, agronomic approaches, and biotechnology, are being used to address the problem. This review focuses on the genes and processes associated with iron and zinc accumulation in common beans and discusses the different approaches, such as conventional breeding, transgenics, and gene editing, being used to improve their nutritional content.
FOOD AND ENERGY SECURITY
(2023)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Kai Lueersen, Alexandra Fischer, Ilka Bauer, Patricia Huebbe, Yukiko Uekaji, Keita Chikamoto, Daisuke Nakata, Naoto Hiramatsu, Keiji Terao, Gerald Rimbach
Summary: In the context of the growing prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2DM), control of postprandial hyperglycemia is crucial for its prevention. Isoflavones in soy extract, enriched with hydroxylated metabolites through fermentation, exhibit anti-diabetic properties by inhibiting key enzymes, reducing glucose transport, and decreasing inflammatory markers. These properties are confirmed in an in vivo model using Drosophila melanogaster.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Manuela Yepes-Calderon, Daan Kremer, Adrian Post, Camilo G. G. Sotomayor, Ulrike Seidel, Patricia Huebbe, Tim J. J. Knobbe, Kai Lueersen, Michele F. F. Eisenga, Eva Corpeleijn, Martin H. H. De Borst, Gerjan J. J. Navis, Gerald Rimbach, Stephan J. L. Bakker
Summary: A study found that kidney transplant recipients have an increased risk of cardiovascular mortality. It also revealed an association between post-transplantation copper status and the risk of cardiovascular mortality, with a potential effect modification by sex. Among male recipients, higher plasma copper concentration was independently associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular mortality, while this association was absent among female recipients.
Article
Biology
Yuanyuan Ma, Jinru He, Michael Sieber, Jakob von Frieling, Iris Bruchhaus, John F. F. Baines, Ulf Bickmeyer, Thomas Roeder
Summary: The close relationship between animals and their associated microbiota is beneficial for both partners. The flatworm Macrostomum lignano was used as a model to study the host-microbiota interaction in detail. The study found that different developmental stages of the flatworm have specific microbiota and that the microbiota plays a physiological role in the host's fitness, particularly under conditions of limited food supply. The microbiota of M. lignano exhibits a circadian rhythm and influences the behavior of specific bacterial taxa, while the presence of the worm affects the composition of bacterial communities in the environment. Overall, this study provides insights into host-microbe interactions in marine invertebrates using the Macrostomum-microbiota system.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2023)
Correction
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
S. Staats, A. E. Wagner, K. Luersen, A. Kunstner, T. Meyer, A. K. Kahns, S. Derer, S. Graspeuntner, J. Rupp, H. Busch, C. Sina, I. R. Ipharraguerre, G. Rimbach
Article
Cell Biology
Navid Tahanzadeh, Mirjam Knop, Yvonne Seidler, Sebastian Dirndorfer, Kai Lursen, Iris Bruchhaus, Roman Lang, Gerald Rimbach, Thomas Roeder
Summary: Food has a significant impact on health, and this study found that an extract from the marine brown alga Eisenia bicyclis can extend the lifespan of fruit flies up to 40%. This effect is not limited to the median lifespan, but also affects the maximum lifespan. Interestingly, it is only observed in females and can still be detected even under stressful nutritional conditions. Mechanistic studies revealed that the life-extending effect depends on the Tor-FoxO signaling pathway.
Review
Allergy
Birte Ehrhardt, Natalia El-Merhie, Draginja Kovacevic, Juliana Schramm, Judith Bossen, Thomas Roeder, Susanne Krauss-Etschmann
Summary: Airway remodeling refers to structural changes in the conducting airways that occur in chronic inflammatory lung diseases. Understanding the role of the airway epithelium is crucial for developing prevention and innovative therapies.
FRONTIERS IN ALLERGY
(2022)