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  • Bruce Krarup posted an update 1 month ago

    The positive association observed in some European studies warrants further investigation relating to overall dietary contexts in which legumes are consumed, including accompanying foods which may be positively associated with T2D.The rapid spread of COVID-19 is motivating development of antivirals targeting conserved SARS-CoV-2 molecular machinery. The SARS-CoV-2 genome includes conserved RNA elements that offer potential small-molecule drug targets, but most of their 3D structures have not been experimentally characterized. Here, we provide a compilation of chemical mapping data from our and other labs, secondary structure models, and 3D model ensembles based on Rosetta’s FARFAR2 algorithm for SARS-CoV-2 RNA regions including the individual stems SL1-8 in the extended 5′ UTR; the reverse complement of the 5′ UTR SL1-4; the frameshift stimulating element (FSE); and the extended pseudoknot, hypervariable region, and s2m of the 3′ UTR. For eleven of these elements (the stems in SL1-8, reverse complement of SL1-4, FSE, s2m and 3′ UTR pseudoknot), modeling convergence supports the accuracy of predicted low energy states; subsequent cryo-EM characterization of the FSE confirms modeling accuracy. To aid efforts to discover small molecule RNA binders guided by computational models, we provide a second set of similarly prepared models for RNA riboswitches that bind small molecules. Both datasets (‘FARFAR2-SARS-CoV-2’, https//github.com/DasLab/FARFAR2-SARS-CoV-2; and ‘FARFAR2-Apo-Riboswitch’, at https//github.com/DasLab/FARFAR2-Apo-Riboswitch’) include up to 400 models for each RNA element, which may facilitate drug discovery approaches targeting dynamic ensembles of RNA molecules.

    Suboptimal vitamin D (VitD) status has been associated with poor bone health and other adverse health outcomes and is common among children. Various early-life factors are associated with child VitD, yet few studies have examined multiple factors simultaneously in a single study population.

    We aimed to characterize relations of early-life factors with plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations in early and mid-childhood, and to explore potential differences in these associations between white and black children.

    We identified associations of various early-life factors with 25(OH)D concentrations in early and mid-childhood among 961 children in Project Viva using linear regression models. AZ32 mouse All variables associated with 25(OH)D were included together in final multivariable models at each outcome time point 1 in the overall sample and additional models for children whose mothers identified them as being white or black.

    Overall mean±SD 25(OH)D concentrations were 86±29nmol/L in early childhood and better target children at risk of lower 25(OH)D for screening and/or intervention and may inform research focused on associations of 25(OH)D with different exposures and outcomes or causal effects of early-life factors on later VitD status.This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02820402.Transcription initiation of the genes coding for small nuclear RNA (snRNA) has been extensively analyzed in humans and fruit fly, but only a single ortholog of a snRNA-activating protein complex (SNAPc) subunit has so far been characterized in plants. The genome of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana encodes orthologs of all three core SNAPc subunits, including A. thaliana SNAP complex 4 (AtSNAPc4)-a 4R-MYB-type protein with four-and-a-half adjacent MYB repeat units. We report the conserved role of AtSNAPc4 as subunit of a protein complex involved in snRNA gene transcription and present genetic evidence that AtSNAPc4 is an essential gene in gametophyte and zygote development. We present experimental evidence that the three A. thaliana SNAPc subunits assemble into a SNAP complex and demonstrate the binding of AtSNAPc4 to snRNA promoters. In addition, co-localization studies show a link between AtSNAPc4 accumulation and Cajal bodies, known to aggregate at snRNA gene loci in humans. Moreover, we show the strong evolutionary conservation of single-copy 4R-MYB/SNAPc4 genes in a broad range of eukaryotes and present additional shared protein features besides the MYB domain, suggesting a conservation of the snRNA transcription initiation machinery along the course of the eukaryotic evolution.

    Food resource management (FRM), strategies to stretch limited food resource dollars, may mitigate the impact of household food insecurity (HFI) on family members, including young children. However, little is known about how FRM and HFI are associated with child feeding practices.

    The study aimed to explore relationships between HFI, FRM, and child feeding practices of low-income parents.

    In a cross-sectional sample of 304 Head Start households, caregivers completed the USDA HFI module [classifying them as either food secure (FS) or food insecure (FI)], FRM behavior subscale (classifying them as being high or low in management skills based on a median score split), Comprehensive Feeding Practices Questionnaire, and Perceived Stress Scale. Households were categorized into 4 HFI-FRM subgroups FS/high FRM (30.6%), FS/low FRM (31.3%), FI/high FRM (18.8%), and FI/low FRM (19.4%). Multivariable linear regression was used to examine whether feeding practices differed across HFI-FRM categories and whether the adtices in low-income households.

    Suboptimal child feeding is evident in low-income caregivers with low FRM skills, with or without food insecurity. Promoting high FRM skills, in addition to addressing food insecurity, could potentially synergistically improve child feeding practices in low-income households.The COVID-19 pandemic continues to adversely impact the United States (U.S.) socially, culturally, and economically. The purpose of this study was to understand the relationship between COVID-19 county death rates, risk perception, and U.S. adults’ voluntary behaviors-particularly physical distancing. Data were collected from CloudResearch/Qualtrics, Johns Hopkins University, the American Community Survey, and SafeGraph. Our results indicated that higher COVID-19 county death rates were associated with higher risk perceptions, leading to greater time spent at home. These findings will help public health officials identify strategies that best encourage voluntary health behaviors to help curb the spread of COVID-19.