Highlights d SARS-CoV-2 infection in induced lung cells is characterized by phosphoproteomics d Analysis of response reveals host cell signaling and protein expression profile d Comparison to studies in undifferentiated cell lines shows unique pathology in iAT2s d Systems-level predictions find druggable pathways that can impede viral life cycle

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Soft fascination is a key but underexamined element of Attention Restoration Theory (ART). According to ART, attending to softly fascinating stimuli not only requires little effort but also leaves mental space for reflection. We propose that soft fascination can be characterized as the interaction of both attentional effort and mental bandwidth and hypothesize that the restorative potential of everyday activities can be categorized based on this interaction. In an online survey, 398 adults rated four activities on Mental Bandwidth (MB), Perceived Restorativeness (PR), and preference. Supporting the hypothesis, the results showed that walking in nature was perceived as softly fascinating, whereas watching television was a source of hard fascination. Furthermore, PR, but not MB, was highly correlated with preference. Findings are discussed in the context of developing a measure to help people better anticipate activities that may or may not be restorative.

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Cardiovascular disease is increased in individuals with type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), which is an ominous prognostic sign and an independent risk factor for cardiac events, is often present in type 2 DM patients. The aim of our cross-sectional study was to evaluate the prevalence of LVH, and risk factors for its development, in normotensive type 2 diabetic patients without antihypertensive medication. The objectives of the study were to find out the prevalence of high left ventricular mass (LVM) in normotensive type 2 diabetic patients and compare it with nondiabetics and to uncover the risk factors for the development of high LVM in normotensive type 2 diabetic patients. A total of 130 age- and sex-matched subjects were selected (65 cases, diabetic normotensive, and 65 controls, nondiabetic normotensive) and baseline data were collected. LVM and left ventricular mass index (LVMI) were calculated using echocardigraphic parameters and body surface area. LVMI was significantly higher in patients with type 2 DM compared with age-, sex-matched healthy population (104.9 ± 21 vs. 78.5 ± 22.7 g/m2, respectively; P < 0.05). BMI, HbA1c, and duration of diabetes were significantly associated with LVH whereas sexes, age, PPBS, were not.

BackgroundIndispensible amino acids (IAAs) are used by the body in different proportions. Most animal-based foods provide these IAAs in roughly the needed proportions, but many plant-based foods provide different proportions of IAAs. To explore how these plant-based foods can be better used in human nutrition, we have created the computational tool vProtein to identify optimal food complements to satisfy human protein needs.MethodsvProtein uses 1251 plant-based foods listed in the United States Department of Agriculture standard release 22 database to determine the quantity of each food or pair of foods required to satisfy human IAA needs as determined by the 2005 daily recommended intake. The quantity of food in a pair is found using a linear programming approach that minimizes total calories, total excess IAAs, or the total weight of the combination.ResultsFor single foods, vProtein identifies foods with particularly balanced IAA patterns such as wheat germ, quinoa, and cauliflower. vProtein also identifies foods with particularly unbalanced IAA patterns such as macadamia nuts, degermed corn products, and wakame seaweed. Although less useful alone, some unbalanced foods provide unusually good complements, such as Brazil nuts to legumes.Interestingly, vProtein finds no statistically significant bias toward grain/legume pairings for protein complementation. These analyses suggest that pairings of plant-based foods should be based on the individual foods themselves instead of based on broader food group-food group pairings. Overall, the most efficient pairings include sweet corn/tomatoes, apple/coconut, and sweet corn/cherry. The top pairings also highlight the utility of less common protein sources such as the seaweeds laver and spirulina, pumpkin leaves, and lambsquarters. From a public health perspective, many of the food pairings represent novel, low cost food sources to combat malnutrition. Full analysis results are available online at http://www.foodwiki.com/vprotein.

Erythrocyte shape and membrane integrity is imparted by the membrane skeleton, which can be isolated as a Triton X-100 insoluble structure that retains the biconcave shape of intact erythrocytes, indicating isolation of essentially intact membrane skeletons. These erythrocyte “Triton Skeletons” have been studied morphologically and biochemically, but unbiased proteome analysis of this substructure of the membrane has not been reported. In this study, different extraction buffers and in-depth proteome analyses were used to more fully define the protein composition of this functionally critical macromolecular complex. As expected, the major, well-characterized membrane skeleton proteins and their associated membrane anchors were recovered in good yield. But surprisingly, a substantial number of additional proteins that are not considered in erythrocyte membrane skeleton models were recovered in high yields, including myosin-9, lipid raft proteins (stomatin, flotillin1 and 2), multiple chaperone proteins (HSPs, protein disulfide isomerase and calnexin), and several other proteins. These results show the membrane skeleton is substantially more complex than previous biochemical studies indicated, and it apparently has localized regions with unique protein compositions and functions. This comprehensive catalog of the membrane skeleton should lead to new insights into erythrocyte membrane biology and pathogenic mutations that perturb membrane stability.

BackgroundA comparative study of 11 β HSD 1 activity in type 2 diabetes mellitus subjects with respect to fasting blood glucose and other metabolic parameters was conducted.MethodsA case control experimental study was performed enrolling thirty type 2 diabetes mellitus patients and thirty age, gender and BMI matched controls using cortisone acetate test.ResultsThe rise of serum cortisol after oral 25 mg cortisone acetate from baseline (dexamethasone suppressed level) is higher in subjects with type 2 diabetes and is associated with exercise, BMI, SGOT but not daily calorie intake, lipid parameters and thyroid status. Fasting blood glucose after overnight 1 mg oral dexamethasone is a strong predictor of 11HSD1 activity, irrespective of presence of type 2 diabetes.Conclusion11β HSD 1 activity is higher in type 2 diabetes mellitus subjects, especially those who are lean. Future 11 β HSD 1 inhibitors targeting metabolic syndrome, will be most useful in those with increased fasting blood glucose. The role of DHEAS and vitamin D status needs to be explored.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12902-019-0344-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.