The sessile biofilms of Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Listeria monocytogenes have increasingly become a critical threat in seafood safety. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of modified atmospheres on the formation ability of V. parahaemolyticus and L. monocytogenes biofilms. The stress responses of bacterial biofilm formation to modified atmospheres including anaerobiosis (20% carbon dioxide, 80% nitrogen), micro-aerobiosis (20% oxygen, 80% nitrogen), and aerobiosis (60% oxygen, 40% nitrogen) were illuminated by determining the live cells, chemical composition analysis, textural parameter changes, expression of regulatory genes, etc. Results showed that the biofilm formation ability of V. parahaemolyticus was efficiently decreased, supported by the fact that the modified atmospheres significantly reduced the key chemical composition [extracellular DNA (eDNA) and extracellular proteins] of the extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) and negatively altered the textural parameters (biovolume, thickness, and efficient control of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria in modified-atmosphere packaged food. Copyright © 2020 Qian, Li, Guo, Tan, Liu, Wang, Pan and Zhao.Context The hypothalamic circuit has an essential role in the regulation of appetite and energy expenditure. Pathogenic variants in genes involved in the hypothalamic leptin-melanocortin pathway, including melanocortin-4-receptor (MC4R), have been associated with monogenic obesity. Objective To determine the rate and spectrum of rare variants in genes involved in melanocortin pathway or hypothalamic development in patients with severe early-onset obesity (height-adjusted weight >60% before age 10 years). Methods We used a custom-made targeted exome sequencing panel to assess peripheral blood DNA samples for rare (minor allele frequency less then 0.5%), pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants in 24 genes related to the hypothalamic circuit in 92 subjects (51% males, median age 13.7 years) with early-onset severe obesity (median body mass index (BMI) Z-score + 4.0). Results We identified a novel frameshift deletion in MC4R (p.V103Afs5*) in two unrelated patients and a previously reported MC4R variant (p.T112M) in one patient. In addition, we identified rare heterozygous missense variants in ADCY3 (p.G1110R), MYT1L (p.R807Q), ISL1 (p.I347F), LRP2 (p.R2479I, and p.N3315S) and a hemizygous missense variant in GRPR (p.L87M) (each in one patient), possibly contributing to the obesity phenotype in these patients. Altogether 8 % (7/92) of the subjects had rare pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants in the studied genes. Conclusions Rare genetic variants within the hypothalamic circuit are prevalent and contribute to the development of severe early-onset obesity. Targeted exome sequencing is useful in identifying affected subjects. Further studies are needed to evaluate the variants' clinical significance and to define optimal treatment. Copyright © 2020 Loid, Mustila, Mäkitie, Viljakainen, Kämpe, Tossavainen, Lipsanen-Nyman, Pekkinen and Mäkitie.Purpose To increase knowledge for the early differential diagnosis and accurate therapeutic strategies for pediatric patients with sellar or suprasellar region (SSR) lesions who initially present with central diabetes insipidus (CDI). Methods This is a retrospective review of 55 pediatric patients (≤14 years old) with identified lesions in the SSR who initially presented with CDI at a large pituitary center between 2012 and 2018. The following data were summarized demographic, clinical, endocrine, and neuroimaging data, intraoperative findings, histopathological findings, treatments, and prognosis. Results In our group, the etiologies of the SSR lesions included germ cell tumors (GCTs, 74.5%), Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH, 18.2%), and craniopharyngioma (CP, 7.3%). Almost all patients (50/55, 90.9%) showed anterior pituitary dysfunction [multiple axes dysfunction (38), and isolated axis dysfunction (14)], while the GH/IGF-I axis was the most affected. Most GCT patients presented with various clinical mano different causes to improve the child's prognosis and quality of life. Copyright © 2020 Ji, Wang, Wang, Gao, Guo, Feng, Lian, Deng and Xing.Metabolites of omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are important signaling molecules implicated in the control of adipogenesis and energy balance regulation. Some of these metabolites belonging to the group of oxylipins have been associated with non-shivering thermogenesis in mice mediated by brown or brite adipose tissue. We aimed to identify novel molecules with thermogenic potential and to clarify the relevance of these findings in a translational context. Therefore, we characterized and compared the oxylipin profiles of murine and human adipose tissues with different abundance of brown or brite adipocytes. A broad panel of 36 fatty acid metabolites was quantified in brown and white adipose tissues of C57BL/6J mice acclimatized to different ambient temperatures and in biopsies of human supraclavicular brown and white adipose tissue. The oxylipin profile of murine brite adipose tissue was not distinguishable from white adipose tissue, suggesting that adipose tissue browning in vivo is not associated with major changes in the oxylipin metabolism. Human brown and white adipose tissue also exhibited similar metabolite profiles. This is in line with previous studies proposing human brown adipose tissue to resemble the nature of murine brite adipose tissue representing a heterogeneous mixture of brite and white adipocytes. Although the global oxylipin profile served as a marker for the abundance of thermogenic adipocytes in bona fide brown but not white adipose tissue, we identified 5-HETE and 5,6-EET as individual compounds consistently associated with the abundance of brown or brite adipocytes in human BAT and murine brite fat. Further studies need to establish whether these candidates are mere markers or functional effectors of thermogenic capacity. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/trimethoprim.html Copyright © 2020 Dieckmann, Maurer, Fromme, Colson, Virtanen, Amri and Klingenspor.Spexin (SPX) is a 14 amino acid peptide hormone that has pleiotropic functions across vertebrates, one of which is involvement in the brain-pituitary-gonad axis of fish. SPX(1) has been identified in each class of vertebrates, and a second SPX (named SPX2) has been found in some non-mammalian species. We have cloned two spexin paralogs, designated as Spx1a and Spx1b, from Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) that have varying tissue distribution patterns. Spx1b is a novel peptide only identified in cichlid fish, and is more closely related to Spx1 than Spx2 homologs as supported by phylogenetic, synteny, and functional analyses. Kisspeptin, Spx, and galanin (Gal) peptides and their corresponding kiss receptors and Gal receptors (Galrs), respectively, are evolutionarily related. Cloning of six tilapia Galrs (Galr1a, Galr1b, Galr2a, Galr2b, Galr type 1, and Galr type 2) and subsequent in vitro second-messenger reporter assays for Gαs, Gαq, and Gαi suggests that Gal and Spx activate Galr1a/Galr2a and Galr2b, respectively.