The Influence of Body Fat Dynamics on Pulmonary Immune Responses in Murine Tuberculosis: Unraveling Sex-Specific Insights.

The World Health Organization (WHO) highlights a greater susceptibility of males to tuberculosis (TB), a vulnerability attributed to sex-specific variations in body fat and dietary factors. Our study delves into the unexplored terrain of how alterations in body fat influence () burden, lung pathology, immune responses, and gene expression, with a focus on sex-specific dynamics. Utilizing a low-dose -HN878 clinical strain infection model, we employ transgenic FAT-ATTAC mice with modulable body fat to explore the impact of fat loss (via fat ablation) and fat gain (via a medium-fat diet, MFD).

Exploring Acute Febrile Illness in Children: Clinical Characteristics and Diagnostic Challenges.

Background Pediatric febrile illnesses are a major cause of hospital admissions and are often associated with significant morbidity and mortality. These illnesses pose a diagnostic challenge to both clinicians and laboratories. This study aims to explore the clinical characteristics of acute febrile illness in children and examine the effectiveness of various diagnostic techniques.

Adipocyte-released adipomes in Chagas cardiomyopathy: Impact on cardiac metabolic and immune regulation.

Chronic infection leads to Chagas cardiomyopathy (CCM), with varying manifestations such as inflammatory hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias, and dilated cardiomyopathy. The factors responsible for the increasing risk of progression to CCM are not fully understood. Previous studies link adipocyte loss to CCM progression, but the mechanism triggering CCM pathogenesis remains unexplored.

Mycobacterium leprae is able to infect adipocytes, inducing lipolysis and modulating the immune response.

Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by the intracellular bacillus Mycobacterium leprae (M. leprae), which is known to infect skin macrophages and Schwann cells. Although adipose tissue is a recognized site of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, its role in the histopathology of leprosy was, until now, unknown.

The Many Hosts of Mycobacteria 9 (MHM9): A conference report.

The Many Hosts of Mycobacteria (MHM) meeting series brings together basic scientists, clinicians and veterinarians to promote robust discussion and dissemination of recent advances in our knowledge of numerous mycobacterial diseases, including human and bovine tuberculosis (TB), nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infection, Hansen's disease (leprosy), Buruli ulcer and Johne's disease. The 9th MHM conference (MHM9) was held in July 2022 at The Ohio State University (OSU) and centered around the theme of "Confounders of Mycobacterial Disease." Confounders can and often do drive the transmission of mycobacterial diseases, as well as impact surveillance and treatment outcomes.

Diets Differently Regulate Pulmonary Pathogenesis and Immune Signaling in Mice during Acute and Chronic Infection.

Tuberculosis (TB) caused by (Mtb) infection persists as a leading cause of mortality and morbidity globally, especially in developing and underdeveloped countries. The prevalence of TB-DM (diabetes mellitus) is higher in low- and middle-income countries where TB and DM are most prevalent. Epidemiological data suggest that slight obesity reduces the risk of TB, whereas DM increases the risk of pulmonary TB.

Diets Differently Regulate Tumorigenesis in Young E0771 Syngeneic Breast Cancer Mouse Model.

Breast cancer (BC) is the most diagnosed cancer type, accounting for one in eight cancer diagnoses worldwide. Epidemiological studies have shown that obesity is associated with increased risk of BC in post-menopausal women, whereas adiposity reduces the risk of BC in premenopausal women. The mechanistic link between obesity and BC has been examined by combining murine BC models with high-fat diet (HFD) induced obesity.

Susceptibility of Fat Tissue to SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Female hACE2 Mouse Model.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a highly contagious viral illness caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). COVID-19 has had a catastrophic effect globally causing millions of deaths worldwide and causing long-lasting health complications in COVID-19 survivors. Recent studies including ours have highlighted that adipose tissue can act as a reservoir where SARS-CoV-2 can persist and cause long-term health problems.

Sex Differences in Cardiac Pathology of SARS-CoV2 Infected and Co-infected Mice.

Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2; CoV2) is a deadly contagious infectious disease. For those who survive COVID-19, post-COVID cardiac damage greatly increases the risk of cardiomyopathy and heart failure. Currently, the number of COVID-related cases are increasing in Latin America, where a major COVID comorbidity is Chagas' heart disease, which is caused by the parasite .

Host Metabolic Changes during Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Infection Cause Insulin Resistance in Adult Mice.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a highly infectious bacterial disease that primarily attacks the lungs. TB is manifested either as latent TB infection (LTBI) or active TB disease, the latter posing a greater threat to life. The risk of developing active TB disease from LTBI is three times higher in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Hydrothermal Synthesis of MnWO@GO Composite as Non-Precious Electrocatalyst for Urea Oxidation.

In this study, manganese tungstate (MW) and MW/graphene oxide (GO) composites were prepared by a facile hydrothermal synthesis at pH values of 7 and 12. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Raman spectroscopy were used for the structural, compositional, and morphological characterization of the nanoparticles (NPs). The XRD analysis revealed that the formation of monoclinic MnWO did not have impurities.

Differentiating transient from persistent diabetic range hyperglycemia in a cohort of people completing tuberculosis treatment in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Background: In recent non-pandemic periods, tuberculosis (TB) has been the leading killer worldwide from a single infectious disease. Patients with DM are three times more likely to develop active TB and poor treatment outcomes. Single glycemic measurements at TB diagnosis may inaccurately diagnose or mischaracterize DM severity.

Fat tissue regulates the pathogenesis and severity of cardiomyopathy in murine chagas disease.

Chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy (CCC) caused by a parasite Trypanosoma cruzi is a life-threatening disease in Latin America, for which there is no effective drug or vaccine. The pathogenesis of CCC is complex and multifactorial. Previously, we demonstrated T.

Redox Imbalance and Oxidative DNA Damage During Isoniazid Treatment of HIV-Associated Tuberculosis: A Clinical and Translational Pharmacokinetic Study.

Background: The potential for hepatotoxicity during isoniazid-based tuberculosis (TB) treatment presents a major challenge for TB control programs worldwide. We sought to determine whether pharmacokinetic exposures of isoniazid and its metabolites were related to cellular oxidation/reduction status and downstream markers of oxidative DNA damage.

Methods: We performed intensive pharmacokinetic sampling among isoniazid-treated patients to determine the relative plasma exposures of isoniazid, acetylisoniazid, hydrazine, and acetylhydrazine.

Lipid mass spectrometry imaging and proteomic analysis of severe aortic stenosis.

Severe aortic stenosis (AS) is prevalent in adults ≥ 65 years, a significant cause of morbidity and mortality, with no medical therapy. Lipid and proteomic alterations of human AS tissue were determined using mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) and liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) to understand histopathology, potential biomarkers of disease, and progression from non-calcified to calcified phenotype. A reproducible MSI method was developed using healthy murine aortic valves (n = 3) and subsequently applied to human AS (n = 2).

Inhibition of SREBP Improves Cardiac Lipidopathy, Improves Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress, and Modulates Chronic Chagas Cardiomyopathy.

Background is an intracellular parasite that causes debilitating chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy (CCM), for which there is no effective drug or vaccine. Previously, we demonstrated increased cardiac lipid accumulation and endoplasmic reticulum stress in mice with CCM. Increased endoplasmic reticulum stress may lead to uncontrolled SREBP (sterol regulatory element-binding protein) activation and lipotoxicity in the myocardium during the intermediate stage of infection and result in progression to chronic CCM.

Diet Alters Serum Metabolomic Profiling in the Mouse Model of Chronic Chagas Cardiomyopathy.

Chagas disease is caused by which is endemic in Latin America. infection results in a latent infection with approximately a third of latently infected patients developing chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy (CCM). CCM is a common cause of cardiomyopathy in endemic regions and has a poor prognosis compared to other cardiomyopathies.

Urea assisted ceria nanocubes for efficient removal of malachite green organic dye from aqueous system.

This study describes a simple, high-yield, rapid, and inexpensive route for the synthesis of cubic shape-like cerium oxide nanocubes (CeO NCs) using different urea concentrations (0.5, 1.0, and 2.

Novel approach to synthesize NiCoS composite for high-performance supercapacitor application with different molar ratio of Ni and Co.

Here, we developed a new approach to synthesize NiCoS thin films for supercapacitor application using the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method on Ni mesh with different molar ratios of Ni and Co precursors. The five different NiCoS electrodes affect the electrochemical performance of the supercapacitor. The NiCoS thin films demonstrate superior supercapacitance performance with a significantly higher specific capacitance of 1427 F g at a scan rate of 20 mV s.

Advances in understanding the role of adipose tissue and mitochondrial oxidative stress in infection.

, the etiologic agent of Chagas disease, causes a latent infection that results in cardiomyopathy. Infection with this pathogen is a major socio-economic burden in areas of endemic infection throughout Latin America. The development of chagasic cardiomyopathy is dependent on the persistence of this parasite in host tissues.

Adipose Tissue Regulates Pulmonary Pathology during TB Infection.

Tuberculosis (TB), caused by infection, remains a major cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. One-third of the world population is infected with , and about 15 million people with latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) reside in the United States. An estimated 10% of individuals with LTBI are at risk of progressing to active disease.

Inhibition of ER Stress by 2-Aminopurine Treatment Modulates Cardiomyopathy in a Murine Chronic Chagas Disease Model.

infection results in debilitating cardiomyopathy, which is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in the endemic regions of Chagas disease (CD). The pathogenesis of Chagasic cardiomyopathy (CCM) has been intensely studied as a chronic inflammatory disease until recent observations reporting the role of cardio-metabolic dysfunctions. In particular, we demonstrated accumulation of lipid droplets and impaired cardiac lipid metabolism in the hearts of cardiomyopathic mice and patients, and their association with impaired mitochondrial functions and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in CD mice.

Determination of surface properties and Gutmann's Lewis acidity-basicity parameters of thiourea and melamine polymerized graphitic carbon nitride sheets by inverse gas chromatography.

Melamine and thiourea-derived graphitic carbon nitrides (M-GCN/T-GCN) were synthesized and characterized. The surface properties were investigated using inverse gas chromatography (IGC) and compared. Net retention volumes of M-GCN and T-GCN were measured with n-alkanes (C-C) and polar probes.

Ultra-sonication-assisted silver nanoparticles using Panax ginseng root extract and their anti-cancer and antiviral activities.

A simple, inexpensive ultra-sonication method was used to synthesize quasi spherical silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with an aqueous extract from Panax ginseng roots. This method has the advantages of being completely eco-friendly and allows increased reaction rates, uniform dispersal of the nanoparticles in liquids, and effective breaking of aggregates. Biomolecules present in plant extracts are often used to reduce metal ions to nanoparticles in a single-step green synthesis route.