Mechanism of Annealing of Complementary DNA Strands by the Single-Stranded DNA Binding Protein of Bacteriophage T7.

Gp2.5, an essential single-stranded DNA-binding protein encoded by bacteriophage T7, is integral to various steps of DNA metabolism. Unlike other single-stranded DNA binding proteins, it greatly facilitates the annealing of complementary DNA strands.

Nursery areas for a critically endangered hammerhead shark in the Guatemalan Pacific.

The scalloped hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini) is the shark most frequently landed in Guatemalan artisanal fisheries. From 2017 to 2023, fishery-dependent monitoring recorded 10,000 individuals across three fishing communities. Neonates represented the largest proportion (n = 5860), followed by young of the year (YOY, n = 3929) and significantly fewer juveniles (n = 183) and adults (n = 28).

Severe Heart Failure and Treatment With Dapagliflozin Across the Ejection Fraction Spectrum: DAPA-HF and DELIVER.

Background: Patients with severe heart failure (HF) experience debilitating clinical symptoms and worse cardiovascular (CV) outcomes with an excess mortality risk.

Objectives: The authors aimed to assess the prevalence, CV outcome risk, and treatment response to the sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor (SGLT2i) dapagliflozin among patients with severe HF across the spectrum of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in DAPA-HF and DELIVER.

Methods: Severe HF was adapted from the ESC (European Society of Cardiology) HFA (Heart Failure Association) definition: NYHA functional class III/IV, evidence of HF with reduced, mildly reduced, or preserved LVEF, HF hospitalization within the previous 12 months, and adverse patient-reported symptom burden (Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire-Total Symptoms Score <75).

Deciphering age-related transcriptomic changes in the mouse retinal pigment epithelium.

Aging of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) leads to a gradual decline in RPE homeostasis over time, significantly impacting retinal health. Understanding the mechanisms underlying RPE aging is crucial for elucidating the background in which many age-related retinal pathologies develop. In this study, we compared the transcriptomes of young and aged mouse RPE and observed a marked upregulation of immunogenic, proinflammatory, and oxidative stress genes in aging RPE.

Risk of VF Undersensing in Extra-Vascular ICD Due to Concomitant Leadless Pacing.

Extravascular implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (EV-ICD) offer defibrillation, anti-tachycardia pacing (ATP), and backup pacing, packaged in a unit comparable to traditional transvenous ICDs in size, shape, and longevity. However, the pacing capabilities of EV-ICD are restricted to ATP, pause prevention and post-shock pacing. For EV-ICD patients who develop the need for pacing, having a concomitant leadless pacemaker such as Micra could provide the needed pacing support.