MIBiG 4.0: advancing biosynthetic gene cluster curation through global collaboration.

Specialized or secondary metabolites are small molecules of biological origin, often showing potent biological activities with applications in agriculture, engineering and medicine. Usually, the biosynthesis of these natural products is governed by sets of co-regulated and physically clustered genes known as biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs). To share information about BGCs in a standardized and machine-readable way, the Minimum Information about a Biosynthetic Gene cluster (MIBiG) data standard and repository was initiated in 2015.

Sirtuin2 blockade inhibits replication of Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 and in macrophages and humanized mice.

Coinfections with (Mtb) and HIV-1 present a critical health challenge and require treatment for survival. We found that human M1 macrophages inhibit Mtb growth, while M2 macrophages, characterized by elevated Sirt2 expression, permit Mtb growth. Further, we found that HIV-1 augmented Sirt2 gene expression in MФs.

Differences in Somatosensory Function Related to Hand Dominance: Results of a Quantitative Sensory Testing Study in Healthy Volunteers.

Purpose: Quantitative sensory testing commonly utilizes the unaffected, contralateral side as a control to detect somatosensory dysfunction. There is scant evidence that somatosensory function for the volar dominant and non-dominant hands is equivalent, therefore intra-patient comparisons are unwarranted. This study aimed to identify dominance-related differences in palmar hand somatosensation, thereby determining if the unaffected contralateral hand is a valid comparator in clinical populations.

Eleven neurology-related proteins measured in serum are positively correlated to the severity of diabetic neuropathy.

About 20% of patients with diabetes suffer from chronic pain with neuropathic characteristics. We investigated the multivariate associations between 92 neurology-related proteins measured in serum from 190 patients with painful and painless diabetic neuropathy. Participants were recruited from the Pain in Neuropathy Study, an observational cross-sectional multicentre study in which participants underwent deep phenotyping.

Methods for pragmatic randomized clinical trials of pain therapies: IMMPACT statement.

Pragmatic, randomized, controlled trials hold the potential to directly inform clinical decision making and health policy regarding the treatment of people experiencing pain. Pragmatic trials are designed to replicate or are embedded within routine clinical care and are increasingly valued to bridge the gap between trial research and clinical practice, especially in multidimensional conditions, such as pain and in nonpharmacological intervention research. To maximize the potential of pragmatic trials in pain research, the careful consideration of each methodological decision is required.

Pain after combat injury in male UK military personnel deployed to Afghanistan.

Background: Chronic pain after injury poses a serious health burden. As a result of advances in medical technology, ever more military personnel survive severe combat injuries, but long-term pain outcomes are unknown. We aimed to assess rates of pain in a representative sample of UK military personnel with and without combat injuries.

Angiotensin II type 2 receptor signalling as a pain target: Bench, bedside and back-translation.

Translating promising preclinical pain relief data for novel molecules from drug discovery to positive clinical trial outcomes is challenging. The angiotensin II type 2 (AT) receptor is a clinically-validated target based upon positive proof-of-concept clinical trial data in patients with post-herpetic neuralgia. This trial was conducted because AT receptor antagonists evoked pain relief in rodent models of neuropathic pain.

"I did not expect the doctor to treat a ghost": a systematic review of published reports regarding chronic postamputation pain in British First World War veterans.

Limb trauma remains the most prevalent survivable major combat injury. In the First World War, more than 700,000 British soldiers received limb wounds and more than 41,000 underwent an amputation, creating one of the largest amputee cohorts in history. Postamputation pain affects up to 85% of military amputees, suggesting that up to 33,000 British First World War veterans potentially reported postamputation pain.

Texas Developmental Center for AIDS Research CFAR Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Pathway Initiative Program.

Background: The Texas Developmental Center for AIDS Research (D-CFAR) diversity program, termed the CFAR Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Pathway Initiative (CDEIPI), was created in 2021 to engage high school students and graduate students from Underrepresented Minorities/Black, Indigenous, and People of Color populations.

Setting: The Texas D-CFAR CDEIPI has partnered with 2 Texas high schools with predominantly economically disadvantaged and minority student populations-Michael E. DeBakey High School for Health Professions in Houston, TX, and the South Texas Independent School District Medical Professions High School in Olmito, TX in the Rio Grande Valley.

Centers for AIDS Research (CFAR) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Pathway Initiative (CDEIPI): Developing Career Pathways for Early-Stage Scholars From Racial and Ethnic Groups Underrepresented in HIV Science and Medicine.

Background: There is an urgent need to increase diversity among scientific investigators in the HIV research field to be more reflective of communities highly affected by the HIV epidemic. Thus, it is critical to promote the inclusion and advancement of early-stage scholars from racial and ethnic groups underrepresented in HIV science and medicine.

Methods: To widen the HIV research career pathway for early-stage scholars from underrepresented minority groups, the National Institutes of Health supported the development of the Centers for AIDS Research (CFAR) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Pathway Initiative (CDEIPI).

Serum levels of endocannabinoids and related lipids in painful vs painless diabetic neuropathy: results from the Pain in Neuropathy Study.

N-arachidonoylethanolamine (also known as anandamide) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol are activators of the cannabinoid receptors. The endocannabinoid system also includes structurally and functionally related lipid mediators that do not target cannabinoid receptors, such as oleoylethanolamide, palmitoylethanolamide, and stearoylethanolamide. These bioactive lipids are involved in various physiological processes, including regulation of pain.

A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Non-pharmacological Methods to Manipulate Experimentally Induced Secondary Hypersensitivity.

This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the effects of non-pharmacological manipulations on experimentally induced secondary hypersensitivity in pain-free humans. We investigated the magnitude (change/difference in follow-up ratings from pre-manipulation ratings) of secondary hypersensitivity (primary outcome), and surface area of secondary hypersensitivity (secondary outcome), in 27 studies representing 847 participants. Risk of bias assessment concluded most studies (23 of 27) had an unclear or high risk of performance and detection bias.

Joint European Academy of Neurology-European Pain Federation-Neuropathic Pain Special Interest Group of the International Association for the Study of Pain guidelines on neuropathic pain assessment.

Background And Purpose: In these guidelines, we aimed to develop evidence-based recommendations for the use of screening questionnaires and diagnostic tests in patients with neuropathic pain (NeP).

Methods: We systematically reviewed studies providing information on the sensitivity and specificity of screening questionnaires, and quantitative sensory testing, neurophysiology, skin biopsy, and corneal confocal microscopy. We also analysed how functional neuroimaging, peripheral nerve blocks, and genetic testing might provide useful information in diagnosing NeP.