Elucidation of the DNA-Binding Activity of VirF from Shigella flexneri for the and Promoters and Characterization of the N-Terminal Domain To Identify Residues Crucial for Dimerization.

A novel approach to treat the highly virulent and infectious enteric pathogen Shigella flexneri, with the potential for reduced resistance development, is to target virulence pathways. One promising such target is the AraC-family transcription factor VirF, which activates downstream virulence factors. VirF harbors a conserved C-terminal DNA-binding domain (DBD) and an N-terminal dimerization domain (NTD).

Developing Educational Animations on HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for Women: Qualitative Study.

Background: Despite experiencing the second-highest rate of HIV incidence in the United States, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use remains low among Black women due, in part, to a lack of patients' awareness and providers' knowledge.

Objective: Our goal was to design animated educational tools informed by patients and women's health providers to address these barriers, specifically for women at risk for HIV.

Methods: Two animation storyboards about PrEP for women were created by academic stakeholders (eg, HIV clinical experts, educators, and HIV peer counselors), one for patients and one for providers.

Impact of animal programming on children's attitudes toward local wildlife.

Attitudes toward wildlife can have direct implications on children's interest in conservation behaviors. Animal programs are an example of interactive, educational experiences that have the potential to change attitudes by providing individuals the opportunity to get close to animal ambassadors and participate in engaging conversations about them. We conducted an animal program assessment with summer camps at the Ohio Wildlife Center to quantify changes in children's affiliation with local wildlife and their willingness to live near local wildlife.

Impact of Sources of Strengths on Coping and Safety of Immigrant Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a national and international public health and human rights concern. Immigrant women are disproportionately affected by IPV that includes homicides. This study explored the perspectives of survivors of IPV, who are immigrants to the United States, regarding their sources of strength that enhance their safety and promote coping in abusive relationships.

Coevolution of relative brain size and life expectancy in parrots.

Previous studies have demonstrated a correlation between longevity and brain size in a variety of taxa. Little research has been devoted to understanding this link in parrots; yet parrots are well-known for both their exceptionally long lives and cognitive complexity. We employed a large-scale comparative analysis that investigated the influence of brain size and life-history variables on longevity in parrots.

Contextual factors associated with gender-based violence and related homicides perpetrated by partners and in-laws: A study of women survivors in India.

Gender based violence (GBV) is a significant public health concern for women globally, including countries such as India. The researchers investigated factors related to GBV and GBV-related homicides perpetrated by both husbands and in-laws using a qualitative approach. Data were collected from 27 women in India.

Teaching animal behavior online: A primer for the pandemic and beyond.

Behavior courses face numerous challenges when moving to an online environment, as has been made necessary by the COVID-19 pandemic. These challenges occur largely because behavior courses, like most organismal biology courses, often stress experiential learning through laboratories that involve live animals, as well as a lecture component that emphasizes formative assessment, discussion, and critical thinking. Although online behavior courses may be remote, they can still be interactive and social, and designed with inclusive pedagogy.

Characterizing trends in human-wildlife conflicts in the American Midwest using wildlife rehabilitation records.

Human-wildlife conflict is difficult to measure, but the analysis of records from wildlife rehabilitation facilities has shown potential as a technique for characterizing human impacts on wildlife. To examine the value of wildlife rehabilitation records for characterizing local human-wildlife conflicts and prevalence of select wildlife diseases, we reviewed 45,668 records representing over 280 species admitted to a wildlife rehabilitation facility over a 10-year period (2005-2014). We identified the most frequently recorded causes of admission for commonly admitted species, and evaluated how causes of admission may vary across taxa throughout the year.

Social calls provide novel insights into the evolution of vocal learning.

Learned song is among the best-studied models of animal communication. In oscine songbirds, where learned song is most prevalent, it is used primarily for intrasexual selection and mate attraction. Learning of a different class of vocal signals, known as contact calls, is found in a diverse array of species, where they are used to mediate social interactions among individuals.

Polypharmacy, Opioid Use, and Fibromyalgia: A Secondary Analysis of Clinical Trial Data.

The major therapeutic approach for treating fibromyalgia (FM), a chronic widespread pain syndrome, is pharmacotherapy-centered symptom management. Complexity of treatment often leads to multiple medication prescriptions. While there is no current alternative to the probable need for polypharmacy in this patient population, there remains concern related to potential side effects and adverse drug events.

Association of time since pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine receipt and CD4 count with antibody response to the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in HIV-infected adults.

Introduction: Pneumococcal infection is a leading cause of illness and death in HIV-infected adults. Current United States guidelines for HIV-infected adults recommend a single dose of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-13) at any CD4 count and at least 1 y after receipt of the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV). PPV is known to lead to hyporesponsiveness to subsequent pneumococcal vaccines for at least 1 y Whether PCV-13 would be more immunogenic if administered later after PPV receipt or at higher CD4 counts has not been tested.

A test of multiple hypotheses for the function of call sharing in female budgerigars, .

In many social species group, members share acoustically similar calls. Functional hypotheses have been proposed for call sharing, but previous studies have been limited by an inability to distinguish among these hypotheses. We examined the function of vocal sharing in female budgerigars with a two-part experimental design that allowed us to distinguish between two functional hypotheses.

Interleukin-3-deficient mice have increased resistance to blood-stage malaria.

The contribution of interleukin-3 (IL-3), a hematopoietic growth factor and immunoregulatory cytokine, to resistance to blood-stage malaria was investigated by infecting IL-3-deficient (knockout [KO]) mice with Plasmodium berghei NK65. Male IL-3 KO mice, but not female mice, were more resistant to infection than wild-type (WT) mice, as evidenced by lower peak parasitemia and prolonged survival. Both male and female IL-3 KO mice had increased splenomegaly and were more anemic than corresponding WT mice.

Validation of a fecal glucocorticoid metabolite assay to assess stress in the budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus).

The budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) is a small parrot native to Australia that is commonly held in zoos, laboratories, and private homes. Assessment of budgerigar stress levels would aid welfare monitoring and improve our understanding of their biology. Analyzing fecal glucocorticoid metabolites provides a noninvasive method to measure stress levels in birds.

Survival on the ark: life history trends in captive parrots.

Members of the order Psittaciformes (parrots and cockatoos) are among the most long-lived and endangered avian species. Comprehensive data on lifespan and breeding are critical to setting conservation priorities, parameterizing population viability models, and managing captive and wild populations. To meet these needs, we analyzed 83, 212 life history records of captive birds from the International Species Information System and calculated lifespan and breeding parameters for 260 species of parrots (71% of extant species).

Successful treatment with etoposide phosphate in patients with previous etoposide hypersensitivity.

Objective: To review the experience of treatment with etoposide phosphate in patients with acute etoposide hypersensitivity treated in a large tertiary referral center hospital specializing in curable malignancies.

Case Summaries: The cases of 6 patients with advanced malignancies who experienced acute etoposide hypersensitivity are documented. There were 3 male and 3 female patients and their ages ranged from 16 to 68.