Immune-mediated Bowel Disease: Role of Intestinal Parasites and Gut Microbiome.

Immune-mediated bowel diseases (IMBD), notably ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, impose a substantial global health burden due to their intricate etiology and escalating prevalence. The nexus between intestinal parasites and the gut microbiome in IMBD is a dynamic and complex field of study. Several studies have evidenced the capacity of intestinal parasites to modulate the gut microbiome, inducing alterations in microbial diversity, abundance, and metabolic activity.

A Survey on Fused Filament Fabrication to Produce Functionally Gradient Materials.

Fused filament fabrication (FFF) is a key extrusion-based additive manufacturing (AM) process for fabricating components from polymers and their composites. Functionally gradient materials (FGMs) exhibit spatially varying properties by modulating chemical compositions, microstructures, and design attributes, offering enhanced performance over homogeneous materials and conventional composites. These materials are pivotal in aerospace, automotive, and medical applications, where the optimization of weight, cost, and functional properties is critical.

A Mobile Health Behavior Change Intervention for Women With Coronary Heart Disease: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a mobile health (mHealth) intervention, HerBeat, compared with educational usual care (E-UC) for improving exercise capacity (EC) and other patient-reported outcomes at 3 mo among women with coronary heart disease.

Methods: Women were randomized to the HerBeat group (n = 23), a behavior change mHealth intervention with a smartphone, smartwatch, and health coach or to the E-UC group (n = 24) who received a standardized cardiac rehabilitation workbook. The primary endpoint was EC measured with the 6-min walk test (6MWT).

A Mobile Health Intervention System for Women With Coronary Heart Disease: Usability Study.

Background: Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death and disability among American women. The prevalence of CHD is expected to increase by more than 40% by 2035. In 2015, the estimated cost of caring for patients with CHD was US $182 billion in the United States; hospitalizations accounted for more than half of the costs.

An undergraduate laboratory module that uses the CRISPR/Cas9 system to generate frameshift mutations in yeast.

The CRISPR/Cas9 system is a powerful tool for gene editing and it has become increasingly important for biology students to understand this emerging technique. Most CRISPR laboratory teaching modules use complex metazoan systems or mammalian cell culture which can be expensive. Here, we present a lab module that engages students in learning the fundamentals of CRISPR/Cas9 methodology using the simple and inexpensive model system, Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Sibling Rivalry in Myxococcus xanthus Is Mediated by Kin Recognition and a Polyploid Prophage.

Unlabelled: Myxobacteria form complex social communities that elicit multicellular behaviors. One such behavior is kin recognition, in which cells identify siblings via their polymorphic TraA cell surface receptor, to transiently fuse outer membranes and exchange their contents. In addition, outer membrane exchange (OME) regulates behaviors, such as inhibition of wild-type Myxococcus xanthus (DK1622) from swarming.

How Myxobacteria Cooperate.

Prokaryotes often reside in groups where a high degree of relatedness has allowed the evolution of cooperative behaviors. However, very few bacteria or archaea have made the successful transition from unicellular to obligate multicellular life. A notable exception is the myxobacteria, in which cells cooperate to perform group functions highlighted by fruiting body development, an obligate multicellular function.

A genetic screen in Myxococcus xanthus identifies mutants that uncouple outer membrane exchange from a downstream cellular response.

Upon physical contact with sibling cells, myxobacteria transiently fuse their outer membranes (OMs) and exchange OM proteins and lipids. From previous work, TraA and TraB were identified to be essential factors for OM exchange (OME) in donor and recipient cells. To define the genetic complexity of OME, we carried out a comprehensive forward genetic screen.

Molecular recognition by a polymorphic cell surface receptor governs cooperative behaviors in bacteria.

Cell-cell recognition is a fundamental process that allows cells to coordinate multicellular behaviors. Some microbes, such as myxobacteria, build multicellular fruiting bodies from free-living cells. However, how bacterial cells recognize each other by contact is poorly understood.

Vibrational spectroscopy and ionic conductivity of polyethylene oxide-NaClO4-CuO nanocomposite.

Structure, morphology and thermal properties of polyethylene oxide (PEO) with sodium perchlorate (NaClO(4)) as electrolytic salt have been investigated by incorporating cupric monoxide (CuO) nanoparticles. Monoclinic CuO affects melting and glass transition temperatures of PEO-NaClO(4). Crystallinity and free ion concentration change with the variation of CuO concentration.

Mixed protonic-electronic conduction and dielectric response in layered vanadyl phosphate nanocomposites.

The layered vanadyl phosphate, VOPO(4)2H(2)O, is employed to prepare nanosized conducting polypyrrole by redox intercalation method. Transport and dielectric properties of various compositions have been investigated by impedance technique over a temperature range of 300-120 K. Grain boundary conductivity is larger than the bulk conductivity.