Jan and mini-Jan, a model system for potato functional genomics.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is the third-most important food crop in the world. Although the potato genome has been fully sequenced, functional genomics research of potato lags behind that of other major food crops, largely due to the lack of a model experimental potato line. Here, we present a diploid potato line, 'Jan,' which possesses all essential characteristics for facile functional genomics studies.

Bile Duct Injury During Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: Has Anything Changed in 32 Years of Queensland Experience?

Background Bile duct injury (BDI) is a serious complication of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). Large studies report an incidence of 0.08%-0.

Design of an exclusive obligate symbiosis for organism-based biological containment.

Biological containment is a critical safeguard for genetically engineered microbes prior to their environmental release to prevent proliferation in unintended regions. However, few biocontainment strategies can support the longer-term microbial survival that may be desired in a target environment without repeated human intervention. Here, we introduce the concept of an orthogonal obligate commensalism for the autonomous creation of environments that are permissive for survival of a biocontained microbe.

The Impact of Cell-Intrinsic STAT6 Protein on Donor T Cell-Mediated Graft-Versus-Tumor Effect.

Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) is mainly performed to restore an anti-tumor immune response, called the graft-versus-tumor (GVT) effect, against leukemia, myeloma and lymphoma. This GVT reactivity is driven by donor T cells, and it can also cause lethal graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). We previously demonstrated that the colonization of mice with helminths preserves the GVT response while suppressing GVHD.

Jan and mini-Jan, a model system for potato functional genomics.

Potato () is the third most important food crop in the world. Although the potato genome has been fully sequenced, functional genomics research of potato lags relative to other major food crops due primarily to the lack of a model experimental potato line. Here, we present a diploid potato line, 'Jan', which possesses all essential characteristics for facile functional genomics studies.

Relationships between neurodivergence status and adverse childhood experiences, and impacts on health, wellbeing, and criminal justice outcomes: findings from a regional household survey study in England.

Background: Evidence indicates that neurodivergent (ND) populations may be more at risk of experiencing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), compared to neurotypical (NT) populations. However, this evidence has typically not examined a comprehensive set of ACEs and has only included ND individuals on the basis that they have a diagnosis. Very little research has examined the impacts of ACEs on negative adulthood outcomes for ND populations.

Tragedy of the commons: the resource struggle during Plasmodium infection.

Plasmodium spp. have an ancient history with humans, having been described in ancient texts dating back 3500 years ago, which has led to an evolutionary arms race between Plasmodium and humans with Plasmodium successfully subverting durable, sterilizing host immunity. Mechanisms of immune evasion include polymorphism and antigenic variation, as well as dysregulated immune responses, each facilitating transmission and Plasmodium parasite persistence.

Drivers to implementing a whole-system approach to enquiring about adverse childhood experiences: A mixed methods evaluation from a single county in England.

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can have substantial impacts on individuals' health and social prospects across the life course. Retrospectively enquiring with adults about their experience of ACEs to inform support provision is an emerging intervention across services/countries, however little is known about the processes of implementation.

Objectives: The study aimed to examine the drivers to successful implementation of ACE enquiry.

Topical and Subcutaneous Interferon-Alpha for the Treatment of Refractory Inflammatory Macular Edema.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of topical interferon alpha-2b (tIFN a2b) and subcutaneous pegylated interferon alpha-2a (peg-IFN a2a) in the treatment of refractory pseudophakic (PME) and uveitic (UME) macular edema.

Methods: Retrospective case series of patients with PME or UME that was non-responsive to conventional therapies. Topical IFN a2b drops (1 MIU/ml) were commenced four times a day.

Stress hyperglycemia exacerbates inflammatory brain injury after stroke.

Post-stroke hyperglycemia occurs in 30% - 60% of ischemic stroke patients as part of the systemic stress response, but neither clinical evidence nor pre-clinical studies indicate whether post-stroke hyperglycemia affects stroke outcome. Here we investigated this issue using a mouse model of permanent ischemia. Mice were maintained either normoglycemic or hyperglycemic during the interval of 17 - 48 hours after ischemia onset.

Impact of sleep and mental health in adolescence: an overview.

Purpose Of Review: Sleep deprivation is known to affect multiple aspects of mental health, physical health, and daily functioning. With increasing reports of sleep disturbances and increasing mental health needs in adolescents, it is imperative that healthcare providers have a strong understanding of the relationship between sleep and mental health, the impact of poor sleep on the school experience, and an understanding of behavioral interventions targeting sleep practices.

Recent Findings: Recent studies have shown that the relationship between sleep and mental health is complex and multifaceted.

Perspectives on benefits and risks of creation of an "injection drug use" billing code.

People with substance use disorder (SUD) face barriers to prevention and treatment services, increasing risk for hospitalization and death. Injection drug use (IDU) can lead to an increased risk of overdose and infections. However, identifying people who inject drugs (PWID) within healthcare systems is challenging.

Understanding Barriers and Distress Experienced Among Cancer Patients: Analysis from an Urban Academic Emergency Department.

The purpose of this study was to examine barriers and facilitators to compliance for cancer care in patients utilizing an emergency department (ED)-based assessment. Adult ED patients who either had active cancer or a history of cancer were enrolled between August 2020 and Jan 2022 for this prospective cohort study. We piloted the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Distress Thermometer.

Harms from Other People's Gambling: Associations with an Individual's Own Gambling Behaviours, Health Risk Behaviours, Financial Problems, General Health, and Mental Wellbeing.

This study aimed to explore relationships between being an 'affected other' (AO) and an individual's own gambling, health risk behaviours, financial problems, poor general health, and low mental wellbeing. A cross-sectional survey using representative and supplementary convenience samples was undertaken with 1234 residents of a British Island aged 16 + years. Being an AO was measured as having a partner or relative who has been gambling regularly in the past 12 months.

Itaconate as a potential target for antimalarial therapy.

In a recent publication, Ramalho et al. investigated monocyte-derived dendritic cell (MODC) mobilization in response to Plasmodium infection. The authors showed that elevated levels of itaconate in MODCs results in reduced CD8 T cell activation and that the absence of itaconate is associated with enhanced parasite control.

CD4 T Cell-Derived IL-21 Is Critical for Sustaining Plasmodium Infection-Induced Germinal Center Responses and Promoting the Selection of Memory B Cells with Recall Potential.

Development of Plasmodium-specific humoral immunity is critically dependent on CD4 Th cell responses and germinal center (GC) reactions during blood-stage Plasmodium infection. IL-21, a cytokine primarily produced by CD4 T cells, is an essential regulator of affinity maturation, isotype class-switching, B cell differentiation, and maintenance of GC reactions in response to many infection and immunization models. In models of experimental malaria, mice deficient in IL-21 or its receptor IL-21R fail to develop memory B cell populations and are not protected against secondary infection.

The Mentors in Violence Prevention programme: impact on students' knowledge and attitudes related to violence, prejudice, and abuse, and willingness to intervene as a bystander in secondary schools in England.

Background: Violence is a leading cause of death and disability for young people and has serious impacts on prospects across the lifecourse. The education sector is a crucial setting for preventing youth violence through incorporating programmes that address attitudes and behaviours. The Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) programme aims to change harmful attitudes and norms, and increase non-violent bystander intervention, through a peer mentoring approach.

Molecular dissection of an intronic enhancer governing cold-induced expression of the vacuolar invertase gene in potato.

Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is the third most important food crop in the world. Potato tubers must be stored at cold temperatures to minimize sprouting and losses due to disease. However, cold temperatures strongly induce the expression of the potato vacuolar invertase gene (VInv) and cause reducing sugar accumulation.

Endocarditis.

Infectious endocarditis (IE) is a universally fatal condition if left unmanaged, requiring urgent evaluation and treatment. Fever, new heart murmur, vegetations found by echocardiogram, and bacteremia are the most common symptoms and findings. Blood cultures and echocardiography are obligatory diagnostic modalities and should be used with the modified Duke criteria, the accepted diagnostic aid, when establishing a diagnosis of IE.

Sexual violence in nightlife and positive bystander intervention in an English city.

Background: Nightlife environments are high risk settings for sexual violence and bystander intervention programmes are being developed in response. However, more research is needed to understand nightlife-related sexual violence, and factors that influence bystander interventions. This study examined nightlife patron's experiences of sexual violence and associated factors; and relationships between attitudes towards, awareness and experience of sexual violence, and confidence to intervene.

Nitro Biosciences:: Enhancing immune response via an expanded genetic code.

Novel modalities of vaccine will be required to address the current and future public health concerns we face. Many infectious diseases lack clinically approved vaccines causing immense burden to the health care system both domestically and abroad. More concerningly, the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is anticipated to rise over the coming decades and limit our tools to treat these infections.

Selective and Site-Specific Incorporation of Nonstandard Amino Acids Within Proteins for Therapeutic Applications.

The incorporation of nonstandard amino acids (nsAAs) within protein sequences has broadened the chemical functionalities available for use in the study, prevention, or treatment of disease. The ability to genetically encode the introduction of nsAAs at precise sites of target recombinant proteins has enabled numerous applications such as bioorthogonal conjugation, thrombin inhibition, intrinsic biological containment of live organisms, and immunochemical termination of self-tolerance. Genetic systems that perform critical steps in enabling nsAA incorporation are known as orthogonal translation systems or orthogonal aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase/tRNA pairs.

Discovery of L-threonine transaldolases for enhanced biosynthesis of beta-hydroxylated amino acids.

Beta-hydroxy non-standard amino acids (β-OH-nsAAs) have utility as small molecule drugs, precursors for beta-lactone antibiotics, and building blocks for polypeptides. While the L-threonine transaldolase (TTA), ObiH, is a promising enzyme for β-OH-nsAA biosynthesis, little is known about other natural TTA sequences. We ascertained the specificity of the TTA enzyme class more comprehensively by characterizing 12 candidate TTA gene products across a wide range (20-80%) of sequence identities.

CD40 Signaling in Mice Elicits a Broad Antiviral Response Early during Acute Infection with RNA Viruses.

Macrophages are critical in the pathogenesis of a diverse group of viral pathogens, both as targets of infection and for eliciting primary defense mechanisms. Our prior in vitro work identified that CD40 signaling in murine peritoneal macrophages protects against several RNA viruses by eliciting IL-12, which stimulates the production of interferon gamma (IFN-γ). Here, we examine the role of CD40 signaling in vivo.

A structured jet explains the extreme GRB 221009A.

Long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are powerful cosmic explosions, signaling the death of massive stars. Among them, GRB 221009A is by far the brightest burst ever observed. Because of its enormous energy ( ≈ 10 erg) and proximity ( ≈ 0.