Mycobacteria develop biofilms on airway epithelial cells and promote mucosal barrier disruption.

Tuberculosis displays several features commonly linked to biofilm-associated infections, including recurrence of infection and resistance to antibiotic treatment. The respiratory epithelium represents the first line of defense against pathogens such as (Mtb). Here, we use an air-liquid interface model of human primary bronchial epithelial cells (PBEC) to explore the capability of four species of mycobacteria (Mtb, (BCG), and ) to form biofilms on airway epithelial cells.

New Infrared Spectra of Acetylene-Water Dimers: First Determination of the Rotational Constant and Another -Dependent Anomaly.

Infrared spectra of acetylene-water complexes are studied in the regions of the HO ν bend (1600 cm) and the DO ν/ν stretches (2670-2808 cm), using tunable infrared sources to probe a pulsed supersonic slit jet expansion. In the HO bend region, there is a puzzling absence of = 0 transitions for CH-HO, while both = 0 and 1 are observed for CD-HO. This continues a pattern of "missing" states noted in previous infrared studies of acetylene-water.

Water-carbon disulfide dimers: observation of a new isomer and structure theory.

The weakly bound dimer water-carbon disulfide is studied by structure theory and high-resolution infrared spectroscopy. The calculations yield three stable minima in the potential energy surface, all planar. The most stable, isomer 1, was observed previously by microwave spectroscopy.

Cross polarization stability in multidimensional NMR spectroscopy of biological solids.

Magic-angle spinning (MAS) solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR) spectroscopy is a powerful and versatile technique for probing structure and dynamics in large, insoluble biological systems at atomic resolution. With many recent advances in instrumentation and polarization methods, technology development in SSNMR remains an active area of research and presents opportunities to further improve data collection, processing, and analysis of samples with low sensitivity and complex tertiary and quaternary structures. SSNMR spectra are often collected as multidimensional data, requiring stable experimental conditions to minimize signal fluctuations (t noise).

Infrared spectra of partially deuterated water dimers in the fundamental O-D stretch region.

Spectra of mixed H/D water dimers are studied in the mid-infrared region of the O-D stretch fundamental (2630-2800 cm-1) using a pulsed supersonic slit jet and a tunable optical parametric oscillator infrared source. Over 30 bands, belonging to nine of the ten possible isotopologues (only H2O-HOD is missed), are observed and analyzed. The implications for excited state tunneling splittings, lifetime effects, and vibrational shifts are discussed.

Age, Gender, and Liver Enzyme Impact Hospital Stay in COVID-19 Minority Patient with Cancer in the USA: Does Race Matters in the Pandemic?

Patients with cancer are known to have a poor prognosis when infected with SARS-CoV-2 infection. We aimed in this study to assess health outcomes in COVID-19 patients with different cancers in comparison to non-cancer COVID-19 patients from different centers in the United States (US). We evaluated medical records of 1,943 COVID-19 Cancer patients from 3 hospitals admitted between December 2019 to October 2021 and compared them with non-cancer COVID-19 patients.

Structural characterisation of α-synuclein-membrane interactions and the resulting aggregation using small angle scattering.

The presence of amyloid fibrils is a hallmark of several neurodegenerative diseases. Some amyloidogenic proteins, such as α-synuclein and amyloid β, interact with lipids, and this interaction can strongly favour the formation of amyloid fibrils. In particular the primary nucleation step, the formation of amyloid fibrils, has been shown to be accelerated by lipids.

Spectra of the D2O dimer in the O-D fundamental stretch region: The acceptor symmetric stretch fundamental and new combination bands.

The O-D stretch fundamental region of the deuterated water dimer, (D2O)2, is further studied using a pulsed supersonic slit jet and a tunable optical parametric oscillator infrared source. The previously unobserved acceptor symmetric O-D stretch fundamental vibration is detected, with Ka = 0 ← 0 and 1 ← 0 sub-bands at about 2669 and 2674 cm-1, respectively. The analysis indicates that the various water dimer tunneling splittings generally decrease in the excited vibrational state, similar to the three other previously observed O-D stretch fundamentals.

"We Aren't Meant to Go Through the Hardest Parts of Our Lives Alone": Family Experience With Restricted PICU Presence During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Context: PICUs across Canada restricted family presence (RFP) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic from allowing two or more family members to often only one family member at the bedside. The objective of this study was to describe the experiences and impact of RFP on families of critically ill children to inform future policy and practice.

Hypothesis: RFP policies negatively impacted families of PICU patients and caused moral distress.

Airway epithelial cells mount an early response to mycobacterial infection.

Lung epithelial cells represent the first line of host defence against foreign inhaled components, including respiratory pathogens. Their responses to these exposures may direct subsequent immune activation to these pathogens. The epithelial response to mycobacterial infections is not well characterized and may provide clues to why some mycobacterial infections are cleared, while others are persistent and pathogenic.

Engineering Plastic Eating Enzymes Using Structural Biology.

Plastic pollution has emerged as a significant environmental concern in recent years and has prompted the exploration of innovative biotechnological solutions to mitigate plastic's negative impact. The discovery of enzymes capable of degrading specific types of plastics holds promise as a potential solution. However, challenges with efficiency, industrial scalability, and the diverse range of the plastic waste in question, have hindered their widespread application.

A distinct case of an 8-year-old female with cyclic neutropenia presenting with abdominal sepsis and myonecrosis requiring a bowel resection and leg fasciotomy.

is a very rare cause of severe spontaneous pediatric enterocolitis and is often associated with underlying malignancy or immunocompromise. Likewise, cyclic neutropenia is a rare congenital immunodeficiency that is characterized by cyclical periods of neutropenia, often with more severe symptoms in the pediatric population. Here, we present a unique case of spontaneous enterocolitis, sepsis, and myonecrosis in a child with undiagnosed cyclic neutropenia.

Pro-Con Debate: Consideration of Race, Ethnicity, and Gender Is Detrimental to Successful Mentorship.

Anesthesiology remains a specialty with low representation of women or members of racial and ethnic groups considered underrepresented in medicine (UiM). In the United States, women account for 33% of anesthesiology residents, while physicians identifying as Black, African American, Latinx, American Indian, or Alaska Native account for approximately 10%. Underrepresentation of these groups is even more pronounced in academic anesthesiology, especially at the senior ranks and roles, such as department chairs.

Doped rare gas clusters up to completion of first solvation shell, CO-(Rg), n = 3-17, Rg = Ar, Kr, Xe.

Spectra of rare gas atom clusters containing a single carbon dioxide molecule are observed using a tunable mid-infrared (4.3 µm) source to probe a pulsed slit jet supersonic expansion. There are relatively few previous detailed experimental results on such clusters.

Superior sagittal sinus flow as a proxy for tracking global cerebral blood flow dynamics during wakefulness and sleep.

Sleep, a state of reduced consciousness, affects brain oxygen metabolism and lowers cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO). Previously, we quantified CMRO during sleep via Fick's Principle, with a single-band MRI sequence measuring both hemoglobin O saturation (SvO) and superior sagittal sinus (SSS) blood flow, which was upscaled to obtain total cerebral blood flow (tCBF). The procedure involves a brief initial calibration scan to determine the upscaling factor (f), assumed state-invariant.

Modeling of flexible membrane-bound biomolecular complexes for solution small-angle scattering.

Recent advances in protein expression protocols, sample handling, and experimental set up of small-angle scattering experiments have allowed users of the technique to structurally investigate biomolecules of growing complexity and structural disorder. Notable examples include intrinsically disordered proteins, multi-domain proteins and membrane proteins in suitable carrier systems. Here, we outline a modeling scheme for calculating the scattering profiles from such complex samples.

Spectra of CO-Rg and CO-Rg-He trimers (Rg = Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe): Intermolecular CO rock, vibrational shifts and three-body effects.

Weakly bound CO-Rg trimers are studied by high-resolution (0.002 cm) infrared spectroscopy in the region of the CO ν fundamental band (≈2350 cm), using a tunable optical parametric oscillator to probe a pulsed supersonic slit jet expansion with an effective rotational temperature of about 2 K. CO-Ar spectra have been reported previously, but they are extended here to include Rg = Ne, Kr, and Xe as well as new combination and hot bands.

Dairying, diseases and the evolution of lactase persistence in Europe.

In European and many African, Middle Eastern and southern Asian populations, lactase persistence (LP) is the most strongly selected monogenic trait to have evolved over the past 10,000 years. Although the selection of LP and the consumption of prehistoric milk must be linked, considerable uncertainty remains concerning their spatiotemporal configuration and specific interactions. Here we provide detailed distributions of milk exploitation across Europe over the past 9,000 years using around 7,000 pottery fat residues from more than 550 archaeological sites.

Traumatic elbow dislocation in a patient with congenital radioulnar synostosis.

This case report describes a traumatic elbow dislocation in a patient with congenital radioulnar synostosis. It discusses the difficulties and potential complications of managing this complicated injury. Congenital radioulnar synostosis (CRUS) is a rare elbow pathology that is characterised by the abnormal fusion of the proximal radius and ulna bones at the elbow.