Engineering the ADDobody protein scaffold for generation of high-avidity ADDomer super-binders.

Adenovirus-derived nanoparticles (ADDomer) comprise 60 copies of adenovirus penton base protein (PBP). ADDomer is thermostable, rendering the storage, transport, and deployment of ADDomer-based therapeutics independent of a cold chain. To expand the scope of ADDomers for new applications, we engineered ADDobodies, representing PBP crown domain, genetically separated from PBP multimerization domain.

generated antibodies guide thermostable ADDomer nanoparticle design for nasal vaccination and passive immunization against SARS-CoV-2.

Background: Due to COVID-19, pandemic preparedness emerges as a key imperative, necessitating new approaches to accelerate development of reagents against infectious pathogens.

Methods: Here, we developed an integrated approach combining synthetic, computational and structural methods with antibody selection and immunization to design, produce and validate nature-inspired nanoparticle-based reagents against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

Results: Our approach resulted in two innovations: (i) a thermostable nasal vaccine called ADDoCoV, displaying multiple copies of a SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding motif derived epitope and (ii) a multivalent nanoparticle superbinder, called Gigabody, against SARS-CoV-2 including immune-evasive variants of concern (VOCs).

Proximal ulna morphology in various pediatric population age groups: proximal ulna dorsal angulation (PUDA) and olecranon tip-to-apex (TTA) distance.

Purpose: To measure proximal ulna dorsal angulation (PUDA) and olecranon tip-to-apex distance (TTA) in pediatric population to aid surgeons with data for proximal ulna fractures fixation.

Methods: Retrospective review of the hospital radiographic database. All elbow radiographs were identified and after implementing exclusion criteria, included were 95 patients aged 0-10; 53 patients aged 11-14; and 53 patients aged 15-18.

The free fatty acid-binding pocket is a conserved hallmark in pathogenic β-coronavirus spike proteins from SARS-CoV to Omicron.

As coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) persists, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants of concern (VOCs) emerge, accumulating spike (S) glycoprotein mutations. S receptor binding domain (RBD) comprises a free fatty acid (FFA)-binding pocket. FFA binding stabilizes a locked S conformation, interfering with virus infectivity.

Pai syndrome: From the womb until 19 months of age, a neurological development success story.

A prenatal and postnatal follow-up of a child with Pai syndrome, especially till toddler age, allows a better understanding of the evolution of this syndrome. This offers insight on possible outcomes especially in what concerns the neurodevelopment.

Selecting the right anticoagulant for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation.

Objective: The embolization of thrombi formed within the atria can occur in any form of atrial fibrillation (AF), i.e., paroxysmal, persistent, or permanent.

The Flowering Season-Meter at FLOWERING LOCUS C Across Life Histories in Crucifers.

Many plant species overwinter before they flower. Transition to flowering is aligned to the seasonal transition as a response to the prolonged cold in winter by a process called vernalization. Multiple well-documented vernalization properties in crucifer species with diverse life histories are derived from environmental regulation of a central inhibitor of the flowering gene, ().

Repressive chromatin modification underpins the long-term expression trend of a perennial flowering gene in nature.

Natural environments require organisms to possess robust mechanisms allowing responses to seasonal trends. In Arabidopsis halleri, the flowering regulator AhgFLC shows upregulation and downregulation phases along with long-term past temperature, but the underlying machinery remains elusive. Here, we investigate the seasonal dynamics of histone modifications, H3K27me3 and H3K4me3, at AhgFLC in a natural population.

Molecular Identification of a Novel Hantavirus in Malaysian Bronze Tube-Nosed Bats ().

In the past ten years, several novel hantaviruses were discovered in shrews, moles, and bats, suggesting the dispersal of hantaviruses in many animal taxa other than rodents during their evolution. Interestingly, the coevolutionary analyses of most recent studies have raised the possibility that nonrodents may have served as the primordial mammalian host and harboured the ancestors of rodent-borne hantaviruses as well. The aim of our study was to investigate the presence of hantaviruses in bat lung tissue homogenates originally collected for taxonomic purposes in Malaysia in 2015.

First genetic characterization of Usutu virus from Culex pipiens mosquitoes Serbia, 2014.

Since its first appearance in Europe, Usutu virus (USUV) diverged to several different genetic lineages. The virus was reported to date from multiple countries across Europe (Hungary, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Germany, Czech Republic and Belgium). Considering the more frequently published impact of the virus on humans it is crucial to investigate locally circulating genetic variants and trace its evolution.

Capturing Environmental Plant Memories in DNA, with a Little Help from Chromatin.

Plants are eukaryotes living mostly immotile in harsh environments. On occasion, it is beneficial for their survival to maintain a transcriptional response to an environmental stress longer than the stress lasts (transcriptional memory) and even to reiterate such a response more quickly or more strongly when the same stress is re-encountered (priming memory). In eukaryotes, transcription takes place in the context of chromatin, the packaging material of DNA.

Emerging links between iron-sulfur clusters and 5-methylcytosine base excision repair in plants.

Iron-sulfur (Fe-S) clusters are ancient cofactors present in all kingdoms of life. Both the Fe-S cluster assembly machineries and target apoproteins are distributed across different subcellular compartments. The essential function of Fe-S clusters in nuclear enzymes is particularly difficult to study.

From the laboratory to the field: assaying histone methylation at FLOWERING LOCUS C in naturally growing Arabidopsis halleri.

Gene regulatory mechanisms are often defined in studies performed in the laboratory but are seldom validated for natural habitat conditions, i.e., in natura.

The effect of deltoid lengthening on functional outcome for reverse shoulder arthroplasty.

Purpose: Reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) is based on the biomechanical advantages of lengthening the deltoid while medializing its center of rotation (COR). Little evidence exists describing the clinical benefits of these biomechanical advantages. The purpose of this study is to assess the relationship between deltoid lengthening and medialization of the COR with functional outcomes for RSA patients.

Cost Analysis and Surgical Site Infection Rates in Total Knee Arthroplasty Comparing Traditional vs. Single-Use Instrumentation.

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a significant complications in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The purpose of this study was to evaluate if traditional vs. single-use instrumentation had an effect on SSI's.

Epidemiologic dynamics contributing to pediatric wrist fractures in the United States.

Background: The purpose of this study was to explore and evaluate national trends and factors contributing to pediatric wrist fractures.

Methods: Over a 16-year period from January 1998 to December 2013, we identified and reviewed patients aged 0-17 years old with the primary diagnosis of wrist fracture, as evaluated in US EDs and chronicled by the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) database of the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. We conducted descriptive epidemiologic, bivariate, and chi-square analyses.

2013 Subtalar Arthroereisis Survey: The Current Practice Patterns of Members of the AOFAS.

Background: Subtalar arthroereisis (SA) has been a procedure used for the correction of painful flexible flatfoot deformity in adults and children. Clinical studies of patients who had a SA are sparse and with mixed results and variable indications. The purpose of this study was to determine the current practice among orthopaedic foot and ankle specialists regarding SA.

Aberrant radial-ulnar nerve communication in the upper arm presenting as an unusual radial nerve palsy: a case report.

An unusual communication between the radial and ulnar nerves was observed during repair of a fracture of the humerus in an adult patient who presented with unusual physical exam findings. The patient had loss of radial and ulnar nerve motor function, as well as decreased sensation in both nerve distributions. Radial nerve injury following fracture of the humerus is a common condition, and anatomic variations are therefore of importance to clinicians.

Epigenetic role for the conserved Fe-S cluster biogenesis protein AtDRE2 in Arabidopsis thaliana.

On fertilization in Arabidopsis thaliana, one maternal gamete, the central cell, forms a placenta-like tissue, the endosperm. The DNA glycosylase DEMETER (DME) excises 5-methylcytosine via the base excision repair pathway in the central cell before fertilization, creating patterns of asymmetric DNA methylation and maternal gene expression across DNA replications in the endosperm lineage (EDL). Active DNA demethylation in the central cell is essential for transcriptional activity in the EDL of a set of genes, including FLOWERING WAGENINGEN (FWA).

Concussions From 9 Youth Organized Sports: Results From NEISS Hospitals Over an 11-Year Time Frame, 2002-2012.

Background: Youth sports programs are extremely popular throughout the United States, with children starting formal sports participation as young as 4 years. This places children at greater risk for concussions and other trauma.

Purpose: To describe the epidemiology of concussions sustained during participation in 9 organized sports prior to participation in high school athletics.

Concussions From Youth Football: Results From NEISS Hospitals Over an 11-Year Time Frame, 2002-2012.

Background: Youth football programs across the United States represent an at-risk population of approximately 3.5 million athletes for sports-related concussions. The frequency of concussions in this population is not known.

Unicompartmental knee replacement after high tibial osteotomy: Invalidating a contraindication.

The outcome of high tibial osteotomy (HTO) deteriorates with time, and additional procedures may be required. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical and radiological outcomes between unicompartmental knee replacement (UKR) and total knee replacement (TKR) after HTO as well as after primary UKR. A total of 63 patients (63 knees) were studied retrospectively and divided into three groups: UKR after HTO (group A; n = 22), TKR after HTO (group B; n = 18) and primary UKR (group C; n = 22).

Arabidopsis Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 binding sites contain putative GAGA factor binding motifs within coding regions of genes.

Background: Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) is an essential regulator of gene expression that maintains genes in a repressed state by marking chromatin with trimethylated Histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27me3). In Arabidopsis, loss of PRC2 function leads to pleiotropic effects on growth and development thought to be due to ectopic expression of seed and embryo-specific genes. While there is some understanding of the mechanisms by which specific genes are targeted by PRC2 in animal systems, it is still not clear how PRC2 is recruited to specific regions of plant genomes.

The role of Arabidopsis thaliana NAR1, a cytosolic iron-sulfur cluster assembly component, in gametophytic gene expression and oxidative stress responses in vegetative tissue.

Iron-sulfur proteins have iron-sulfur clusters as a prosthetic group and are responsible for various cellular processes, including general transcriptional regulation, photosynthesis and respiration. The cytosolic iron-sulfur assembly (CIA) pathway of yeast has been shown to be responsible for regulation of iron-sulfur cluster assembly in both the cytosol and the nucleus. However, little is known about the roles of this pathway in multicellular organisms.