Extant life detection using label-free video microscopy in analog aquatic environments.

The ability of microbial active motion, morphology, and optical properties to serve as biosignatures was investigated by in situ video microscopy in a wide range of extreme field sites where such imaging had not been performed previously. These sites allowed for sampling seawater, sea ice brines, cryopeg brines, hypersaline pools and seeps, hyperalkaline springs, and glaciovolcanic cave ice. In all samples except the cryopeg brine, active motion was observed without any sample treatment.

A systematic review of assessment tools for cognitive frailty: Use, psychometric properties, and clinical utility.

Background: The concept of 'cognitive frailty' (CF) was first developed by an international consensus group in 2013 and defined as evidence of both physical frailty and cognitive impairment without a clinical diagnosis of AD or another dementia. CF has been associated with adverse health outcomes and early identification is vital. Difficulty in the assessment of CF however is the lack of a diagnostic gold standard.

Audiology Through a Psychologically Informed Practice Lens.

Psychologically informed practice is a structural framework originating in physiotherapy, that aids clinicians to identify, consider, and address the psychological factors related to chronic conditions and their management. Hearing loss is a chronic condition associated with a variety of psychosocial impacts, and psychological factors are known to heavily influence the engagement, adherence, and success of hearing rehabilitation. This framework could provide a structured method to manage these factors by using evidence-based psychological theory and applications.

Identification and Characterization of Vancomycin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus CC45/USA600, North Carolina, USA, 2021.

Vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA) is a rare but serious public health concern. We describe a VRSA case in North Carolina, USA. The isolate from the case belonged to the USA600 lineage and clonal complex 45.

The Human Mitochondrial Genome Encodes for an Interferon-Responsive Host Defense Peptide.

The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) can trigger immune responses and directly entrap pathogens, but it is not known to encode for active immune factors. The immune system is traditionally thought to be exclusively nuclear-encoded. Here, we report the identification of a mitochondrial-encoded host defense peptide (HDP) that presumably derives from the primordial proto-mitochondrial bacteria.