Identification of novel microcystins in algal extracts by a liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry data analysis pipeline.

Background: Microcystins are an emergent public health problem. These toxins are secondary metabolites of harmful cyanobacterial blooms, with blooms becoming more prevalent with eutrophication of water. Exposure to microcystins can result in sickness, liver damage, and even death.

Investigation of 44-methylgambierone reactivity with periodate: Structural reassignment, solvent instability and formation of a furanoid analogue.

Gambierones are sulfated polyethers produced by benthic dinoflagellates in the genera Gambierdiscus, Coolia and Fukuyoa. While relative toxicity data for gambierones suggests they are low compared with ciguatoxin analogues, gambierones have been suggested for use as marker compounds for environmental monitoring programs for the presence of Gambierdiscus in marine waters. The published structure of gambierone and analogues of it, including 44-methylgambierone (44-MeGAM), have been reported to possess 1,2- and 4,5-cis diols, while only the 1,2- diol unit has been shown to undergo periodate oxidation.

Protocol for COACH, an evidence-based intervention for improved head impact safety in youth American football developed using a community-engaged approach.

Subconcussive, repetitive head impacts sustained in collision sports may negatively affect brain health. American football practices are controlled environments amenable to intervention. Engaging community members is essential for successful development, implementation, and sustainability of viable interventions.

The effect of safety modifications on head kinematics experienced during common skills in women's artistic gymnastics.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of skill modifications on head motion experienced during women's artistic gymnastics skills. Nine gymnasts (four beginner and five advanced) completed three trials of up to 24 skill progressions, each consisting of a skill and two progressive safety modifications. Gymnasts were instrumented with mouthpiece sensors embedded with an accelerometer and gyroscope collecting motion data at 200, 300, and 500 Hz during each skill performance.

Optimizing Concussion Care Seeking: Using Machine Learning to Predict Delayed Concussion Reporting.

Background: Early medical attention after concussion may minimize symptom duration and burden; however, many concussions are undiagnosed or have a delay in diagnosis after injury. Many concussion symptoms (eg, headache, dizziness) are not visible, meaning that early identification is often contingent on individuals reporting their injury to medical staff. A fundamental understanding of the types and levels of factors that explain when concussions are reported can help identify promising directions for intervention.

Isolation of Caribbean Ciguatoxin-5 (C-CTX5) and confirmation of its structure by NMR spectroscopy.

Ciguatera poisoning occurs throughout subtropical and tropical regions globally. The Virgin Islands in the Caribbean Sea is a known hyperendemic region for ciguatera and has been associated with Caribbean ciguatoxin (C-CTX) contamination in fish. An algal C-CTX (C-CTX5) was identified in and isolated from benthic algal samples collected in waters south St.

Insights into the nature of ichthyotoxins from the Chrysochromulina leadbeateri blooms in Northern Norwegian fjords.

In May-June 2019, the microalga Chrysochromulina leadbeateri caused a massive fish-killing event in several fjords in Northern Norway, resulting in the largest direct impact ever on aquaculture in northern Europe due to toxic algae. Motivated by the fact that no algal toxins have previously been described from C. leadbeateri, we set out to investigate the chemical nature and toxicity of secondary metabolites in extracts of two strains (UIO 393, UIO 394) isolated from the 2019 bloom, as well as one older strain (UIO 035) isolated during a bloom in Northern Norway in 1991.

Coaching ribosome biogenesis from the nuclear periphery.

Severe invagination of the nuclear envelope is a hallmark of cancers, aging, neurodegeneration, and infections. However, the outcomes of nuclear invagination remain unclear. This work identified a new function of nuclear invagination: regulating ribosome biogenesis.

Microcystins with Modified Adda-Residues from a Heterologous Microcystin Expression System.

Microcystins are hepatotoxic cyclic heptapeptides produced by some cyanobacterial species and usually contain the unusual β-amino acid 3-amino-9-methoxy-2,6,8-trimethyl-10-phenyl-4,6-decadienoic acid (Adda) at position-5. The full microcystin gene cluster from PCC 7806 has been expressed in . In an earlier study, the engineered strain was shown to produce MC-LR and [d-Asp]MC-LR, the main microcystins reported in cultures of PCC 7806.

Unravelling the interactions between small molecules and liposomal bilayers via molecular dynamics and thermodynamic modelling.

Lipid-based drug delivery systems hold immense promise in addressing critical medical needs, from cancer and neurodegenerative diseases to infectious diseases. By encapsulating active pharmaceutical ingredients - ranging from small molecule drugs to proteins and nucleic acids - these nanocarriers enhance treatment efficacy and safety. However, their commercial success faces hurdles, such as the lack of a systematic design approach and the issues related to scalability and reproducibility.

Latent Profiles of Acute Symptoms, Cognitive Performance, and Balance in Sport-Related Concussions.

Background: A sport-related concussion (SRC) is a common injury that affects multiple clinical domains such as cognition, balance, and nonspecific neurobehavioral symptoms. Although multidimensional clinical assessments of concussion are widely accepted, there remain limited empirical data on the nature and clinical utility of distinct clinical profiles identified by multimodal assessments.

Purpose: Our objectives were to (1) identify distinct clinical profiles discernible from acute postinjury scores on the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT), composed of a symptom checklist, a cognitive assessment (Standardized Assessment of Concussion), and a balance assessment (Balance Error Scoring System), and (2) evaluate the clinical utility of the identified profiles by examining their association with injury characteristics, neuropsychological outcomes, and clinical management-related outcomes.

Association of Premorbid Anxiety and Depression Symptoms in Concussion Recovery in Collegiate Student-Athletes.

Background: Mental health disorders are linked to prolonged concussion symptoms. However, the association of premorbid anxiety/depression symptoms with postconcussion return-to-play timelines and total symptom burden is unclear.

Objective: To examine the association of self-reported premorbid anxiety/depression symptoms in collegiate student-athletes with (1) recovery times until asymptomatic, (2) return-to-play, and (3) postconcussion symptom burden.

Competition between physical search and a weak-to-strong transition rate-limits kinesin binding times.

The self-organization of cells relies on the profound complexity of protein-protein interactions. Challenges in directly observing these events have hindered progress toward understanding their diverse behaviors. One notable example is the interaction between molecular motors and cytoskeletal systems that combine to perform a variety of cellular functions.

Duloxetine and cognitive behavioral therapy with phone-based support for the treatment of chronic musculoskeletal pain: study protocol of the PRECICE randomized control trial.

Background: Chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP) is the most common, disabling, and costly of all pain conditions. While evidence exists for the efficacy of both duloxetine and web-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) as monotherapy, there is a clear need to consider study of treatment components that may complement each other. In addition, given the reported association between patient's adherence and treatment outcomes, strategies are needed to enhance participant's motivation to adopt and maintain continued use of newly learned pain coping skills from CBT.

Inferring Stochastic Rates from Heterogeneous Snapshots of Particle Positions.

Many imaging techniques for biological systems-like fixation of cells coupled with fluorescence microscopy-provide sharp spatial resolution in reporting locations of individuals at a single moment in time but also destroy the dynamics they intend to capture. These snapshot observations contain no information about individual trajectories, but still encode information about movement and demographic dynamics, especially when combined with a well-motivated biophysical model. The relationship between spatially evolving populations and single-moment representations of their collective locations is well-established with partial differential equations (PDEs) and their inverse problems.

Duloxetine and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with Phone-based Support for the Treatment of Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: Study Protocol of the PRECICE Randomized Control Trial.

Background: Chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP) is the most common, disabling, and costly of all pain conditions. While evidence exists for the efficacy of both duloxetine and web-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) as monotherapy, there is a clear need to consider study of treatment components that may complement each other. In addition, given the reported association between patient's adherence and treatment outcomes, strategies are needed to enhance participant's motivation to adopt and maintain continued use of newly learned pain coping skills from CBT.

Experimental accumulation and depuration kinetics and natural occurrence of microcystin-LR in basil (Ocimum basilicum L.).

Microcystin-LR (MC-LR) is a hepatotoxic metabolite that naturally occurs during some cyanobacterial blooms in eutrophic waterbodies, and irrigation of edible plants with MC-LR-contaminated water causes bioaccumulation of the toxin. However, sufficient information about accumulation and depuration mechanics in hydroculture-grown herb plants is still lacking. This work aimed at 1) investigating bioaccumulation and depuration of MC-LR in basil, 2) verifying the possible MC-LR detoxification mechanisms in the plant, and 3) detecting the natural occurrence of MC-LR in basil (n = 50) collected from the Belgian market.

Intrinsic statistical separation of subpopulations in heterogeneous collective motion via dimensionality reduction.

Collective motion of locally interacting agents is found ubiquitously throughout nature. The inability to probe individuals has driven longstanding interest in the development of methods for inferring the underlying interactions. In the context of heterogeneous collectives, where the population consists of individuals driven by different interactions, existing approaches require some knowledge about the heterogeneities or underlying interactions.

Working memory prioritisation effects in tactile immediate serial recall.

There is a growing body of evidence that higher-value information can be prioritised for both visual and auditory working memory. The present study examines whether valuable items can similarly be prioritised for the tactile domain. Employing an immediate serial recall procedure (ISR), participants reconstructed a 6-item tactile sequence by moving their fingers in the order of original stimulation.

ADP release can explain spatially-dependent kinesin binding times.

The self-organization of cells relies on the profound complexity of protein-protein interactions. Challenges in directly observing these events have hindered progress toward understanding their diverse behaviors. One notable example is the interaction between molecular motors and cytoskeletal systems that combine to perform a variety of cellular functions.

Inferring stochastic rates from heterogeneous snapshots of particle positions.

Many imaging techniques for biological systems - like fixation of cells coupled with fluorescence microscopy - provide sharp spatial resolution in reporting locations of individuals at a single moment in time but also destroy the dynamics they intend to capture. These contain no information about individual trajectories, but still encode information about movement and demographic dynamics, especially when combined with a well-motivated biophysical model. The relationship between spatially evolving populations and single-moment representations of their collective locations is well-established with partial differential equations (PDEs) and their inverse problems.

Microcystin profiles in European noble crayfish Astacus astacus and water in Lake Steinsfjorden, Norway.

Lake Steinsfjorden, an important noble crayfish (Astacus astacus) habitat, is often affected by blooms of Planktothrix spp. that produce microcystins (MCs). A poor correlation between MCs by ELISA in the water and in crayfish tissue in a study in 2015 prompted further investigation by LC-HRMS.

Assessing the association between on-field heading technique and head impact kinematics in a cohort of female youth soccer players.

There is concern that exposure to soccer headers may be associated with neurological sequelae. Training proper heading technique represents a coachable intervention that may reduce head acceleration exposure. The objective was to assess relationships between heading technique and head kinematics in female youth soccer players.

Screening and Referral for Behavioral Health Symptoms in Collegiate Athletes.

Objective: We aim to investigate the prevalence of behavioral health symptoms in collegiate athletes and the frequency of referrals prompted by a preparticipation behavioral health screener.

Design: Athletes completed a screening battery to detect behavioral health symptoms and sports psychology clinicians designed criteria for intervention based on the severity of symptoms reported. Data from the screener was retrospectively de-identified and analyzed.