Thermal Adaptation of Cytosolic Malate Dehydrogenase Revealed by Deep Learning and Coevolutionary Analysis.

Protein evolution has shaped enzymes that maintain stability and function across diverse thermal environments. While sequence variation, thermal stability and conformational dynamics are known to influence an enzyme's thermal adaptation, how these factors collectively govern stability and function across diverse temperatures remains unresolved. Cytosolic malate dehydrogenase (cMDH), a citric acid cycle enzyme, is an ideal model for studying these mechanisms due to its temperature-sensitive flexibility and broad presence in species from diverse thermal environments.

Oral SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Risk for Long Covid.

SARS-CoV-2 is an oral pathogen that infects and replicates in mucosal and salivary epithelial cells, contributing to oral post-acute sequelae COVID-19 (PASC) and other oral and non-oral pathologies. While pre-existing inflammatory oral diseases provides a conducive environment for the virus, acute infection and persistence of SARS-CoV-2 can also results in oral microbiome dysbiosis that further worsens poor oral mucosal health. Indeed, oral PASC includes periodontal diseases, dysgeusia, xerostomia, pharyngitis, oral keratoses, and pulpitis suggesting significant bacterial contributions to SARS-CoV-2 and oral tissue tropism.

Aggregatin is a mitochondrial regulator of MAVS activation to drive innate immunity.

Mitochondrial antiviral-signaling protein (MAVS) is a key adapter protein required for inducing type I interferons (IFN-Is) and other antiviral effector molecules. The formation of MAVS aggregates on mitochondria is essential for its activation; however, the regulatory mitochondrial factor that mediates the aggregation process is unknown. Our recent work has identified the protein Aggregatin as a critical seeding factor for β-amyloid peptide aggregation.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) in Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): A Randomized Controlled Trial.

 Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a novel technique recently under investigation with intention to improve outcomes in traumatic brain injury (TBI). It increases the partial pressure of oxygen in the blood and tissues by inhaling pure oxygen in an environment pressurized to at least 1.4 times normal atmospheric pressure (ATM) at sea level.

Perioperative outcomes in patients with symptomatic versus asymptomatic previous COVID-19 infection undergoing neurosurgical treatment (post-COVID-19 study).

Background And Aims: The long-term effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection (long-COVID) are being increasingly recognized. The long-COVID effects are more likely in individuals who were symptomatic than asymptomatic during their previous COVID-19 infection. The data on perioperative outcomes of patients undergoing elective neurosurgery long after their recovery from COVID-19 infection is lacking.