EyaHOST, a modular genetic system for investigation of intercellular and tumor-host interactions .

Unlabelled: Cell biology and genetic analysis of intracellular, intercellular and inter-organ interaction studies in animal models are key for understanding development, physiology, and disease. The MARCM technique can emulate tumor development by simultaneous clonal tumor suppressor loss-of-function generation coupled with GAL4-UAS-driven oncogene and marker expression, but the utility is limited for studying tumor-host interactions due to genetic constraints. To overcome this, we introduce EyaHOST, a novel system that replaces MARCM with the QF2-QUAS binary gene expression system under the promoter control, unleashing the fly community genome-wide GAL4-UAS driven tools to manipulate any host cells or tissue at scale.

Impact of L-theanine and L-tyrosine on markers of stress and cognitive performance in response to a virtual reality based active shooter training drill.

Ingestion of L-theanine and L-tyrosine has been shown to reduce salivary stress biomarkers and improve aspects of cognitive performance in response to stress. However, there have been no studies to concurrently examine the impact of both L-theanine and L-tyrosine ingestion during a mental stress challenge (MSC) involving a brief cognitive challenge and a virtual reality based active shooter training drill. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the impact of ingestion of L-theanine and L-tyrosine on markers of stress and cognitive performance in response to a virtual reality active shooter drill and cognitive challenge.

Paradoxical gender effects in meat consumption across cultures.

Men tend to eat more meat than women, but it is not clear why. We tested three hypotheses in a cross-cultural design (20,802 individuals in 23 countries across four continents): that gender differences are (a) universal, (b) related to gender roles and thus weaker in countries with higher gender equality and human development, or (c) related to opportunities to express gender roles and thus stronger in countries with higher gender equality and human development. Across all countries, men tended to consume more meat than women.

EMP2 Serves as a Functional Biomarker for Chemotherapy-Resistant Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Breast cancer (BC) remains among the most commonly diagnosed cancers in women worldwide. Triple-negative BC (TNBC) is a subset of BC characterized by aggressive behavior, a high risk of distant recurrence, and poor overall survival rates. Chemotherapy is the backbone for treatment in patients with TNBC, but outcomes remain poor compared to other BC subtypes, in part due to the lack of recognized functional targets.

Physiological Stress Responses to a Live-Fire Training Evolution in Career Structural Firefighters.

Objective: This study assessed firefighters' physiological stress response to a live fire training evolution (LFTE).

Methods: Seventy-six ( n = 76) firefighters completed an LFTE. Salivary samples were collected pre-, immediately post, and 30-min post-LFTE and analyzed for α-amylase (AA), cortisol (CORT), and secretory immunoglobulin-A (SIgA).

Stress response to virtual reality based active shooter training: Impact of caffeine consumption.

Participation in a virtual reality based active shooter training drill (VR-ASD) has been shown to increase biomarkers of stress; however, the impact of caffeine consumption on this response has not been studied. Caffeine ingestion has been shown to have favorable effects on physical and cognitive performance among athletic and tactical occupations alike. This study examined the impact of caffeine ingestion on subjective and physiological markers of stress in response to a mental stress task (MST) which involved participation in a VR-ASD and cognitive challenge consisting of mental arithmetic and a Stroop challenge.

Racial and ethnic differences in clinical outcomes among patients with multiple myeloma treated with CAR T-cell therapy.

Idecabtagene vicleucel (ide-cel) was the first chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy to gain US Food and Drug Administration approval for patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). The clinical outcomes of standard of care (SOC) ide-cel in racially and ethnically diverse populations have been understudied. This study pooled data from 207 patients with RRMM (28% patients of racial and ethnic minority groups) treated with SOC ide-cel across 11 institutions to examine racial and ethnic differences in the incidence of toxicities and adverse events, response to ide-cel, and survival.

Slow Breathing Reduces Biomarkers of Stress in Response to a Virtual Reality Active Shooter Training Drill.

Tactical occupations regularly encounter life-threatening situations while on duty. Although these occupations are often trained to utilize slow breathing (SB) during intense stress, there is no evidence supporting the effects on markers of stress in response to a virtual reality active shooter training drill (VR-ASD). The purpose of the study was to determine the impact of acute SB on biomarkers of stress in response to a VR-ASD.

SCExecute: custom cell barcode-stratified analyses of scRNA-seq data.

Motivation: In single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) data, stratification of sequencing reads by cellular barcode is necessary to study cell-specific features. However, apart from gene expression, the analyses of cell-specific features are not sufficiently supported by available tools designed for high-throughput sequencing data.

Results: We introduce SCExecute, which executes a user-provided command on barcode-stratified, extracted on-the-fly, single-cell binary alignment map (scBAM) files.

Framing the futures of animal-free dairy: Using focus groups to explore early-adopter perceptions of the precision fermentation process.

This paper reports on the findings from a series of virtual focus groups that explored consumer perceptions of animal-free dairy (AFD), an emerging type of animal product alternative produced using the tools of synthetic biology and precision fermentation. Focus group participants came from an international sample of potential "early adopters." To stimulate conversation, participants were presented with a series of visual "moodboards" that framed key arguments both in favor of and in opposition to AFD.

The C-Terminal Acidic Tail Modulates the Anticancer Properties of HMGB1.

Energy metabolism reprogramming was recently listed as a hallmark of cancer. In this process, the switch from pyruvate kinase isoenzyme type M1 to pyruvate kinase isoenzyme type M2 (PKM2) is believed to play a crucial role. Interestingly, the activity of the active form of PKM2 can efficiently be inhibited by the high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) protein, leading to a rapid blockage of glucose-dependent aerobic respiration and cancer cell death.

Expression Pattern of Purinergic Signaling Components in Colorectal Cancer Cells and Differential Cellular Outcomes Induced by Extracellular ATP and Adenosine.

The purine nucleotide adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is known for its fundamental role in cellular bioenergetics. However, in the last decades, different works have described emerging functions for ATP, such as that of a danger signaling molecule acting in the extracellular space on both tumor and stromal compartments. Beside its role in immune cell signaling, several studies have shown that high concentrations of extracellular ATP can directly or indirectly act on cancer cells.

Improved SNV Discovery in Barcode-Stratified scRNA-seq Alignments.

Currently, the detection of single nucleotide variants (SNVs) from 10 x Genomics single-cell RNA sequencing data (scRNA-seq) is typically performed on the pooled sequencing reads across all cells in a sample. Here, we assess the gaining of information regarding SNV assessments from individual cell scRNA-seq data, wherein the alignments are split by cellular barcode prior to the variant call. We also reanalyze publicly available data on the MCF7 cell line during anticancer treatment.

Tumors: A Cooperative Oncogenesis Model Fueled by Tumor/Host Interactions.

The phenomenon of how oncogenes and tumor-suppressor mutations can synergize to promote tumor fitness and cancer progression can be studied in relatively simple animal model systems such as Almost two decades after the landmark discovery of cooperative oncogenesis between oncogenic and the loss of the tumor suppressor in flies, this and other tumor models have provided new concepts and findings in cancer biology that has remarkable parallels and relevance to human cancer. Here we review findings using the tumor model and how it has contributed to our understanding of how these initial simple genetic insults cooperate within the tumor cell to set in motion the malignant transformation program leading to tumor growth through cell growth, cell survival and proliferation, dismantling of cell-cell interactions, degradation of basement membrane and spreading to other organs. Recent findings have demonstrated that cooperativity goes beyond cell intrinsic mechanisms as the tumor interacts with the immediate cells of the microenvironment, the immune system and systemic organs to eventually facilitate malignant progression.

Host autophagy mediates organ wasting and nutrient mobilization for tumor growth.

During tumor growth-when nutrient and anabolic demands are high-autophagy supports tumor metabolism and growth through lysosomal organelle turnover and nutrient recycling. Ras-driven tumors additionally invoke non-autonomous autophagy in the microenvironment to support tumor growth, in part through transfer of amino acids. Here we uncover a third critical role of autophagy in mediating systemic organ wasting and nutrient mobilization for tumor growth using a well-characterized malignant tumor model in Drosophila melanogaster.

The effectiveness of COVID-related message framing on public beliefs and behaviors related to plant-based diets.

Shifting the public towards plant-based diets is critical for achieving environmental and public health outcomes. Increasingly news articles and organizations have begun using the saliency of the COVID-19 crisis to highlight the link between animal agriculture, pandemic risks, and other widespread public health threats. Yet, little is known about the effectiveness of this messaging strategy for motivating dietary change.

Colorectal Cancer and Immunity: From the Wet Lab to Individuals.

Immunotherapy is a very promising field of research and application for treating cancers, in particular for those that are resistant to chemotherapeutics. Immunotherapy aims at enhancing immune cell activation to increase tumor cells recognition and killing. However, some specific cancer types, such as colorectal cancer (CRC), are less responsive than others to the current immunotherapies.

Dorsal offset rhinoplasty for treatment of stenotic nares in 34 brachycephalic dogs.

Objective: To describe the technique, outcome, and owner satisfaction associated with dorsal offset rhinoplasty (DOR) to treat stenotic nares in brachycephalic dogs.

Study Design: Retrospective case series.

Animals: Thirty-four client-owned dogs.

EMP2 Is a Novel Regulator of Stemness in Breast Cancer Cells.

Little is known about the role of epithelial membrane protein-2 (EMP2) in breast cancer development or progression. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that EMP2 may regulate the formation or self-renewal of breast cancer stem cells (BCSC) in the tumor microenvironment. analysis of gene expression data demonstrated a correlation of EMP2 expression with known metastasis-related genes and markers of cancer stem cells (CSC) including aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH).

The Great Masquerader: Syphilis Mimicking Papilledema and Traction Alopecia.

Syphilis is often referred to as "the great masquerader," as it may present with a wide array of clinical symptoms and may mimic a variety of other diseases making diagnosis challenging. We report the case of a young, married woman who presented with a one-month history of significant hair loss, unintentional weight loss, blurred vision, and intermittent headaches. In addition, she endorsed positional dizziness and intermittent arthralgias.

The Impact of Framing on Acceptance of Cultured Meat.

Cultured meat can be produced from growing animal cells rather than as part of a living animal. This technology has the potential to address several of the major ethical, environmental, and public health concerns associated with conventional meat production. However, research has highlighted some consumer uncertainty regarding the concept.

Two distinct mechanisms silence in neuroblasts and neuroepithelial cells to limit their self-renewal.

Whether common principles regulate the self-renewing potential of neural stem cells (NSCs) throughout the developing central nervous system is still unclear. In the ventral nerve cord and central brain, asymmetrically dividing NSCs, called neuroblasts (NBs), progress through a series of sequentially expressed transcription factors that limits self-renewal by silencing a genetic module involving the transcription factor Chinmo. Here, we find that Chinmo also promotes neuroepithelium growth in the optic lobe during early larval stages by boosting symmetric self-renewing divisions while preventing differentiation.