A cross-sectional analysis of gender and psychological well-being among older Taiwanese adults.

Background: Psychological well-being (PWB) facilitates good health. Few studies have taken into consideration gender and how it can affect PWB within a sociocultural context. This study aims to determine if relationships between social, health, behavioral, and socioeconomic factors on PWB among older Taiwanese adults are affected by gender.

Mupirocin susceptibility of staphylococci 2022: Is it time for a change in MRSA decolonization protocols?

Background: Nasal decolonization with mupirocin has been a common strategy for the prevention of surgical site infections (SSIs) and recurrent skin and soft tissue infections due to Staphylococcus aureus (SA). We recently noted an increase in SSIs due to SA, including a case of post-operative mupirocin-resistant methicillin-resistant SA (MRSA) infection despite attempted preoperative decolonization with mupirocin. We therefore evaluated the mupirocin susceptibility of SA at our hospital to determine the optimal regimen for decolonization.

Azteca ants maintain unique microbiomes across functionally distinct nest chambers.

The microbiome of built structures has considerable influence over an inhabitant's well-being, yet the vast majority of research has focused on human-built structures. Ants are well-known architects, capable of constructing elaborate dwellings, the microbiome of which is underexplored. Here, we explore the bacterial and fungal microbiomes in functionally distinct chambers within and outside the nests of Azteca alfari ants in Cecropia peltata trees.

A comparative study of the prevalence of and factors associated with insecticide-treated nets usage among children under 5 years of age in households that already own nets in Malawi.

Background: Despite malaria control programmes having successfully increased the number of households owning insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) in Malawi, the population of people with ITN access but still not using them fluctuated from 13% in 2010, 5% in 2012 and then 12% in 2015. This study aimed to compare the rate and factors associated with ITN usage among children under 5 years of age, living in household with at least one ITN, in Malawi between 2010 and 2015.

Methods: The 2010 and 2015-2016 Malawi Demographic and Health Surveys (MDHSs) were utilized.

Microbial diversity of extreme habitats in human homes.

High-throughput sequencing techniques have opened up the world of microbial diversity to scientists, and a flurry of studies in the most remote and extreme habitats on earth have begun to elucidate the key roles of microbes in ecosystems with extreme conditions. These same environmental extremes can also be found closer to humans, even in our homes. Here, we used high-throughput sequencing techniques to assess bacterial and archaeal diversity in the extreme environments inside human homes (e.

The effect of habitual and experimental antiperspirant and deodorant product use on the armpit microbiome.

An ever expanding body of research investigates the human microbiome in general and the skin microbiome in particular. Microbiomes vary greatly from individual to individual. Understanding the factors that account for this variation, however, has proven challenging, with many studies able to account statistically for just a small proportion of the inter-individual variation in the abundance, species richness or composition of bacteria.

Global divergence of the human follicle mite Demodex folliculorum: Persistent associations between host ancestry and mite lineages.

Microscopic mites of the genus Demodex live within the hair follicles of mammals and are ubiquitous symbionts of humans, but little molecular work has been done to understand their genetic diversity or transmission. Here we sampled mite DNA from 70 human hosts of diverse geographic ancestries and analyzed 241 sequences from the mitochondrial genome of the species Demodex folliculorum. Phylogenetic analyses recovered multiple deep lineages including a globally distributed lineage common among hosts of European ancestry and three lineages that primarily include hosts of Asian, African, and Latin American ancestry.

Neural transcriptome reveals molecular mechanisms for temporal control of vocalization across multiple timescales.

Background: Vocalization is a prominent social behavior among vertebrates, including in the midshipman fish, an established model for elucidating the neural basis of acoustic communication. Courtship vocalizations produced by territorial males are essential for reproductive success, vary over daily and seasonal cycles, and last up to hours per call. Vocalizations rely upon extreme synchrony and millisecond precision in the firing of a homogeneous population of motoneurons, the vocal motor nucleus (VMN).

Ubiquity and diversity of human-associated Demodex mites.

Demodex mites are a group of hair follicle and sebaceous gland-dwelling species. The species of these mites found on humans are arguably the animals with which we have the most intimate interactions. Yet, their prevalence and diversity have been poorly explored.

Plasticity in ion channel expression underlies variation in hearing during reproductive cycles.

Sensory plasticity related to reproductive state, hormonal profiles, and experience is widespread among vertebrates, including humans. Improvements in audio-vocal coupling that heighten the detection of conspecifics are part of the reproductive strategy of many nonmammalian vertebrates. Although seasonal changes in hearing are known, molecular mechanisms determining this form of adult sensory plasticity remain elusive.

Localization and divergent profiles of estrogen receptors and aromatase in the vocal and auditory networks of a fish with alternative mating tactics.

Estrogens play a salient role in the development and maintenance of both male and female nervous systems and behaviors. The plainfin midshipman (Porichthys notatus), a teleost fish, has two male reproductive morphs that follow alternative mating tactics and diverge in multiple somatic, hormonal, and neural traits, including the central control of morph-specific vocal behaviors. After we identified duplicate estrogen receptors (ERβ1 and ERβ2) in midshipman, we developed antibodies to localize protein expression in the central vocal-acoustic networks and saccule, the auditory division of the inner ear.

Circadian rhythms and period expression in the Hawaiian cricket genus Laupala.

Daily activity times and circadian rhythms of crickets have been a subject of behavioral and physiological study for decades. However, recent studies suggest that the underlying molecular mechanism of cricket endogenous clocks differ from the model of circadian rhythm generation in Drosophila. Here we examine the circadian free-running periods of walking and singing in two Hawaiian swordtail cricket species, Laupala cerasina and Laupala paranigra, that differ in the daily timing of mating related activities.

Glucocorticoid and androgen signaling pathways diverge between advertisement calling and non-calling fish.

Behavioral and neuroendocrine mechanisms of social vocalization in teleost fish are influenced by the glucocorticoid cortisol and the androgen 11-ketotestosterone (11kT). The relative abundance of both 11kT, which binds to androgen receptors (ARα, ARβ), and cortisol, which binds to glucocorticoid receptors (GR-1, GR-2), is regulated by 11β-hydroxylase (11βH) that converts 11-deoxycortisol to cortisol and testosterone to 11β-OH-testosterone, and 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11βHSD) that converts cortisol to the inactive metabolite cortisone and 11β-OH-testosterone to 11kT. In midshipman fish, we tested the hypothesis that plasma steroid levels, mRNA abundance for 11βH and 11βHSD in the vocal muscle and testis (known site of 11kT synthesis), and mRNA abundances for ARs and GRs in vocal muscle, would differ between males that did or did not recently produce 'hum' advertisement calls.

Interspecific genetics of speciation phenotypes: song and preference coevolution in Hawaiian crickets.

Understanding the genetic architecture of traits involved in premating isolation between recently diverged lineages can provide valuable insight regarding the mode and tempo of speciation. The repeated coevolution of male courtship song and female preference across the species radiation of Laupala crickets presents an unusual opportunity to compare the genetic basis of divergence across independent evolutionary histories. Previous studies of one pair of species revealed a polygenic basis (including a significant X chromosome contribution) to quantitative differences in male song and female acoustic preference.

Deprivation of maternal care has long-lasting consequences for the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis of zebra finches.

Early-life stress caused by the deprivation of maternal care has been shown to have long-lasting effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in offspring of uniparental mammalian species. We asked if deprivation of maternal care in biparental species alters stress responsiveness of offspring, using a biparental avian species--the zebra finch, Taeniopygia guttata. In our experiment, one group of birds was raised by both male and female parents (control), and another was raised by males alone (maternally deprived).

Evolution of ligand specificity in vertebrate corticosteroid receptors.

Background: Corticosteroid receptors include mineralocorticoid (MR) and glucocorticoid (GR) receptors. Teleost fishes have a single MR and duplicate GRs that show variable sensitivities to mineralocorticoids and glucocorticoids. How these receptors compare functionally to tetrapod MR and GR, and the evolutionary significance of maintaining two GRs, remains unclear.

Genetically regulated temporal variation of novel courtship elements in the Hawaiian cricket genus Laupala.

The Hawaiian cricket genus Laupala (Gryllidae: Trigonidiinae) has undergone rapid and extensive speciation, with divergence in male song and female acoustic preference playing a role in maintaining species boundaries. Recent study of interspecific differences in the diel rhythmicity of singing and mating, suggests that temporal variation in behavior may reduce gene flow between species. In addition, Laupala perform an elaborate and protracted courtship, providing potential for further temporal variation.

Eradication success down under: heat treatment of a sunken trawler to kill the invasive seaweed Undaria pinnatifida.

Eradication of invasive species is difficult in the marine environment, and there have only been a few successes. We report the successful eradication of the invasive seaweed Undaria pinnatifida from a sunken trawler in the Chatham Islands, New Zealand. New heat-treatment methods were developed as the most cost effective and environmentally acceptable option to kill Undaria.

Kv channel subunits that contribute to voltage-gated K+ current in renal vascular smooth muscle.

The rat renal arterial vasculature displays differences in K(+) channel current phenotypes along its length. Small arcuate to cortical radial arteries express a delayed rectifier phenotype, while the predominant Kv current in larger arcuate and interlobar arteries is composed of both transient and sustained components. We sought to determine whether Kvalpha subunits in the rat renal interlobar and arcuate arteries form heterotetramers, which may account for the unique currents, and whether modulatory Kvbeta subunits are present in renal vascular smooth muscle cells.

Inhibition of the MEK1/ERK pathway reduces arachidonic acid release independently of cPLA2 phosphorylation and translocation.

Background: The 85-kDa cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) mediates arachidonic acid (AA) release in MDCK cells. Although calcium and mitogen-activated protein kinases regulate cPLA2, the correlation of cPLA2 translocation and phosphorylation with MAPK activation and AA release is unclear.

Results: MEK1 inhibition by U0126 inhibited AA release in response to ATP and ionomycin.

17beta-Estradiol upregulates distinct maxi-K channel transcripts in mouse uterus.

The mouse maxi-K channel transcript undergoes alternative splicing to produce isoforms differing in sensitivity to intracellular regulators. We hypothesized that 17beta-estradiol could induce myometrial maxi-K channel transcripts to differentially splice. Polymerase chain reaction demonstrated two products at site D in mice injected with either 8.

Characterization of a novel 132-bp exon of the human maxi-K channel.

The large-conductance Ca2+-activated voltage-dependent K+ channel (maxi-K channel) induces a significant repolarizing current that buffers cell excitability. This channel can derive its diversity by alternative splicing of its transcript-producing isoforms that differ in their sensitivity to voltage and intracellular Ca2+. We have identified a novel 132-bp exon of the maxi-K channel from human myometrial cells that encodes 44 amino acids within the first intracellular loop of the channel protein.