Longitudinal Decline of Exercise Capacity in Male and Female Mice.

The population of older adults is exponentially expanding. Alongside aging comes the onset of chronic disease, decline of functional capacity, and reduced quality of life. Thus, this population increase will stress the capacity and financial viability of health and long-term care systems.

Urban wastewater contains a functional human antibody repertoire of mucosal origin.

Wastewater-based surveillance of human disease offers timely insights to public health, helping to mitigate infectious disease outbreaks and decrease downstream morbidity and mortality. These systems rely on nucleic acid amplification tests for monitoring disease trends, while antibody-based seroprevalence surveys gauge community immunity. However, serological surveys are resource-intensive and subject to potentially long lead times and sampling bias.

Leukemia inhibitory factor drives transcriptional programs that promote lipid accumulation and M2 polarization in macrophages.

Leukemia inhibitory factor, a member of the interleukin-6 cytokine family, plays a central role in homeostasis and disease. Interestingly, some of the pleiotropic effects of leukemia inhibitory factor have been attributed to the modulation of macrophage functions although the molecular underpinnings have not been explored at a genome-wide scale. Herein, we investigated leukemia inhibitory factor-driven transcriptional changes in murine bone marrow-derived macrophages by RNA sequencing.

Longitudinal Decline of Exercise Capacity in Male and Female Mice.

The population of older adults is exponentially expanding. Alongside aging comes the onset of chronic disease, decline of functional capacity, and reduced quality of life. Thus, this population increase will stress the capacity and financial viability of health and long-term care systems.

Endurance exercise preserves physical function in adult and older male C57BL/6 mice: high intensity interval training (HIIT) voluntary wheel running (VWR).

Exercise has been shown to improve physical function, mitigate aspects of chronic disease and to potentially alter the trajectory of age-related onset of frailty and sarcopenia. Reliable and valid preclinical models are necessary to elucidate the underlying mechanisms at the intersection of age, exercise, and functional decline. The purpose of this study was to compare, head to head, the effects of two common pre-clinical models of endurance exercise: high intensity interval training (HIIT) and voluntary wheel running (VWR).

Real-time evaluation of signal accuracy in wastewater surveillance of pathogens with high rates of mutation.

Wastewater surveillance of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) commonly applies reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) to quantify severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA concentrations in wastewater over time. In most applications worldwide, maximal sensitivity and specificity of RT-qPCR has been achieved, in part, by monitoring two or more genomic loci of SARS-CoV-2. In Ontario, Canada, the provincial Wastewater Surveillance Initiative reports the average copies of the CDC N1 and N2 loci normalized to the fecal biomarker pepper mild mottle virus.

Puromycin reveals a distinct conformation of neuronal ribosomes.

Puromycin is covalently added to the nascent chain of proteins by the peptidyl transferase activity of the ribosome and the dissociation of the puromycylated peptide typically follows this event. It was postulated that blocking the translocation of the ribosome with emetine could retain the puromycylated peptide on the ribosome, but evidence against this has recently been published [Hobson , , e60048 (2020); and Enam , , e60303 (2020)]. In neurons, puromycylated nascent chains remain in the ribosome even in the absence of emetine, yet direct evidence for this has been lacking.

SARS-CoV-2 antigen-carrying extracellular vesicles activate T cell responses in a human immunogenicity model.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are entering the clinical arena as novel biologics for infectious diseases, potentially serving as the immunogenic components of next generation vaccines. However, relevant human assays to evaluate the immunogenicity of EVs carrying viral antigens are lacking, contributing to challenges in translating rodent studies to human clinical trials. Here, we engineered EVs to carry SARS-CoV-2 Spike to evaluate the immunogenicity of antigen-carrying EVs using human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).

Impact of coagulation on SARS-CoV-2 and PMMoV viral signal in wastewater solids.

Wastewater surveillance (WWS) of SARS-CoV-2 has become a crucial tool for monitoring COVID-19 cases and outbreaks. Previous studies have indicated that SARS-CoV-2 RNA measurement from testing solid-rich primary sludge yields better sensitivity compared to testing wastewater influent. Furthermore, measurement of pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) signal in wastewater allows for precise normalization of SARS-CoV-2 viral signal based on solid content, enhancing disease prevalence tracking.

Metabolomic and Lipidomic Signature of Skeletal Muscle with Constitutively Active Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 1.

Background: Regulation of mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) plays an important role in aging and nutrition. For example, caloric restriction reduces mTORC1 signaling and extends lifespan, whereas nutrient abundance and obesity increase mTORC1 signaling and reduce lifespan. Skeletal muscle-specific knockout (KO) of DEP domain-containing 5 protein (DEPDC5) results in constitutively active mTORC1 signaling, muscle hypertrophy and an increase in mitochondrial respiratory capacity.

Skeletal Muscle Transcriptome Alterations Related to Declining Physical Function in Older Mice.

One inevitable consequence of aging is the gradual deterioration of physical function and exercise capacity, driven in part by the adverse effect of age on muscle tissue. We hypothesized that relationships exist between age-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in skeletal muscle and age-associated declines in physical function and exercise capacity. Previously, male C57BL/6mice (6m, months old, 24m, and 28m) were tested for physical function using a composite scoring system (comprehensive functional assessment battery, CFAB) comprised of five well-validated tests of physical function.

Rapidly developed, optimized, and applied wastewater surveillance system for real-time monitoring of low-incidence, high-impact MPOX outbreak.

Recent MPOX viral resurgences have mobilized public health agencies around the world. Recognizing the significant risk of MPOX outbreaks, large-scale human testing, and immunization campaigns have been initiated by local, national, and global public health authorities. Recently, traditional clinical surveillance campaigns for MPOX have been complemented with wastewater surveillance (WWS), building on the effectiveness of existing wastewater programs that were built to monitor SARS-CoV-2 and recently expanded to include influenza and respiratory syncytial virus surveillance in wastewaters.

Wastewater surveillance monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and dynamics of transmission and community burden of COVID-19.

Wastewater-based surveillance is a valuable approach for monitoring COVID-19 at community level. Monitoring SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC) in wastewater has become increasingly relevant when clinical testing capacity and case-based surveillance are limited. In this study, we ascertained the turnover of six VOC in Alberta wastewater from May 2020 to May 2022.

An improved method for determining frequency of multiple variants of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater using qPCR assays.

Wastewater-based surveillance has become an effective tool around the globe for indirect monitoring of COVID-19 in communities. Variants of Concern (VOCs) have been detected in wastewater by use of reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) or whole genome sequencing (WGS). Rapid, reliable RT-PCR assays continue to be needed to determine the relative frequencies of VOCs and sub-lineages in wastewater-based surveillance programs.

Real-Time Crystal Growth Monitoring of Boric Acid from Sodium or Lithium Sulfate Containing Aqueous Solutions by Atomic Force Microscopy.

The crystal growth of boric acid from an aqueous solution in the absence and presence of sodium and lithium sulfate was studied by real-time monitoring. For this purpose, atomic force microscopy in situ has been used. The results show that the growth mechanism of boric acid from its pure and impure solutions is spiral growth driven by screw dislocation and that the velocity of advancement of steps on the crystal surface, and the relative growth rate (ratio of the growth rate in presence and absence of a salt) is reduced in the presence of salts.

Municipal and neighbourhood level wastewater surveillance and subtyping of an influenza virus outbreak.

Recurrent influenza epidemics and pandemic potential are significant risks to global health. Public health authorities use clinical surveillance to locate and monitor influenza and influenza-like cases and outbreaks to mitigate hospitalizations and deaths. Currently, global integration of clinical surveillance is the only reliable method for reporting influenza types and subtypes to warn of emergent pandemic strains.

Understanding the dynamic relation between wastewater SARS-CoV-2 signal and clinical metrics throughout the pandemic.

Wastewater surveillance (WWS) of SARS-CoV-2 was proven to be a reliable and complementary tool for population-wide monitoring of COVID-19 disease incidence but was not as rigorously explored as an indicator for disease burden throughout the pandemic. Prior to global mass immunization campaigns and during the spread of the wildtype COVID-19 and the Alpha variant of concern (VOC), viral measurement of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater was a leading indicator for both COVID-19 incidence and disease burden in communities. As the two-dose vaccination rates escalated during the spread of the Delta VOC in Jul.

Wastewater to clinical case (WC) ratio of COVID-19 identifies insufficient clinical testing, onset of new variants of concern and population immunity in urban communities.

Clinical testing has been the cornerstone of public health monitoring and infection control efforts in communities throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. With the anticipated reduction of clinical testing as the disease moves into an endemic state, SARS-CoV-2 wastewater surveillance (WWS) will have greater value as an important diagnostic tool. An in-depth analysis and understanding of the metrics derived from WWS is required to interpret and utilize WWS-acquired data effectively (McClary-Gutierrez et al.

RT-qPCR and ATOPlex sequencing for the sensitive detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA for wastewater surveillance.

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, wastewater surveillance has become an important tool for monitoring the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) within communities. In particular, reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) has been used to detect and quantify SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater, while monitoring viral genome mutations requires separate approaches such as deep sequencing. A high throughput sequencing platform (ATOPlex) that uses a multiplex tiled PCR-based enrichment technique has shown promise in detecting variants of concern (VOC) while also providing virus quantitation data.

Metagenomics of Wastewater Influent from Wastewater Treatment Facilities across Ontario in the Era of Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern.

We report metagenomic sequencing analyses of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA in composite wastewater influent from 10 regions in Ontario, Canada, during the transition between Delta and Omicron variants of concern. The Delta and Omicron BA.1/BA.

miR-223 Exerts Translational Control of Proatherogenic Genes in Macrophages.

Background: A significant burden of atherosclerotic disease is driven by inflammation. Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as important factors driving and protecting from atherosclerosis. miR-223 regulates cholesterol metabolism and inflammation via targeting both cholesterol biosynthesis pathway and NFB signaling pathways; however, its role in atherosclerosis has not been investigated.

Transcriptional profiling of macrophages reveals distinct parasite stage-driven signatures during early infection by Leishmania donovani.

Macrophages undergo swift changes in mRNA abundance upon pathogen invasion. Herein we describe early remodelling of the macrophage transcriptome during infection by amastigotes or promastigotes of Leishmania donovani. Approximately 10-16% of host mRNAs were differentially modulated in L.

Detection of the Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant of SARS-CoV-2 in aircraft wastewater.

On the 26th of November 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) designated the newly detected B.1.1.