Entomopathogenic Nematode Species Vary in Their Behavior and Virulence in Response to Cardiac Glycosides Within and Around Insect Hosts.

Plants produce defensive toxins to deter herbivores. In response, some specialized herbivores evolved resistance and even the capacity to sequester toxins, affecting interactions at higher trophic levels. Here, we test the hypothesis that potential natural enemies of specialized herbivores are differentially affected by plant toxins depending on their level of adaptation to the plant-herbivore system.

A Latent Class Analysis on Indicators of Early Prolonged Grief Disorder and Well-Being Among Dutch Adults Bereaved During the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Most studies examining prolonged grief disorder (PGD) in people bereaved during the COVID-19 pandemic are focused on psychopathology. However, mental health encompasses both absence of psychopathology and presence of well-being. This is the first study examining symptom profiles of early PGD and subjective mental well-being in 266 Dutch adults recently bereaved during the pandemic.

Evolutionary Systems Biology Identifies Genetic Trade-offs In Rice Defense Against Above- and Belowground Attackers.

Like other plants, wild and domesticated rice species (Oryza nivara, O. rufipogon, and O. sativa) evolve in environments with various biotic and abiotic stresses that fluctuate in intensity through space and time.

Selection on genome-wide gene expression plasticity of rice in wet and dry field environments.

Gene expression can be highly plastic in response to environmental variation. However, we know little about how expression plasticity is shaped by natural selection and evolves in wild and domesticated species. We used genotypic selection analysis to characterize selection on drought-induced plasticity of over 7,500 leaf transcripts of 118 rice accessions (genotypes) from different environmental conditions grown in a field experiment.

Gastric Carcinogenesis and Potential Role of the Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) Receptor: An Observational Histopathological Study.

The potential role of the transient receptor potential Vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) non-selective cation channel in gastric carcinogenesis remains unclear. The main objective of this study was to evaluate TRPV1 expression in gastric cancer (GC) and precursor lesions compared with controls. Patient inclusion was based on a retrospective review of pathology records.

The effect of ATLS/PHTLS spinal motion restriction protocol on the incidence of spinal cord injury, a nationwide database study.

Purpose: To study trends in incidence and outcome of patients with traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) in the Netherlands before, during and after implementation of the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) and Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS)- Spinal Motion Restriction(SMR) protocol.

Methods: In an observational database we studied national hospital admission and emergency department databases to analyse incidence rates and outcome of traumatic spinal cord injury and spinal fractures in the emergency department and in admittances in The Netherlands between 1986 and 2021.

Results: A significant increase of 39% in TSCI in admitted patients with spinal fractures over the past 35 years (p < 0.

Systems genomics of salinity stress response in rice.

Populations can adapt to stressful environments through changes in gene expression. However, the fitness effect of gene expression in mediating stress response and adaptation remains largely unexplored. Here, we use an integrative field dataset obtained from 780 plants of ssp (rice) grown in a field experiment under normal or moderate salt stress conditions to examine selection and evolution of gene expression variation under salinity stress conditions.

Investigating protease-mediated peptides of inflammation and tissue remodeling as biomarkers associated with flares in psoriatic arthritis.

Background: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is an inflammatory arthritis associated with psoriasis. PsA disease involves flares, which are associated with increased joint inflammation and tissue remodeling. There is a need for identifying biomarkers related to PsA disease activity and flares to improve the management of PsA patients and decrease flares.

Toxic to the touch: The makings of lethal mantles in pitohui birds and poison dart frogs.

How do chemically defended animals resist their own toxins? This intriguing question on the concept of autotoxicity is at the heart of how species interactions evolve. In this issue of Molecular Ecology (Molecular Ecology, 2024, 33), Bodawatta and colleagues report on how Papua New Guinean birds coopted deadly neurotoxins to create lethal mantles that protect against predators and parasites. Combining chemical screening of the plumage of a diverse collection of passerine birds with genome sequencing, the researchers unlocked a deeper understanding of how some birds sequester deadly batrachotoxin (BTX) from their food without poisoning themselves.

The effect of the cultural formulation interview on therapeutic working alliance: a study protocol.

Background: The Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI) is designed to improve understanding of patients' mental health care needs. The lack of empirical evidence on the impact and effectiveness of CFI use in clarifying people's perspectives, experiences, context, and identity, and in preventing cultural misunderstandings between migrant patients and clinicians, inspired this study. The objective is to examine the effect of the CFI on the strength of therapeutic working alliances, and the potential mediating or moderating role of perceived empathy.

Evaluating the inhibition of IL-17A and TNFα in a cartilage explant model cultured with Th17-derived cytokines.

Introduction: T-helper 17 (Th17) cells produce IL-17A playing a critical role in activating the pathogenic chain leading to joint tissue inflammation and destruction. Elevated levels of Th17 cells and IL-17A have been detected in skin lesions, blood, and synovial fluid from patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Moreover, IL-17A inhibitors suppress disease activity in psoriasis, PsA and AS, supporting the evidence of IL-17A contributing to the disease pathogenesis.

Technical comparison of Abbott's UroVysion and Biocare's CytoFISH urine fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assays.

Background: This study aims to compare the technical performance of Abbott's UroVysion and Biocare's CytoFISH urine cytology probe panel and position the CytoFISH probe panel as an alternative to UroVysion. The CytoFISH probe panel was developed based on clinically sensitive chromosomes found to be amplified in bladder cancers, as well as a locus-specific probe also seen to be amplified in bladder tumors. After extensive testing comparing CytoFISH to UroVysion, we present here our findings for the two assays.

A pan-grass transcriptome reveals patterns of cellular divergence in crops.

Different plant species within the grasses were parallel targets of domestication, giving rise to crops with distinct evolutionary histories and traits. Key traits that distinguish these species are mediated by specialized cell types. Here we compare the transcriptomes of root cells in three grass species-Zea mays, Sorghum bicolor and Setaria viridis.

Evolution of chemosensory and detoxification gene families across herbivorous Drosophilidae.

Herbivorous insects are exceptionally diverse, accounting for a quarter of all known eukaryotic species, but the genetic basis of adaptations that enabled this dietary transition remains poorly understood. Many studies have suggested that expansions and contractions of chemosensory and detoxification gene families - genes directly mediating interactions with plant chemical defenses - underlie successful plant colonization. However, this hypothesis has been challenging to test because the origins of herbivory in many lineages are ancient (>150 million years ago [mya]), obscuring genomic evolutionary patterns.

A fragment of type VI collagen alpha-6 chain is elevated in serum from patients with atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, hidradenitis suppurativa, systemic lupus erythematosus and melanoma.

Extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling of the skin is a continuous process necessary for maintaining tissue homeostasis. Type VI collagen (COL6) is characterized as a beaded filament, located in the dermal ECM, where COL6-α6-chain has been demonstrated upregulated in atopic dermatitis. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a competitive ELISA, targeting the N-terminal of COL6-α6-chain, named C6A6, and evaluate its associations with the dermatological condition's atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, hidradenitis suppurativa, systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis, urticaria, vitiligo, and cutaneous malignant melanoma in comparison, to healthy controls.

Let's talk about grief: Protocol of a study on the recognition and psychoeducation of prolonged grief disorder in outpatients with common mental disorders.

Background: Recognition that the loss of a loved one may result in prolonged grief disorder (PGD) has gained broad attention recently. PGD may disturb daily functioning to such a degree that mental health treatment is required. Because PGD symptoms often resemble symptoms of common mental disorders (CMD) such as anxiety, depressive, and post-traumatic stress disorder, clinicians may not consider a PGD diagnosis.

Differentiating patients with psoriasis from psoriatic arthritis using collagen biomarkers.

Objectives: Around 30% of patients diagnosed with cutaneous psoriasis (PsC) will go on to develop psoriatic arthritis (PsA) which includes inflammation of the joints. Collagens are core proteins in all tissues, which are involved in the inflammatory process in both PsC and PsA. The aim of this study is to investigate collagen biomarkers and their potential use in separating the three patient groupings: PsC, PsA and healthy donors.

Scale-up of prevention programmes: sustained state-wide use of programme delivery software is explained by normalised self-organised adoption and non-adoption.

Background: Population-level health promotion is often conceived as a tension between "top-down" and "bottom-up" strategy and action. We report behind-the-scenes insights from Australia's largest ever investment in the "top-down" approach, the $45m state-wide scale-up of two childhood obesity programmes. We used Normalisation Process Theory (NPT) as a template to interpret the organisational embedding of the purpose-built software designed to facilitate the initiative.