The need for fast and accurate detection of dermatomycosis.

Dermatomycosis of the hair, skin, or nails is one of the most common fungal infections worldwide. Beyond permanent damage to the affected area, the risk of severe dermatomycosis in immunocompromised people can be life-threatening. The potential risk of delayed or improper treatment highlights the need for a rapid and accurate diagnosis.

Self-Patterned Nanoscale Topography of Thin Copolymer Films Prepared by Evaporative Assembly-Resist Early-Stage Bacterial Adhesion.

Biofilm formation on the surfaces of indwelling medical devices has become a growing health threat due to the development of antimicrobial resistance to infection-causing bacteria. For example, ventilator-associated pneumonia caused by and species has become a significant concern in treatment of patients during COVID-19 pandemic. Nanostructured surfaces with antifouling activity are of interest as a promising strategy to prevent bacterial adhesion without triggering drug resistance.

Clinical and Autoantibody Associations in Antinuclear Antibody-Positive Systemic Sclerosis Lacking Prototypic Autoantibodies.

Background/objectives:: The subset of ANA-positive patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) who lack prototypic SSc-specific autoantibodies (centromere, topoisomerase, RNA polymerase III, “triple negative SSc”) is poorly characterized. We assessed clinical features and prevalence of additional autoantibodies in these patients.

Methods:: In this case series patients with ANA+ and triple negative SSc antibodies were identified from two independent SSc cohorts (n=280) and demographic and clinical data were obtained over two years.

Serological Biomarkers and Their Detection in Autoimmune Bullous Skin Diseases.

Autoimmune bullous diseases (AIBDs) are a group of skin-related disorders that involve damage to structures maintaining cell-cell adhesion, such as desmosomes and hemidesmosomes. Key AIBDs include pemphigus related diseases, pemphigoid related conditions, acquired epidermolysis bullosa (EBA), and dermatitis herpetiformis (DH). Each group of conditions exhibits characteristic clinical lesion patterns and is associated with specific autoantibodies targeting epidermal and dermal structures involved in cell-cell adhesion and skin integrity.

Phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain: a potential diagnostic biomarker in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Neuroaxonal damage is a feature of various neurodegenerative diseases including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain (pNfH) is a cytoskeletal structural protein released as a result of axonal damage into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and subsequently into the blood. Due to high specificity for neuronal cell damage, pNfH is advantageous over other biomarkers, for ALS disease identification.

COVID-19: Testing Landscape Post-Infection, -Vaccination, and Future Perspectives.

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak a global pandemic. Although molecular testing remains the gold standard for COVID-19 diagnosis, serological testing enables the evaluation of the immune response to severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and vaccination, and can be used to assess community viral spread. This review summarizes and analyzes the current landscape of SARS-CoV-2 testing in the United States and includes guidance on both when and why it is important to use direct pathogen detection and/or serological testing.

Heme inhibits the activity of a c-di-GMP phosphodiesterase in Vibrio cholerae.

Heme, a complex of iron and protoporphyrin IX, plays an essential role in numerous biological processes including oxygen transport, oxygen storage, and electron transfer. The role of heme as a prosthetic group in bacterial hemoprotein gas sensors, which utilize heme as a cofactor for the binding of diatomic gas molecules, has been well studied. Less well known is the role of protein sensors of heme.

SDS-PAGE and Dot Blot Autoradiography: Tools for Quantifying Histidine Kinase Autophosphorylation.

Histidine kinases play a vital role in bacterial signal transduction. However, methods for studying the activity of histidine kinases in vitro are limited in comparison to those for investigating serine, threonine, and tyrosine kinases, largely due to the lability of the phosphoramidate (P-N) bond. Here, we describe two useful methods for quantifying histidine kinase autophosphorylation: SDS-PAGE autoradiography and dot blot autoradiography/scintillation counting.

Insights Into Nitric Oxide Modulated Quorum Sensing Pathways.

The emerging threat of drug resistant bacteria has prompted the investigation into bacterial signaling pathways responsible for pathogenesis. One such mechanism by which bacteria regulate their physiology during infection of a host is through a process known as quorum sensing (QS). Bacteria use QS to regulate community-wide gene expression in response to changes in population density.

Discovery of a Nitric Oxide Responsive Quorum Sensing Circuit in Vibrio cholerae.

Group behavior of the human pathogen Vibrio cholerae, including biofilm formation and virulence factor secretion, is mediated by a process known as quorum sensing. Quorum sensing is a way by which bacteria coordinate gene expression in response to population density through the production, secretion, and detection of small molecules called autoinducers. Four autoinducer-mediated receptor histidine kinases have been implicated in quorum sensing through the phosphotransfer protein LuxU: CqsS, LuxP/Q, CqsR, and VpsS (Vc1445).