Identification of plasmids from Brazilian strains.

is an opportunistic pathogen found in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. infections are difficult to treat, and many strains are resistant to antibiotics. Recently, a novel plasmid (pChV1) was discovered in the type strain ATCC 12472, suggesting that other strains may harbor extra-chromosomal DNA.

Cyclic alternation of quiet and active sleep states in the octopus.

Previous observations suggest the existence of 'Active sleep' in cephalopods. To investigate in detail the behavioral structure of cephalopod sleep, we video-recorded four adult specimens of and quantified their distinct states and transitions. Changes in skin color and texture and movements of eyes and mantle were assessed using automated image processing tools, and arousal threshold was measured using sensory stimulation.

A small interfering RNA (siRNA) database for SARS-CoV-2.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) rapidly transformed into a global pandemic, for which a demand for developing antivirals capable of targeting the SARS-CoV-2 RNA genome and blocking the activity of its genes has emerged. In this work, we presented a database of SARS-CoV-2 targets for small interference RNA (siRNA) based approaches, aiming to speed the design process by providing a broad set of possible targets and siRNA sequences. The siRNAs sequences are characterized and evaluated by more than 170 features, including thermodynamic information, base context, target genes and alignment information of sequences against the human genome, and diverse SARS-CoV-2 strains, to assess possible bindings to off-target sequences.

A decision tree to improve identification of pathogenic mutations in clinical practice.

Background: A variant of unknown significance (VUS) is a variant form of a gene that has been identified through genetic testing, but whose significance to the organism function is not known. An actual challenge in precision medicine is to precisely identify which detected mutations from a sequencing process have a suitable role in the treatment or diagnosis of a disease. The average accuracy of pathogenicity predictors is 85%.