Optimisation strategies for directed evolution without sequencing.

Directed evolution can enable engineering of biological systems with minimal knowledge of their underlying sequence-to-function relationships. A typical directed evolution process consists of iterative rounds of mutagenesis and selection that are designed to steer changes in a biological system (e.g.

Six weeks of localized passive heat therapy elicits some exercise-like improvements in resistance artery function.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of 6 weeks of localized, muscle-focused (quadriceps femoris) passive heat therapy (PHT) on resistance artery function, exercise haemodynamics and exercise performance relative to knee extension (KE) exercise training (EX). We randomized 34 healthy adults (ages 18-36; n = 17 female, 17 male) to receive either PHT or sham heating sessions (120 min, 3 days/week), or EX (40 min, 3 days/week) over 6 weeks. Blood flow was assessed with Doppler ultrasound of the femoral artery during both passive leg movement (PLM) and a KE graded exercise test.

Sex Differences in Track and Field Elite Youth.

Purpose: To understand athletic performance before and after puberty, this study determined 1) the age at which the sex difference increases among elite youth track and field athletes for running and jumping events, and 2) whether there is a sex difference in performance before ages associated with puberty among elite youth athletes.

Methods: Track and field records of elite US male and female youth (7-18 yr) across 3 yr (2019, 2021, and 2022) were collected from an online database ( athletic.net ).

Underrepresentation of women in exercise science and physiology research is associated with authorship gender.

Historically, low representation of women participants in exercise science and physiology studies has led to a lack of understanding in the response of women to exercise and therapeutic interventions. We hypothesized that ) the number of women authors, participants, and editorial board members increased over 30 years (1991-2021) and ) larger representation of women as editors and authors is associated with more women participants. Gender (man/woman) of editorial board members ( = 394), authors ( = 5,735), and participants ( = 2,984,883) of 972 original research articles with human participants published in 1991 and 2021 was analyzed from three journals: , , and .

The exercise power-duration relationship is equally reproducible in eumenorrheic female and male humans.

This study aims to investigate the effect of the menstrual cycle (MC) on exercise performance across the power-duration relationship (PDR). We hypothesized females would exhibit greater variability in the PDR across the MC than males across a similar timespan, with critical power (CP) and work-prime (') being lower during the early follicular phase than the late follicular and midluteal phases. Seven eumenorrheic, endurance-trained female adults performed multiple constant-load-to-task-failure and maximum-power tests at three timepoints across the MC (early follicular, late follicular, and midluteal phases).

Feasibility and acceptability of a telehealth model for autism diagnostic evaluations in children, adolescents, and adults.

This study examined the feasibility and acceptability of a telehealth diagnostic model deployed at an autism center in the southwestern United States to safely provide autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnostic evaluations to children, adolescents, and adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants included all clients for whom a telehealth diagnostic evaluation was scheduled at the diagnostic clinic (n = 121) over a 6-month period. Of 121 scheduled clients, 102 (84%) completed the telehealth evaluation.

Beliefs about intellectual disability among employees at a state facility and undergraduate students: An exploratory analysis.

Background: Individuals with intellectual disability are subject to stigmatization, even among those providing services to them.

Method: Employees from an intermediate care facility (n = 97) and undergraduate students (n = 92) completed measures on their attitudes, beliefs of etiological causes and endorsement of helpful treatments and supports.

Results: Overall, participants reported few stigmatizing attitudes and high levels of support for interventions.

Effectiveness of Auditory Measures for Detecting Hidden Hearing Loss and/or Cochlear Synaptopathy: A Systematic Review.

Standard audiometric evaluations are not sensitive enough to identify hidden hearing loss (HHL) and/or cochlear synaptopathy (CS). Patients with either of these conditions frequently present with difficulty understanding speech in noise or other complaints such as tinnitus. The purpose of this systematic review is to identify articles in peer-reviewed journals that assessed the sensitivity of audiologic measures for detecting HHL and/or CS, and which showed potential for use in a clinical test battery for these disorders.

Clinical Instructors' Perspectives on the Clinical Education of Internationally Educated Physical Therapists: Diversity's Impact on the Experience.

The aim of this study was to understand the nature and extent of clinical instructors' (CIs') involvement in the clinical education of internationally educated physical therapists (IEPTs) while exploring CIs' perceptions of the similarities among and differences between IEPTs and Canadian-trained students. In this qualitative descriptive study, 13 semi-structured interviews were conducted with CIs who were involved in a bridging programme for IEPTs. Data were coded using NVivo version 10, and common themes emerged through qualitative thematic analysis.

Minocycline plus N-acteylcysteine induces remyelination, synergistically protects oligodendrocytes and modifies neuroinflammation in a rat model of mild traumatic brain injury.

Mild traumatic brain injury afflicts over 2 million people annually and little can be done for the underlying injury. The Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs Minocycline plus N-acetylcysteine (MINO plus NAC) synergistically improved cognition and memory in a rat mild controlled cortical impact (mCCI) model of traumatic brain injury. The underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms of the drug combination are unknown.

Histone Deacetylase 1 Is Essential for Rod Photoreceptor Differentiation by Regulating Acetylation at Histone H3 Lysine 9 and Histone H4 Lysine 12 in the Mouse Retina.

Histone acetylation has a regulatory role in gene expression and is necessary for proper tissue development. To investigate the specific roles of histone deacetylases (HDACs) in rod differentiation in neonatal mouse retinas, we used a pharmacological approach that showed that inhibition of class I but not class IIa HDACs caused the same phenotypic changes seen with broad spectrum HDAC inhibitors, most notably a block in the differentiation of rod photoreceptors. Inhibition of HDAC1 resulted in increase of acetylation of lysine 9 of histone 3 (H3K9) and lysine 12 of histone 4 (H4K12) but not lysine 27 of histone 3 (H3K27) and led to maintained expression of progenitor-specific genes such as and with concomitant block of expression of rod-specific genes.

Nausea, Vomiting, and Weight Loss in a Young Adult Patient With a History of a Gunshot Wound.

Assessing victims of gunshot wounds with retained bullets/bullet fragments for lead toxicity is not always considered until the patient develops signs and symptoms of toxicity. We discuss the case of a 19-year-old young man who received a diagnosis of chronic lead toxicity (serum lead concentration 51 μg/dL) 5 weeks after a hunting accident. Extensive wound debridement occurred following the accident; however, lead toxicity was not diagnosed until after his fourth emergency department visit.

A psychotherapeutic baby clinic in a hostel for homeless families: practice and evaluation.

Objectives: A pilot baby clinic in a hostel for homeless families has been established to address the specific attachment and developmental needs of infants living in temporary accommodation. The aim of this study was to assess whether this clinic model was associated with more positive outcomes than mainstream community services in terms of infant development and parent-infant interactions.

Design: Parent-infant psychotherapy and health visiting services collaborated to develop a new model of baby clinic, which reconfigured the traditional clinic to give priority to infants' affective experiences in a therapeutic group setting.

"High five to healthy living": a health intervention program for youth at an inner city community center.

Providing developmental programs to inner-city youth is a key component to promoting healthy lifestyles in urban communities. In this study, 46 adolescents, predominately African American youth (age 11-14), participated in the "High Five for Healthy Living" hygiene intervention program hosted at the NFL Youth Education Town of the Boys and Girls Club of Atlanta. Windshield surveys, key informant interviews and focus groups were conducted in order to identify the needs of the surrounding community and subsequently plan and implement a 5 week developmental module to meet these needs.

Genetic linkage of hyperglycemia, body weight and serum amyloid-P in an intercross between C57BL/6 and C3H apolipoprotein E-deficient mice.

Dyslipidemia and hyperglycemia are integral components of the metabolic perturbations in type 2 diabetes. Apolipoprotein E-deficient (apoE(-/-)) mice develop severe hyperlipidemia and significant hyperglycemia when fed a western diet containing 21% fat (w/w), 0.15% cholesterol and 19.

Quantitative trait locus analysis of atherosclerosis in an intercross between C57BL/6 and C3H mice carrying the mutant apolipoprotein E gene.

Inbred mouse strains C57BL/6J (B6) and C3H/HeJ (C3H) differ significantly in atherosclerosis susceptibility and plasma lipid levels on the apolipoprotein E-deficient (apoE-/-) background when fed a Western diet. To determine genetic factors contributing to the variations in these phenotypes, we performed quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis using an intercross between the two strains carrying the apoE-/- gene. Atherosclerotic lesions at the aortic root and plasma lipid levels of 234 female F2 mice were analyzed after being fed a Western diet for 12 weeks.

Circulating adhesion molecules in apoE-deficient mouse strains with different atherosclerosis susceptibility.

Recruitment of inflammatory cells in the arterial wall by vascular adhesion molecules plays a key role in development of atherosclerosis. Apolipoprotein E-deficient (apoE(-/-)) mice have spontaneous hyperlipidemia and develop all phases of atherosclerotic lesions. We sought to examine plasma levels of soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1) and sP-selectin in two apoE(-/-) strains C57BL/6 (B6) and BALB/c with early or advanced lesions.

Neointimal formation in two apolipoprotein E-deficient mouse strains with different atherosclerosis susceptibility.

C57BL/6 (B6) and C3H/HeJ (C3H) are two commonly used mouse strains that differ markedly in atherosclerosis susceptibility. In this study, we determined plaque formation after removal of the endothelium in the two strains carrying the mutant apolipoprotein E gene (apoE(-/-)). At 10 weeks of age, male B6.