Consensus Statement on Brillouin Light Scattering Microscopy of Biological Materials.

Brillouin Light Scattering (BLS) spectroscopy is a non-invasive, non-contact, label-free optical technique that can provide information on the mechanical properties of a material on the sub-micron scale. Over the last decade it has seen increased applications in the life sciences, driven by the observed significance of mechanical properties in biological processes, the realization of more sensitive BLS spectrometers and its extension to an imaging modality. As with other spectroscopic techniques, BLS measurements not only detect signals characteristic of the investigated sample, but also of the experimental apparatus, and can be significantly affected by measurement conditions.

Preferential binding of ADP-bound mitochondrial HSP70 to the nucleotide exchange factor GRPEL1 over GRPEL2.

Human nucleotide exchange factors GRPEL1 and GRPEL2 play pivotal roles in the ADP-ATP exchange within the protein folding cycle of mitochondrial HSP70 (mtHSP70), a crucial chaperone facilitating protein import into the mitochondrial matrix. Studies in human cells and mice have indicated that while GRPEL1 serves as an essential co-chaperone for mtHSP70, GRPEL2 has a role regulated by stress. However, the precise structural and biochemical mechanisms underlying the distinct functions of the GRPEL proteins have remained elusive.

Tunable Chemochromism and Elastic Properties in Intercalated MoO: Au-, Cr-, Fe-, Ge-, Mn-, and Ni-MoO.

Chemical tunability of the elastic constants of α-MoO, a two-dimensional layered oxide, is demonstrated with mutability on the order of tens of GPa, simply by choice of a metal intercalant including Au, Cr, Fe, Ge, Mn, and Ni. Using Brillouin laser light scattering from confined acoustic phonons in nanometer-thick materials, the in-plane angular dispersion of the quantized acoustic phonon branches of 2D layered, intercalated MoO is measured and used to determine the bulk modulus (), Young's moduli (, , and ), each of the nine independent elastic tensor elements (), and the thickness. Intercalation of metals generally reduces the anisotropy in MoO except in Ge-MoO, for which the in-plane longitudinal elastic anisotropy is unaffected.

Human milk microbiome: associations with maternal diet and infant growth.

Introduction: Ingestion of human milk (HM) is identified as a significant factor associated with early infant gut microbial colonization, which has been associated with infant health and development. Maternal diet has been associated with the HM microbiome (HMM). However, a few studies have explored the associations among maternal diet, HMM, and infant growth during the first 6 months of lactation.

Tailoring Ultrafast Near-Band Gap Photoconductive Response in GeS by Zero-Valent Cu Intercalation.

Zero-valent intercalation of atomic metals into the van der Waals gap of layered materials can be used to tune their electronic, optical, thermal, and mechanical properties. Here, we report the impact of intercalating ∼3 atm percent of zero-valent copper into germanium sulfide (GeS). Advanced many-body calculations predict that copper introduces quasi-localized intermediate band states, and time-resolved THz spectroscopy studies demonstrate that those states have prominent effects on the photoconductivity of GeS.

Hafnium, Titanium, and Zirconium Intercalation in 2D Layered Nanomaterials.

Altering the physical and chemical properties of a layered material through intercalation has emerged as a unique strategy toward tunable applications. In this work, we demonstrate a wet chemical method to intercalate titanium, hafnium, and zirconium into 2D layered nanomaterials. The metals are intercalated using bis-tetrahydrofuran metal halide complexes.

Preschool child growth attainment and velocity during an agriculture intervention in rural Panama may be diminished by soil-transmitted helminths.

Background: Agricultural interventions are often recommended to address undernutrition in subsistence farming communities. However, intensified agriculture exposure can increase soil transmitted helminth (STH) infections, which are linked with poor child growth. This study examined impacts of the VERASAN public health and agricultural intervention program on preschool child growth attainment (HAZ and WAZ) and relative growth velocity over 7 months [change in height-for-age (∆HAD) and weight-for-age (∆WAD) difference].

Human milk microbial species are associated with infant head-circumference during early and late lactation in Guatemalan mother-infant dyads.

Human milk contains abundant commensal bacteria that colonize and establish the infant's gut microbiome but the association between the milk microbiome and head circumference during infancy has not been explored. For this cross-sectional study, head-circumference-for-age-z-scores (HCAZ) of vaginally delivered breastfed infants were collected from 62 unrelated -Mayan mothers living in eight remote rural communities in the Western Highlands of Guatemala during two stages of lactation, 'early' (6-46 days postpartum, = 29) or 'late' (109-184 days postpartum, = 33). At each stage of lactation, infants were divided into HCAZ ≥ -1 SD (early: = 18; late: = 14) and HCAZ < -1 SD (early: = 11; late: = 19).

Optoelectronics of Atomic Metal-Semiconductor Interfaces in Tin-Intercalated MoS.

Metal-semiconductor interfaces are ubiquitous in modern electronics. These quantum-confined interfaces allow for the formation of atomically thin polarizable metals and feature rich optical and optoelectronic phenomena, including plasmon-induced hot-electron transfer from metal to semiconductors. Here, we report on the metal-semiconductor interface formed during the intercalation of zero-valent atomic layers of tin (Sn) between layers of MoS, a van der Waals layered material.

Human milk microbiome is shaped by breastfeeding practices.

There is evidence that breastfeeding practices may impact the milk microbiota diversity and differential abundance at the genera level; however, the possibility that distinct feeding practices, such as exclusive (EBF) and non-exclusive breastfeeding (non-EBF), might alter the milk microbiome at the species level has not been explored. This cross-sectional study analyzed the milk microbiome of 64 Mayan indigenous mothers from San Juan Ostuncalco in Guatemala. Two breastfeeding practices [exclusive (EBF) vs non-exclusive (non-EBF)] were analyzed at two stages of lactation [early (5-46 days post-partum) vs late (109-184 days post-partum)].

Multiple Indicators of Undernutrition, Infection, and Inflammation in Lactating Women Are Associated with Maternal Iron Status and Infant Anthropometry in Panama: The MINDI Cohort.

Maternal infections, nutrient deficiencies, and inflammation (MINDI) co-exist in lactating indigenous women in Panama, but their impact on maternal iron status and infant growth is unknown. For this secondary analysis of cross-sectional data of lactating mothers from our MINDI cohort, we investigated associations of MINDI variables with maternal anemia, elevated serum transferrin receptor (sTfR), low serum iron, hepcidin, ferritin, and infant weight-for-age (WAZ), length-for-age (LAZ), and head-circumference-for-age (HCAZ) Z-scores in 99 mother-infant dyads. A bootstrapping resampling procedure preselected covariates for inclusion in multivariable regressions models from chronic maternal infections and nutritional status [folate, vitamins A, D, retinol-binding protein (RBP), insulin-growth factor-1 (IGF-1)] and inflammation [C-reactive protein (CRP), cytokines, platelet indices] indicators.

Electron-phonon coupling in copper intercalated Bi[Formula: see text]Se[Formula: see text].

We report charge and heat transport studies in copper-intercalated topological insulator Bi[Formula: see text]Se[Formula: see text] hybrid devices. Measured conductivity shows impact of quantum corrections, electron-electron and electron-phonon interactions. Our shot noise measurements reveal that heat flux displays a crossover between [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] with the increase of temperature.

Quantitative Hole Mobility Simulation and Validation in Substituted Acenes.

Knowledge of the full phonon spectrum is essential to accurately calculate the dynamic disorder (σ) and hole mobility (μ) in organic semiconductors (OSCs). However, most vibrational spectroscopy techniques under-measure the phonons, thus limiting the phonon validation. Here, we measure and model the full phonon spectrum using multiple spectroscopic techniques and predict μ using σ from only the Γ-point and the full Brillouin zone (FBZ).

Maternal and cord blood parameters are associated with placental and newborn outcomes in indigenous mothers: A case study in the MINDI cohort.

Background: Multiple infections, nutrient deficiencies and inflammation (MINDI) occur in indigenous communities, but their associations with perinatal outcomes have not been described.

Objective: To assess maternal and cord blood micronutrient and inflammation status in peripartum mothers from the Ngäbe-Buglé comarca in Panama, and their associations with placental and infant outcomes.

Methods: In 34 mother-newborn dyads, placental weight and diameter were measured, and maternal and cord blood were processed for complete cell counts, serum C-reactive protein, ferritin, serum transferrin receptor (sTfR), vitamins A and D.

Maternal nematode infection upregulates expression of Th2/Treg and diapedesis related genes in the neonatal brain.

Intestinal nematode infections common during pregnancy have recently been shown to have impacts that extend to their uninfected offspring including altered brain gene expression. If maternal immune signals reach the neonatal brain, they might alter neuroimmune development. We explored expression of genes associated with four distinct types of T cells (Th1, Th2, Th17, Treg) and with leukocyte transendothelial migration and endocytosis transport across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in the postnatal brain of offspring of nematode-infected mice, through secondary analysis of a whole brain gene expression database.

Infant Anthropometry and Growth Velocity Before 6 Months are Associated with Breastfeeding Practices and the Presence of Subclinical Mastitis and Maternal Intestinal Protozoa in Indigenous Communities in Guatemala.

Background: The possibility that maternal health status and breastfeeding practices contribute to growth faltering before 6 mo is underexplored.

Objectives: This longitudinal study investigated whether indicators of subclinical mastitis (SCM) and breast inflammation, maternal fecal-oral contamination, and/or breastfeeding practices were associated with infant anthropometry or growth velocity before 6 mo.

Methods: Indigenous -Mayan mother-infant dyads (= 140) were recruited.

A gastrointestinal nematode in pregnant and lactating mice alters maternal and neonatal microbiomes.

The maternal microbiome is understood to be the principal source of the neonatal microbiome but the consequences of intestinal nematodes on pregnant and lactating mothers and implications for the neonatal microbiome are unknown. Using pregnant CD1 mice infected with Heligmosomoides bakeri, we investigated the microbiomes in maternal tissues (intestine, vagina, and milk) and in the neonatal stomach using MiSeq sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes. Our first hypothesis was that maternal nematode infection altered the maternal intestinal, vaginal, and milk microbiomes and associated metabolic pathways.

Enhancing Light-Matter Interactions in MoS by Copper Intercalation.

The intercalation of layered compounds opens up a vast space of new host-guest hybrids, providing new routes for tuning the properties of materials. Here, it is shown that uniform and continuous layers of copper can be intercalated within the van der Waals gap of bulk MoS resulting in a unique Cu-MoS hybrid. The new Cu-MoS hybrid, which remains semiconducting, possesses a unique plasmon resonance at an energy of ≈1eV, giving rise to enhanced optoelectronic activity.

Human Milk Microbiota in an Indigenous Population Is Associated with Maternal Factors, Stage of Lactation, and Breastfeeding Practices.

Background: Human milk contains a diverse community of bacteria that are modified by maternal factors, but whether these or other factors are similar in developing countries has not been explored. Our objective was to determine whether the milk microbiota was modified by maternal age, BMI, parity, lactation stage, subclinical mastitis (SCM), and breastfeeding practices in the first 6 mo of lactation in an indigenous population from Guatemala.

Methods: For this cross-sectional study, -Mayan indigenous mothers nursing infants aged <6 mo were recruited.

INTERGROWTH-21 Identifies High Prevalence of Low Symphysis-Fundal Height in Indigenous Pregnant Women Experiencing Multiple Infections, Nutrient Deficiencies, and Inflammation: The Maternal Infections, Nutrient Deficiencies, and Inflammation (MINDI) Cohort.

Background: In the absence of ultrasound, symphysis-fundal height (SFH) can assess maternal-fetal well-being as it is associated with gestational age, fetal weight, and amniotic fluid volume. However, other modifiers of SFH, including maternal infections, nutrient deficiencies, and inflammation (MINDI), have not been widely explored.

Objectives: Our objectives were 2-fold: ) to assess prevalence of low SFH in indigenous Panamanian women using both Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) and INTERGROWTH-21 standards and ) to explore associations of SFH with maternal health indicators: infections (oral, skin, urogenital, nematode infections), nutrient deficiencies [protein and iron indicators (ferritin, serum iron, serum transferrin receptor, hepcidin), folate, and vitamins A, D, and B-12], and inflammation [leukocytes, C-reactive protein (CRP), cytokines].