The Putative Virulence Plasmid pYR4 of the Fish Pathogen Is Conjugative and Stabilized by a HigBA Toxin-Antitoxin System.

The bacterium causes enteric redmouth disease in salmonids and hence has substantial economic implications for the farmed fish industry. The Norwegian outbreak isolate NVH_3758 carries a relatively uncharacterized plasmid, pYR4, which encodes both type 4 pili and a type 4 secretion system. In this study, we demonstrate that pYR4 does not impose a growth burden on the host bacterium, nor does the plasmid contribute to twitching motility (an indicator of type 4 pilus function) or virulence in a larval model of infection.

Using mixed methods and partnership to develop a program evaluation toolkit for organizations that provide physical activity programs for persons with disabilities.

Background: The purpose of this paper is to report on the process for developing an online RE-AIM evaluation toolkit in partnership with organizations that provide physical activity programming for persons with disabilities.

Methods: A community-university partnership was established and guided by an integrated knowledge translation approach. The four-step development process included: (1) identify, review, and select knowledge (literature review and two rounds of Delphi consensus-building), (2) adapt knowledge to local context (rating feasibility of outcomes and integration into online platform), (3) assess barriers and facilitators (think-aloud interviews), and (4) select, tailor, implement (collaborative dissemination plan).

Veterinary students' perceptions toward incorporating and expanding telehealth service delivery knowledge in curricula and future practice: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: Telehealth is the use of technology to deliver medical services. Potential uses among veterinarians include consulting with specialists about complicated cases, sending in electronic prescriptions, or meeting with clients to discuss patient health. Although the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic posed many challenges to the veterinary profession, it accelerated the adoption of telehealth among veterinarians.

Tallow, Rendered Animal Fat, and Its Biocompatibility With Skin: A Scoping Review.

There is a surge in the skincare industry marketing the use of natural ingredients as efficacious agents. Although this has been popular in the Eastern hemisphere for a while, Western countries are starting to put more emphasis on naturally derived products. This paper chose to analyze the current research available on tallow, which is a solid fat derived from animals.

Fluorescent Labeling of Outer Membrane Proteins Using the SpyCatcher-SpyTag System.

The SpyCatcher-SpyTag system has become a popular and versatile tool for protein ligation. It is based on a small globular protein (SpyCatcher) that binds to a 13-residue peptide (SpyTag), which subsequently leads to the formation of a covalent isopeptide bond. Thus, the reaction is essentially irreversible.

Recombinant Expression and Overproduction of Transmembrane β-Barrel Proteins.

Transmembrane β-barrel proteins reside in the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria and are thus in direct contact with the environment. Because of that, they are involved in many key processes stretching from cellular survival to virulence. Hence, they are an attractive target for the development of novel antimicrobials, in addition to being of fundamental biological interest.

Providing Insights into the Challenges of Implementing Activity-Based Therapy in Canada: A Comparative Analysis Using Focus Group Interviews with Key Interest Groups.

Background: Activity-based therapy (ABT) has emerged as a therapeutic approach that may promote neurorecovery and reduce secondary complications in people living with spinal cord injury or disease (SCI/D). In spite of the numerous health benefits, adoption of ABT into practice has been limited across the Canadian care continuum.

Objectives: This study aimed to understand the challenges of implementing ABT in Canada for people living with SCI/D through the perspectives of key interest groups.

A virus-like particle-based bivalent PCSK9 vaccine lowers LDL-cholesterol levels in non-human primates.

Elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is an important risk factor in the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Inhibitors of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9), a negative regulator of LDL-C metabolism, have emerged as promising approaches for reducing elevated LDL-C levels. Here, we evaluated the cholesterol-lowering efficacy of virus-like particle (VLP) based vaccines that target epitopes found within the LDL receptor (LDL-R) binding domain of PCSK9.

Monitoring Kikuletwa river levels in northern Tanzania: A data set unlocking insights for effective flood early warning systems.

Floods are a recurring natural disaster that pose significant risks to communities and infrastructure. The lack of reliable and accurate data on river systems in developing countries has hindered the development of effective flood early warning systems. This paper presents a data set collected using ultrasonic distance sensors installed at two locations along the Kikuletwa River in the Pangani River Basin, Northern Tanzania.

Dataset of banana leaves and stem images for object detection, classification and segmentation: A case of Tanzania.

Banana is among major crops cultivated by most smallholder farmers in Tanzania and other parts of Africa. This crop is very important in the household economy as well as food security since it serves as both food and cash crops. Despite these benefits, the majority of smallholder farmers are experiencing low yields which are attributed to diseases.

Modulation of red blood cell nitric oxide synthase phosphorylation in the quiescent and exercising human forearm.

In vitro investigations demonstrate that human erythrocytes synthesize nitric oxide via a functional isoform of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS) (RBC-NOS). We tested the hypothesis that phosphorylation of RBC-NOS at serine residue 1177 (RBC-NOS) would be amplified in blood draining-active skeletal muscle. Furthermore, given hypoxemia modulates local blood flow and thus shear stress, and nitric oxide availability, we performed duplicate experiments under normoxia and hypoxia.

Streamlined Data Analysis Pipeline for Deep Sequence-Coupled Biopanning Identification of Pathogen-Specific Antibody Responses in Serum.

Deep sequence-coupled biopanning (DSCB) is a powerful tool that couples affinity selection of a bacteriophage MS2 virus-like particle peptide display platform with deep sequencing. While this approach has been used successfully to investigate pathogen-specific antibody responses in human sera, data analysis is time-consuming and complicated. Here, we describe a streamlined data analysis method for DSCB using MATLAB, expanding the potential for this approach to be deployed rapidly and consistently.

A Virus-like particle-based bivalent PCSK9 vaccine lowers LDL-cholesterol levels in Non-Human Primates.

Elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is an important risk factor in the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Inhibitors of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9), a negative regulator of LDL-C metabolism, have emerged as promising approaches for reducing elevated LDL-C levels. Here, we evaluated the cholesterol lowering efficacy of virus-like particle (VLP) based vaccines that target epitopes found within the LDL receptor (LDL-R) binding domain of PCSK9.

Expectancies for Cannabis- Induced Emotional Breakthrough, Mystical Experiences and Changes in Dysfunctional Attitudes: Perceptions of the Potential for Cannabis-Assisted Psychotherapy for Depression.

Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy has established antidepressant effects. Cannabis users appear to expect high doses administered in a session much like psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy to create comparable subjective effects. The current studies explored expectations of antidepressant effects of such cannabis-assisted sessions to replicate and extend previous work.

Immune checkpoint B7-H3 is a therapeutic vulnerability in prostate cancer harboring PTEN and TP53 deficiencies.

Checkpoint immunotherapy has yielded meaningful responses across many cancers but has shown modest efficacy in advanced prostate cancer. B7 homolog 3 protein (B7-H3/) is an immune checkpoint molecule and has emerged as a promising therapeutic target. However, much remains to be understood regarding B7-H3's role in cancer progression, predictive biomarkers for B7-H3-targeted therapy, and combinatorial strategies.

Stranger Things: New Roles and Opportunities for Androgen Receptor in Oncology Beyond Prostate Cancer.

The androgen receptor (AR) is one of the oldest therapeutic targets in oncology and continues to dominate the treatment landscape for advanced prostate cancer, where nearly all treatment regimens include some form of AR modulation. In this regard, AR remains the central driver of prostate cancer cell biology. Emerging preclinical and clinical data implicate key roles for AR in additional cancer types, thereby expanding the importance of this drug target beyond prostate cancer.

AI for Anglophone Africa: Unlocking its adoption for responsible solutions in academia-private sector.

In recent years, AI technologies have become indispensable in social and industrial development, yielding revolutionary results in improving labor efficiency, lowering labor costs, optimizing human resource structure, and creating new job demands. To reap the full benefits of responsible AI solutions in Africa, it is critical to investigate existing challenges and propose strategies, policies, and frameworks for overcoming and eliminating them. As a result, this study investigated the challenges of adopting responsible AI solutions in the Academia-Private sectors for Anglophone Africa through literature reviews, expert interviews, and then proposes solutions and framework for the sustainable and successful adoption of responsible AI.

A Multi-Modal Wireless Sensor System for River Monitoring: A Case for Kikuletwa River Floods in Tanzania.

Reliable and accurate flood prediction in poorly gauged basins is challenging due to data scarcity, especially in developing countries where many rivers remain insufficiently monitored. This hinders the design and development of advanced flood prediction models and early warning systems. This paper introduces a multi-modal, sensor-based, near-real-time river monitoring system that produces a multi-feature data set for the Kikuletwa River in Northern Tanzania, an area frequently affected by floods.

Tracking activity-based therapy for people living with spinal cord injury or disease: insights gained through focus group interviews with key stakeholders.

Purpose: The development of a tool to track participation in activity-based therapy (ABT) for people with spinal cord injury or disease (SCI/D) was identified as a priority of the Canadian ABT Community of Practice. The objective of this study was to understand multi-stakeholder perspectives on tracking ABT participation across the continuum of care.

Materials And Methods: Forty-eight individuals from six stakeholder groups (persons living with SCI/D; hospital therapists; community trainers; administrators; researchers; and funders, advocates and policy experts) were recruited to participate in focus group interviews.