Publications by authors named "M E MacDonald"
Article Synopsis
- Triatoma sanguisuga, the most common triatomine bug in the US, carries the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, responsible for Chagas disease, although diagnoses are rare in the country.
- The study presented the first complete genome sequence of T. sanguisuga, obtained from a specimen in Delaware, revealing a genome size of 1.162 Gbp with high assembly quality, evidenced by a 99.1% BUSCO score.
- This genomic information can enhance understanding of triatomine bugs in colder climates and support public health initiatives for managing vector-borne diseases.
Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) alters the gaseous composition of air surrounding packaged goods to prevent deleterious oxidation associated reactions. MAP has been adopted for the storage of cannabis, though a recent study revealed little difference in terpene content under MAP conditions. Questions regarding its efficacy for preservation of high value compounds like terpenes and cannabinoids lost during postharvest storage remain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) aims to eliminate all human malaria by 2030 and is making substantial progress toward this goal, with malaria increasingly confined to forest foci. These transmission foci are predominantly inhabited by ethnic minorities, local populations, and rural mobile and migrant populations working in mining and agriculture. The recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) on malaria elimination states that small population groups which constitute a large proportion of the malaria transmission reservoir should benefit from targeted strategies to reduce transmission overall.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- * A scoping review examined driving performance assessments related to BZRA use, analyzing 183 studies that featured various drugs, with zopiclone being the most researched.
- * Results showed that a significant number of studies found impairment in driving performance, with an emphasis on using certain measures like the Standard Deviation of Lateral Position (SDLP) in experimental settings, and biological detection methods in observational studies.
Article Synopsis
- The voltage-gated calcium channel (VGCC) is made up of an α1 subunit and three auxiliary subunits, with the β subunit being crucial for moving the α1 subunit to the cell membrane and is extensively studied in calcium signaling.
- VGCCs play a critical role in calcium ion movement within neurons, influencing processes like dendritic spine plasticity, with dysfunction in this signaling linked to neurodevelopmental disorders such as schizophrenia.
- Overexpressing the β4 subunit in a mouse model reduced the density of small dendritic spines, with notable sex differences in this effect, indicating that interactions with other VGCC subunits, like β1b in males, may help protect against this reduction.