Independent and interactive effects of viral species on risk for lower respiratory tract illnesses in early life.

Importance: All children experience upper respiratory tract illnesses (URI) caused by viral infections. However, some of these illnesses progress to the lower airways. Although studies have found infection with certain viral species are more likely to trigger lower respiratory illnesses (LRIs), a comprehensive analysis of viruses underlying early-life LRIs is lacking.

Multiplexed base editing identifies functional gene-variant-context interactions.

Human genome sequencing efforts in healthy and diseased individuals continue to identify a broad spectrum of genetic variants associated with predisposition, progression, and therapeutic outcomes for diseases like cancer . Insights derived from these studies have significant potential to guide clinical diagnoses and treatment decisions; however, the relative importance and functional impact of most genetic variants remain poorly understood. Precision genome editing technologies like base and prime editing can be used to systematically engineer and interrogate diverse types of endogenous genetic variants in their native context .

Astrocyte glypican 5 regulates synapse maturation and stabilization.

The maturation and stabilization of appropriate synaptic connections is a vital step in neural circuit development; however, the molecular signals underlying these processes are not fully understood. We show that astrocytes, through production of glypican 5 (GPC5), are required for maturation and refinement of synapses in the mouse cortex during the critical period. In the absence of astrocyte GPC5, thalamocortical synapses show structural immaturity, including smaller presynaptic terminals, decreased postsynaptic density area, and presence of more postsynaptic partners at multisynaptic connections.

Uncovering the Techno-Economic and Environmental Implications of a Multiproduct Biorefinery from Exhausted Olive Pomace.

Biorefineries are pivotal in advancing sustainability, yet most studies remain confined to laboratory scales, lacking comprehensive industrial-level analyses. In this work, the laboratory experiments are scaled up to design and assess the techno-economic and environmental implications of a multiproduct biorefinery system producing antioxidant extracts, lignin, and bioethanol from exhausted olive pomace, a residual biomass from olive oil extraction. Using process simulation and life cycle assessment, five scenarios were evaluated, varying in electricity sources (national mix, solar, wind, or olive biomass) and the heat and cooling sources (fossil natural gas or synthetic natural gas from capture CO and electrolytic hydrogen), with one scenario incorporating a carbon capture and storage (CCS) system.

Modelling protein-protein interactions for the design of vaccine chimeric antigens with protective epitopes.

Ticks and tick-borne diseases are a growing burden worldwide and vaccines are effective control interventions. Vaccine formulations with tick antigens such as BM86/BM95 (BM) and Subolesin (SUB) have shown reduction in tick fitness and infestation in immunized hosts. However, antigen combination is a challenging approach to improve vaccine efficacy (E) against multiple tick species.