Publications by authors named "N Ashford"

In this study, we aimed to integrate a genetic repository with an existing longitudinal national burn database. We set out two primary objectives, namely (1) to develop standard operating procedures for genetic sample collection and storage, DNA isolation, and data integration into an existing multicenter database; and (2) to demonstrate the feasibility of correlating genetic variation to functional outcomes in a pilot study, using the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene. Dubbed the worrier/warrior gene, COMT variants have been associated with varying phenotypes of post-traumatic stress, wellbeing, and resilience.

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Incorporation of host-derived exogenous fatty acids (eFAs), particularly unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs), by could affect the bacterial membrane fluidity and susceptibility to antimicrobials. In this work, we found that glycerol ester hydrolase (Geh) is the primary lipase hydrolyzing cholesteryl esters and, to a lesser extent, triglycerides and that human serum albumin (HSA) could serve as a buffer of eFAs, where low levels of HSA facilitate the utilization of eFAs but high levels of HSA inhibit it. The fact that the type II fatty acid synthesis (FASII) inhibitor, AFN-1252, leads to an increase in UFA content even in the absence of eFA suggests that membrane property modulation is part of its mechanism of action.

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Antimicrobial resistance is a major threat to human health as resistant pathogens spread globally, and the development of new antimicrobials is slow. Since many antimicrobials function by targeting cell wall and membrane components, high-throughput lipidomics for bacterial phenotyping is of high interest for researchers to unveil lipid-mediated pathways when dealing with a large number of lab-selected or clinical strains. However, current practice for lipidomic analysis requires the cultivation of bacteria on a large scale, which does not replicate the growth conditions for high-throughput bioassays that are normally carried out in 96-well plates, such as susceptibility tests, growth curve measurements, and biofilm quantitation.

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only synthesizes straight-chain or branched-chain saturated fatty acids (SCFAs or BCFAs) via the type II fatty acid synthesis (FASII) pathway, but as a highly adaptive pathogen, can also utilize host-derived exogenous fatty acids (eFAs), including SCFAs and unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs). secretes three lipases, Geh, sal1, and SAUSA300_0641, which could perform the function of releasing fatty acids from host lipids. Once released, the FAs are phosphorylated by the fatty acid kinase, FakA, and incorporated into the bacterial lipids.

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