Atrial cardiomyopathy resulting from loss of plakophilin-2 expression: Response to adrenergic stimulation and implications for the exercise response.

Atrial arrhythmias occur in 20-40% of patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) and are associated with an increased risk of sustained ventricular arrhythmias and inappropriate implantable cardioverter-defibrillator shocks. The pathophysiology of atrial arrhythmias in ARVC remains unclear. Most cases of gene-positive ARVC are linked to pathogenic variants in the desmosomal gene plakophilin-2 (PKP2).

In vitro comparison of viral replication and cytopathology induced by SARS-CoV-2 variants.

A myriad of coronaviruses cause diseases from a common cold to severe lung infections and pneumonia. SARS-CoV-2 was discovered to be the etiologic agent of the Coronavirus pandemic and many laboratory techniques were examined for virus culture and basic and applied research. Understanding the replication kinetics and characterizing the effect the virus has on different cell lines is crucial for developing studies.

Next-generation nanovaccine induces durable immunity and protects against SARS-CoV-2.

While first generation SARS-CoV-2 vaccines were effective in slowing the spread and severity of disease during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a need for vaccines capable of inducing durable and broad immunity against emerging variants of concern. Nanoparticle-based vaccines (i.e.

ATOMDANCE: Kernel-based denoising and choreographic analysis for protein dynamic comparison.

Comparative methods in molecular evolution and structural biology rely heavily upon the site-wise analysis of DNA sequence and protein structure, both static forms of information. However, it is widely accepted that protein function results from nanoscale nonrandom machine-like motions induced by evolutionarily conserved molecular interactions. Comparisons of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations conducted between homologous sites representative of different functional or mutational states can potentially identify local effects on binding interaction and protein evolution.

How do deer respiratory epithelial cells weather the initial storm of SARS-CoV-2 WA1/2020 strain?

The potential infectivity of severe acute respiratory syndrome associated coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) in animals raises a public health and economic concern, particularly the high susceptibility of white-tailed deer (WTD) to SARS-CoV-2. The disparity in the disease outcome between humans and WTD is very intriguing, as the latter are often asymptomatic, subclinical carriers of SARS-CoV-2. To date, no studies have evaluated the innate immune factors responsible for the contrasting SARS-CoV-2-associated disease outcomes in these mammalian species.

Rolling the evolutionary dice: commensals as proxies for elucidating the underpinnings of antibiotic resistance mechanisms and evolution in human pathogens.

Species within the genus are adept at sharing adaptive allelic variation, with commensal species repeatedly transferring resistance to their pathogenic relative . However, resistance in commensals is infrequently characterized, limiting our ability to predict novel and potentially transferable resistance mechanisms that ultimately may become important clinically. Unique evolutionary starting places of each species will have distinct genomic backgrounds, which may ultimately control the fate of evolving populations in response to selection as epistatic and additive interactions coerce lineages along divergent evolutionary trajectories.

Validation of the Czech Version of the Voice Handicap Index.

Objective(s): The present study aims to evaluate the reliability and construct validity of the Czech version of the Voice Handicap Index (VHI-CZ) and determine the cut-off value to distinguish dysphonic patients from nondysphonic individuals.

Study Design: Prospective study, Parallel group design.

Methods: The study investigated 100 adult patients with dysphonia, divided into three groups based on the etiology of the voice problem (neurogenic, functional, and structural).

Spatial variations in aromatic hydrocarbon emission in a dust-rich galaxy.

Dust grains absorb half of the radiation emitted by stars throughout the history of the universe, re-emitting this energy at infrared wavelengths. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are large organic molecules that trace millimetre-size dust grains and regulate the cooling of interstellar gas within galaxies. Observations of PAH features in very distant galaxies have been difficult owing to the limited sensitivity and wavelength coverage of previous infrared telescopes.

SARS-CoV-2 Is More Efficient than HCoV-NL63 in Infecting a Small Subpopulation of ACE2+ Human Respiratory Epithelial Cells.

Human coronavirus (HCoV)-NL63 is an important contributor to upper and lower respiratory tract infections, mainly in children, while severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the etiological agent of COVID-19, can cause lower respiratory tract infections, and more severe, respiratory and systemic disease, which leads to fatal consequences in many cases. Using microscopy, immunohistochemistry (IHC), virus-binding assay, reverse transcriptase qPCR (RT-qPCR) assay, and flow cytometry, we compared the characteristics of the susceptibility, replication dynamics, and morphogenesis of HCoV-NL63 and SARS-CoV-2 in monolayer cultures of primary human respiratory epithelial cells (HRECs). Less than 10% HRECs expressed ACE2, and SARS-CoV-2 seemed much more efficient than HCoV-NL63 at infecting the very small proportion of HRECs expressing the ACE2 receptors.

Is Cepstral Peak Prominence a Measure of Vocal Fatigue in Temple Priests: A Pilot Study.

Purpose: Considering cepstral analysis of voice as a measure of overall severity of dysphonia, we tried to investigate if these measures could be considered as a metric of vocal fatigue as well. Since voice quality changes are seen as a result of vocal fatigue, we wanted to find out if there were any correlations between the cepstral measures, vocal fatigue symptoms, and auditory perceptual evaluation of voice in professional voice users.

Method: The pilot study was conducted on 10 temple priests belonging to the Krishna Consciousness Movement.

Data analytics-guided rational design of antimicrobial nanomedicines against opportunistic, resistant pathogens.

Nanoparticle carriers can improve antibiotic efficacy by altering drug biodistribution. However, traditional screening is impracticable due to a massive dataspace. A hybrid informatics approach was developed to identify polymer, antibiotic, and particle determinants of antimicrobial nanomedicine activity against Burkholderia cepacia, and to model nanomedicine performance.

Sprayable copper and copper-zinc nanowires inks for antiviral surface coating.

Copper alloys are known for their high antimicrobial efficacy. Retrofitting high-touch surfaces in public space with solid copper components is expensive and often impractical. Directly coating copper onto these high-touch surfaces can be achieved with hot or cold spray, but the procedure is complicated and requires special equipment.

Effective antiviral coatings for deactivating SARS-CoV-2 virus on N95 respirator masks or filters.

The application of antiviral coatings to masks and respirators is a potential mitigating step toward reducing viral transmission during the SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) pandemic. The use of appropriate masks, social distancing, and vaccines is the immediate solution for limiting the viral spread and protecting people from this virus. N95 respirator masks are effective in filtering the virus particles, but they cannot kill or deactivate the virus.

C1q Nephropathy in Children with Nephrotic Syndrome: Treatment Strategies and Outcomes.

Introduction: There is a paucity of clinical data on C1q nephropathy (C1qN) in children in India and Southeast Asia. This is the first detailed analysis conducted to elucidate the prevalence, clinicopathological profile, and response to different immunosuppressives in children with C1qN in India.

Materials And Methods: Detailed demographic profile, clinical features, urine and blood chemistries, kidney biopsy, and response to different immunosuppressives of the study participants were analyzed between August 2015 and October 2020 for steroid-dependent/-resistant nephrotic syndrome (NS).

Novel non intrusive continuous use ZeBox technology to trap and kill airborne microbes.

Preventing nosocomial infection is a major unmet need of our times. Existing air decontamination technologies suffer from demerits such as toxicity of exposure, species specificity, noxious gas emission, environment-dependent performance and high power consumption. Here, we present a novel technology called "ZeBox" that transcends the conventional limitations and achieves high microbicidal efficiency.

Fully automated fast-flow synthesis of antisense phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers.

Rapid development of antisense therapies can enable on-demand responses to new viral pathogens and make personalized medicine for genetic diseases practical. Antisense phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers (PMOs) are promising candidates to fill such a role, but their challenging synthesis limits their widespread application. To rapidly prototype potential PMO drug candidates, we report a fully automated flow-based oligonucleotide synthesizer.

Induction of Potent and Durable Neutralizing Antibodies Against SARS-CoV-2 Using a Receptor Binding Domain-Based Immunogen.

A novel betacoronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that causes severe pneumonia emerged through zoonosis in late 2019. The disease, referred to as COVID-19, has an alarming mortality rate and it is having a devastating effect on the global economy and public health systems. A safe, effective vaccine is urgently needed to halt this pandemic.

Stem cell/cellular interventions in human spinal cord injury: Is it time to move from guidelines to regulations and legislations? Literature review and Spinal Cord Society position statement.

Purpose: In preclinical studies, many stem cell/cellular interventions demonstrated robust regeneration and/or repair in case of SCI and were considered a promising therapeutic candidate. However, data from clinical studies are not robust. Despite lack of substantial evidence for the efficacy of these interventions in spinal cord injury (SCI), many clinics around the world offer them as "therapy.

Cepstral and Perceptual Investigations in Female Teachers With Functionally Healthy Voice.

Purpose: The present study aimed at measuring the smoothed and non-smoothed cepstral peak prominence (CPPS and CPP) in teachers who considered themselves to have normal voice but some of them had laryngeal pathology. The changes of CPP, CPPS, sound pressure level (SPL) and perceptual ratings with different voice tasks were investigated and the influence of vocal pathology on these measures was studied.

Method: Eighty-four Finnish female primary school teachers volunteered as participants.