Publications by authors named "Phelan J"

Changes in temperature and precipitation are already influencing US forests and that will continue in the future even as we mitigate climate change. Using spatiotemporally matched data for mean annual temperature (MAT) and mean annual precipitation (MAP), we used simulated annealing to estimate critical thresholds for changes in the growth and survival of roughly 150 tree species (153 spp. for growth, 159 spp.

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Graph structures are often used to visualize transmission networks generated using genomic epidemiological methods. However, tools to interactively visualize these graphs do not exist. A browser-based tool allowing users to load and interactively visualize transmission graphs was developed in JavaScript.

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  • - Airway macrophages (AM) are key immune cells in the lungs that help protect against infections, making them important for targeted therapies aimed at enhancing immune responses.
  • - The study investigates how different types of macrophages respond to signaling molecules (IFN-γ and IL-4) that represent immune responses in the lungs, finding that AM rely heavily on glycolysis for their functions, especially in cytokine production.
  • - Results show that AM exhibit unique metabolic responses and functional plasticity compared to monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM), suggesting that AM could be effective targets for new inhaled treatments for lung diseases.
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Controllable installation of a single nitrogen atom is central to many major goals in skeletal editing, with progress often gated by the availability of an appropriate N-atom source. Here we introduce a novel reagent, termed DNIBX, based on dibenzoazabicycloheptadiene (dbabh), which allows the electrophilic installation of dbabh to organic substrates. When indanone β-ketoesters are aminated by DNIBX, the resulting products undergo divergent ring expansions depending on the mode of activation, producing heterocycles in differing oxidation states under thermal and photochemical conditions.

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The objective of this systematic review was to examine current evidence regarding the associations between dietary quality and mental well-being indicators (stress, anxiety, and/or depression) in college students, with a secondary aim of characterizing the relationship between overall dietary quality and academic performance. : Searches were performed, and the PRISMA guidelines were followed for reporting the methods and results. Twelve observational studies were included and reviewed showing high dietary quality was associated with: low stress (four studies), stress (one study), and no significant association (two studies); low depression (three studies) and no significant association (two studies) and low anxiety (two studies), anxiety (one study), and no significant associations (two studies).

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Tuberculosis disease (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), is a major global public health problem, resulting in > 1 million deaths each year. Drug resistance (DR), including the multi-drug form (MDR-TB), is challenging control of the disease. Whilst many DR mutations in the Mtb genome are known, analysis of large datasets generated using whole genome sequencing (WGS) platforms can reveal new variants through the assessment of genotype-phenotype associations.

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Medicare Advantage (MA) plans are increasingly enrolling veterans. Because MA plans receive full capitated payments regardless of whether or not veterans use Medicare services, the federal government can incur substantial duplicative, wasteful spending if veterans in MA plans predominantly seek care through the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) system. The recent growth of MA plans that disproportionately enroll veterans could further exacerbate such wasteful spending.

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  • Commercial orchards often have mixed species that can be affected by various viruses, with pollen being a significant pathway for virus transmission.
  • Metagenomics approaches were used to analyze pollen and bee samples during the blooming season of apricot, cherry, peach, and apple trees, resulting in the detection of 21 unique viruses, including notable ones like prune dwarf virus and prunus necrotic ringspot virus.
  • The study revealed a higher complexity of viruses in pollen samples compared to vegetative tissues, highlighting the importance of monitoring pollination ecosystems for better understanding of viral diversity.
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  • Tuberculosis (TB) is a major global health issue, with ongoing research aimed at developing new anti-TB medications that effectively target the disease.
  • Scientists created an open-access database containing genetic variations from over 50,000 clinical TB isolates to help understand resistance mutations seen in real-world scenarios.
  • The analysis of this database showed how specific genetic variations relate to drug resistance and the importance of genetic diversity in drug targets, making it a useful tool for drug discovery and development.
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Genome-wide screens are a powerful technique to dissect the complex network of genes regulating diverse cellular phenotypes. The recent adaptation of the CRISPR-Cas9 system for genome engineering has revolutionized functional genomic screening. Here, we present protocols used to introduce Cas9 into human lymphoma cell lines, produce high-titer lentivirus of a genome-wide sgRNA library, transduce and culture cells during the screen, select cells with a specified phenotype, isolate genomic DNA, and prepare a custom library for next-generation sequencing.

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  • Anopheles melas, a lesser-known malaria-carrying mosquito, was studied for its population genetics in the Bijagós Archipelago, with the first whole-genome sequencing of this species in the area.
  • A total of 30 individual mosquitoes were sequenced, revealing no insecticide resistance mutations commonly found in other malaria mosquitoes, but some structural variations in relevant genes.
  • The findings also indicated two distinct genetic groups among the An. melas populations based on mitochondrial DNA, highlighting the need for further research to clarify their role in malaria transmission.
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Background: Next-generation sequencing of , the infectious agent causing tuberculosis, is improving the understanding of genomic diversity of circulating lineages and strain-types, and informing knowledge of drug resistance mutations. An increasingly popular approach to characterizing genomes (size: 4.4 Mbp) and variants (.

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Unlabelled: New and improved drugs are required for the treatment and ultimate eradication of malaria. The efficacy of front-line therapies is now threatened by emerging drug resistance; thus, new tools to support the development of drugs with a lower propensity for resistance are needed. Here, we describe the development of a RESistance Mapping And Profiling (ResMAP) platform for the identification of resistance-conferring mutations in drug targets.

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The Philippines is a high-incidence country for tuberculosis, with the increasing prevalence of multi- (MDR-TB) and extensively-drug (XDR-TB) resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains posing difficulties to disease control. Understanding the genetic diversity of circulating strains can provide insights into underlying drug resistance mutations and transmission dynamics, thereby assisting the design of diagnostic tools, including those using next generation sequencing (NGS) platforms. By analysing genome sequencing data of 732 isolates from Philippines drug-resistance survey collections spanning from 2011 to 2019, we found that the majority belonged to lineages L1 (531/732; 72.

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Familial transmission of mental illnesses and health behaviors is well established. However, little research has examined familial transmission of mental health help-seeking behaviors despite social science theoretical traditions that support its occurrence including social learning theory and the network episode model. Among parent-adolescent dyads, extant literature supports consideration of adolescent-autonomy versus parent-gatekeeping according to whether or not parents recognize a mental health problem in their adolescent.

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The extraction of double stranded (ds) RNA is a common enrichment method for the study, characterization, and detection of RNA viruses. In addition to RNA viruses, viroids, and some DNA viruses, can also be detected from dsRNA enriched extracts which makes it an attractive method for detecting a wide range of viruses when coupled with HTS. Several dsRNA enrichment strategies have been developed.

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HERV-K(HML-2), the youngest clade of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs), includes many intact or nearly intact proviruses, but no replication competent HML-2 proviruses have been identified in humans. HML-2-related proviruses are present in other primates, including rhesus macaques, but the extent and timing of HML-2 activity in macaques remains unclear. We have identified 145 HML-2-like proviruses in rhesus macaques, including a clade of young, rhesus-specific insertions.

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  • Germinal centers (GCs) in mucosal sites are influenced by gut-derived factors, which can affect B cell homeostasis without depending solely on antigen receptor signals.
  • The G-protein Gα13 plays a key role in keeping B cells confined to the GC, and its deficiency can lead to increased GC activity and potentially lymphoma development due to enhanced mTORC1 signaling and Myc protein expression.
  • Gα13-deficient B cells in the mesenteric lymph node gain a competitive edge by relying on dietary nutrients like glutamine for growth and proliferation, highlighting how alterations in pathways can impact the development of aggressive lymphomas in the gut.
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Importance: States resumed Medicaid eligibility redeterminations, which had been paused during the COVID-19 public health emergency, in 2023. This unwinding of the pandemic continuous coverage provision raised concerns about the extent to which beneficiaries would lose Medicaid coverage and how that would affect access to care.

Objective: To assess early changes in insurance and access to care during Medicaid unwinding among individuals with low incomes in 4 Southern states.

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Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable plasma cell malignancy that exploits transcriptional networks driven by IRF4. We employ a multi-omics approach to discover IRF4 vulnerabilities, integrating functional genomics screening, spatial proteomics, and global chromatin mapping. ARID1A, a member of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex, is required for IRF4 expression and functionally associates with IRF4 protein on chromatin.

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Background: The identification of oncogenic mutations in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) has led to the development of drugs that target essential survival pathways, but whether targeting multiple survival pathways may be curative in DLBCL is unknown.

Methods: We performed a single-center, phase 1b-2 study of a regimen of venetoclax, ibrutinib, prednisone, obinutuzumab, and lenalidomide (ViPOR) in relapsed or refractory DLBCL. In phase 1b, which included patients with DLBCL and indolent lymphomas, four dose levels of venetoclax were evaluated to identify the recommended phase 2 dose, with fixed doses of the other four drugs.

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Background: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is recommended for all people with HIV. Understanding ART use among Medicare beneficiaries with HIV is therefore critically important for improving quality and equity of care among the growing population of older adults with HIV. However, a comprehensive national evaluation of filled ART prescriptions among Medicare beneficiaries is lacking.

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Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, has a significant impact on global health worldwide. The development of multi-drug resistant strains that are resistant to the first-line drugs isoniazid and rifampicin threatens public health security. Rifampicin and isoniazid resistance are largely underpinned by mutations in rpoB and katG respectively and are associated with fitness costs.

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