Meta-analyses of Culex blood-meals indicates strong regional effect on feeding patterns.

Understanding host utilization by mosquito vectors is essential to assess the risk of vector-borne diseases. Many studies have investigated the feeding patterns of Culex mosquitoes by molecular analysis of blood-meals from field collected mosquitoes. However, these individual small-scale studies only provide a limited understanding of the complex host-vector interactions when considered in isolation.

UK mosquitoes are competent to transmit Usutu virus at native temperatures.

Usutu virus (USUV) is an emerging zoonotic virus transmitted primarily by mosquitoes. Since its introduction into Europe from Africa during the late 20th century, it has caused mortality within populations of passerine birds and captive owls, and can on occasion lead to disease in humans. USUV was first detected in the UK in 2020 and has become endemic, having been detected in either birds and/or mosquitoes every subsequent year.

Features that matter: Evolutionary signatures can predict viral transmission routes.

Routes of virus transmission between hosts are key to understanding viral epidemiology. Different routes have large effects on viral ecology, and likelihood and rate of transmission; for example, respiratory and vector-borne viruses together encompass the majority of rapid outbreaks and high-consequence animal and plant epidemics. However, determining the specific transmission route(s) can take months to years, delaying mitigation efforts.

SARS-CoV-2 population dynamics in immunocompetent individuals in a closed transmission chain shows genomic diversity over the course of infection.

Background: SARS-CoV-2 remains rapidly evolving, and many biologically important genomic substitutions/indels have characterised novel SARS-CoV-2 lineages, which have emerged during successive global waves of the pandemic. Worldwide genomic sequencing has been able to monitor these waves, track transmission clusters, and examine viral evolution in real time to help inform healthcare policy. One school of thought is that an apparent greater than average divergence in an emerging lineage from contemporary variants may require persistent infection, for example in an immunocompromised host.

Emerging Variants of Canine Enteric Coronavirus Associated with Outbreaks of Gastroenteric Disease.

A 2022 canine gastroenteritis outbreak in the United Kingdom was associated with circulation of a new canine enteric coronavirus closely related to a 2020 variant with an additional spike gene recombination. The variants are unrelated to canine enteric coronavirus-like viruses associated with human disease but represent a model for coronavirus population adaptation.

Comparative genomics of a novel species associated with the Highland midge ().

(Enterobacterales: Erwiniaceae) are a group of cosmopolitan bacteria best known as the causative agents of various plant diseases. However, other species in this genus have been found to play important roles as insect endosymbionts supplementing the diet of their hosts. Here, I describe Erwinia impunctatus (Erwimp) associated with the Highland midge (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae), an abundant biting pest in the Scottish Highlands.

Low-cost PM sensors can help identify driving factors of poor air quality and benefit communities.

Air quality is critical for public health. Residents rely chiefly on government agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the United States to establish standards for the measurement of harmful contaminants including ozone, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), and fine particulate matter at or below 2.5 μm.

Neural network classification of mobility spectra for volatile organic compounds using tandem differential mobility spectrometry with field induced fragmentation.

A spectral library of field induced fragmentation (FIF) spectra for 45 oxygen-containing volatile organic compounds from 5 chemical classes was obtained using tandem differential mobility spectrometry (DMS). Protonated monomers were mobility isolated in a first DMS stage, fragmented with electric fields >10,000 V/cm in a middle (or reactive) stage, and mobility characterized in a second DMS stage. Other spectral libraries were obtained for protonated monomers and for complete mobility spectra from a single DMS stage.

The opportunities of research parasitism: A case study using the Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD).

The Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD) is primarily used to identify biological specimens based on a mitochondrial gene sequence and has been an underpinning resource for life science researchers. Importantly, curators of BOLD archive DNA extracts where possible, and also record contaminant sequences that can be made available on request. This collegial offering of samples and data led to our work describing the serendipitous discovery of new interactions between a Torix Rickettsia bacterium and their arthropod hosts and resulted in winning the 2022 Junior Research Parasite Award.

Characterisation of SARS-CoV-2 genomic variation in response to molnupiravir treatment in the AGILE Phase IIa clinical trial.

Molnupiravir is an antiviral, currently approved by the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for treating at-risk COVID-19 patients, that induces lethal error catastrophe in SARS-CoV-2. How this drug-induced mechanism of action might impact the emergence of resistance mutations is unclear. To investigate this, we used samples from the AGILE Candidate Specific Trial (CST)-2 (clinical trial number NCT04746183).

Genomic diversity across the Rickettsia and 'Candidatus Megaira' genera and proposal of genus status for the Torix group.

Members of the bacterial genus Rickettsia were originally identified as causative agents of vector-borne diseases in mammals. However, many Rickettsia species are arthropod symbionts and close relatives of 'Candidatus Megaira', which are symbiotic associates of microeukaryotes. Here, we clarify the evolutionary relationships between these organisms by assembling 26 genomes of Rickettsia species from understudied groups, including the Torix group, and two genomes of 'Ca.

Effects of different frozen embryo transfer regimens on abnormalities of fetal weight: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Reported increases in maternal and perinatal morbidity (including macrosomia, large for gestational age (LGA), cesarean section, hemorrhage and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy) following frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycles may be associated with the lack of a corpus luteum seen in programmed FET. Given the growing number of studies comparing outcomes between natural FET and programmed FET cycles, a meta-analysis would prove useful to detect the presence of abnormalities in fetal birth weight in patients undergoing natural and programmed FET cycles.

Objective And Rationale: The aim of this study was to provide a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of natural versus programmed methods of endometrial preparation for FET cycles on fetal weight and the risks of LGA and macrosomia.

"Feels Good to Get Wet": The Unique Affordances of Surf Therapy Among Australian Youth.

Increasing prevalence rates of mental health problems among adolescents is an issue of growing concern. Surf therapy is a novel intervention that may provide tangible benefits to address this problem. Congruent with the ecological dynamics perspective (EDP), the existing research postulates that surf therapy yields psychological benefits in part due to the unique affordances of immersion in a blue space such as the ocean.

Field induced displacement reactions with proton bound dimers of organophosphorus compounds in a tandem differential mobility spectrometer.

Endothermic displacement reactions between proton bound dimers of organophosphorus compounds (OPCs) and isopropanol (IPA) were enabled in air at ambient pressure with tandem differential mobility spectrometry (DMS). Proton bound dimers (M2H+) were mobility isolated in purified air with a first DMS stage, mixed with IPA at ≥100 ppm in a middle reactive stage at 106 to 160 Td from a symmetrical 4 MHz waveform, and mobility analyzed in a second DMS stage. Although the enthalpy for displacement of M by IPA in M2H+ is unfavorable by +44 to 50 kJ mol-1, formation of the heterogenous proton bound dimer, MH+(IPA) arises from field induced dissociation of M2H+ to MH+ and addition of IPA.

Identifying potential candidate Culicoides spp. for the study of interactions with Candidatus Cardinium hertigii.

Culicoides biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) are vectors responsible for the transmission of several viruses of veterinary importance. Previous screens of Culicoides have described the presence of the endosymbiont Candidatus Cardinium hertigii (Bacteroidetes). However, any impacts of this microbe on vectorial capacity, akin to those conferred by Wolbachia in mosquitoes, are yet to be uncovered and await a suitable system to study Cardinium-midge interactions.

Torix Rickettsia are widespread in arthropods and reflect a neglected symbiosis.

Background: Rickettsia are intracellular bacteria best known as the causative agents of human and animal diseases. Although these medically important Rickettsia are often transmitted via haematophagous arthropods, other Rickettsia, such as those in the Torix group, appear to reside exclusively in invertebrates and protists with no secondary vertebrate host. Importantly, little is known about the diversity or host range of Torix group Rickettsia.

Cardinium symbiosis as a potential confounder of mtDNA based phylogeographic inference in Culicoides imicola (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae), a vector of veterinary viruses.

Background: Culicoides imicola (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) is an important Afrotropical and Palearctic vector of disease, transmitting viruses of animal health and economic significance including African horse sickness and bluetongue viruses. Maternally inherited symbiotic bacteria (endosymbionts) of arthropods can alter the frequency of COI (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I) mitochondrial haplotypes (mitotypes) in a population, masking the true patterns of host movement and gene flow. Thus, this study aimed to assess the mtDNA structure of C.

Tissue Tropisms and Transstadial Transmission of a Endosymbiont in the Highland Midge, Culicoides impunctatus (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae).

is a genus of intracellular bacteria which can manipulate host reproduction and alter sensitivity to natural enemy attack in a diverse range of arthropods. The maintenance of endosymbionts in insect populations can be achieved through both vertical and horizontal transmission routes. For example, the presence of the symbiont in the follicle cells and salivary glands of whiteflies allows Belli group transmission via the germ line and plants, respectively.

Characterization of the role of Activator Protein 1 signaling pathway on extracellular matrix deposition in uterine leiomyoma.

Objective: To characterize the role Activator Protein 1 (AP 1) family members play in mediating extracellular matrix deposition in uterine leiomyoma.

Design: Laboratory study.

Setting: University research laboratory.

Field induced fragmentation spectra from reactive stage-tandem differential mobility spectrometry.

A planar tandem differential mobility spectrometer was integrated with a middle reactive stage to fragment ions which were mobility selected in a first analyzer stage using characteristic compensation and separation fields. Fragmentation occurred in air at ambient pressure of 660 Torr (8.8 kPa) with electric fields of 10 to 35 kV cm (E/N of 52 to 180 Td) between two 1 mm wide metal strips, located on each analyzer plate between the first and second mobility stages.

Quantitative UHPSFC-MS analysis of elemental sulfur in mineral oil via derivatisation with triphenylphosphine: application to corrosive sulfur-related power transformer failure.

An ultrahigh-performance supercritical fluid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UHPSFC-MS) method has been developed as a rapid and reliable analytical method for the detection and quantification of elemental sulfur in mineral transformer oil. The method described in this paper is based on the selective reaction of elemental sulfur with triphenylphosphine (TPP). The derivatisation of elemental sulfur requires minimal sample preparation and resulted in the formation of a single compound, namely triphenylphosphine sulfide (TPPS).

Generational differences in the ranking pathways of top 100 ranked golfers.

The Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) offers a rich data source that may be used by golf National Sporting Organisations (NSOs) to inform the allocation of human and financial capital. Golf has undergone many changes over the past few decades, thus before rankings data can be used for benchmarking purposes it is crucial to appraise its temporal stability. This study aimed to determine whether the ranking pathways of top 100 golfers have changed over time.

Steroid hormones and hormone antagonists regulate the neural marker neurotrimin in uterine leiomyoma.

Objective: To characterize the role of steroid hormone and antihormone exposure on neurotrimin (NTM) expression in human leiomyoma and myometrial tissue and cells.

Design: Laboratory study of placebo and ulipristal acetate (UPA)-treated patient tissue. In vitro assessment of immortalized myometrial and leiomyoma cell lines after hormone and antihormone exposure.

Defining polycystic ovary syndrome phenotype in Vietnamese women.

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the unique phenotype of the Vietnamese polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) population.

Methods: In this multicenter cross-sectional descriptive study, a total of 901 reproductive-age women were recruited at three medical centers in Vietnam from June 2016 to May 2018. Group I included 479 patients with PCOS (Rotterdam 2003 consensus) and Group II included 422 non-PCOS women, consisted of women with regular menstrual cycle, collected at the same time of PCOS recruitment, without ovarian disease or ovarian failure.