Micronutrient-deficient diets and possible environmental enteric dysfunction in Buruli ulcer endemic communities in Ghana: Lower dietary diversity and reduced serum zinc and vitamin C implicate micronutrient status a possible susceptibility factor.

Background: The nutritional status of communities susceptible to Buruli ulcer (BU, a skin NTD caused by infection with Mycobacterium ulcerans) remains almost completely obscure. We have assessed the diets of BU patients vs. controls from the same BU-endemic communities, and compared their circulating biomarkers of nutrients and inflammation.

Improved protocols for isolation of Mycobacterium ulcerans from clinical samples.

Background: The isolation and culture of Mycobacterium ulcerans (Mu) as a primary diagnostic modality for Buruli ulcer (BU) disease are limiting due to their low sensitivity and slow-growing nature. M. ulcerans cultures can also be overgrown with other bacteria and fungi.

Pilot Evaluation of Sevo Systems for Epilepsy: Equitable EEG for Coarse, Dense, and Curly Hair.

Collecting electroencephalography (EEG) data from individuals with coarse, curly, or afro-textured hair can be challenging, leading to noisier data, negative clinical outcomes (e.g., risk of misdiagnosis, discomfort, longer setup times, unsavory treatment, hair shaving, and microaggressions), and unreliable basic science conclusions due to the disproportionate exclusion of people with this physical feature worldwide.

Variation of root resource acquisition and conservation strategies in a temperate forest is linked with plant growth forms.

Exploring why species of different plant growth forms can coexist in the same forest is critical for understanding the long-term community stability, but poorly studied on this from root ecological strategies. The aim of this study was to explore the variation of root functional traits among different growth forms and their distribution patterns in root economics space to clarify how plant growth forms affect the root resource acquisition strategies of co-occurring species in a forest community. We sampled 115 co-occurring species with five growth forms (i.

Tree carbon allocation to root exudates: Implications for carbon budgets, soil sequestration, and drought response.

Root carbon (C) exudation plays a central role in nutrient acquisition, microbially-mediated organic matter decomposition, and many other critical ecosystem processes. While it is well-known that roots respond strongly to belowground resources, we have a limited quantitative understanding about C allocation to exudates and its fate in soil under changing water availability. This review synthesizes the importance of exudate C fluxes, summarizes studies quantifying mass-specific exudation rate (SER), total exudation rate (TER), and root exudate fraction (REF; the proportion of TER in a plant's C allocation), examines drought effects, and highlights key research priorities to advance the understanding of C allocation to exudates in forest ecosystems.