Label-free visualization of unfolding and crosslinking mediated protein aggregation in nonenzymatically glycated proteins.

Nonenzymatic glycation (NEG) unfolds and crosslinks proteins, resulting in aggregation. Label-free evaluation of such structural changes, without disturbing molecular integrity, would be beneficial for understanding the fundamental mechanisms of protein aggregation. The current study demonstrates the assessment of NEG-induced protein aggregation by combining autofluorescence (AF) spectroscopy and imaging.

Disseminated herpes zoster with varicella encephalitis and pneumonia following ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222) vaccine in an immunocompetent male-a case report.

A middle-aged gentleman, presented to our outpatient department with painful skin lesions suggestive of disseminated herpes zoster. Further examination revealed bilateral cerebellar signs. He had a history of receiving a third dose of AZD1222 vaccine fourteen days prior to the onset of skin lesions but had no other significant medical history.

Structural and biochemical characterisation of the N-carbamoyl-β-alanine amidohydrolase from Rhizobium radiobacter MDC 8606.

N-carbamoyl-β-alanine amidohydrolase (CβAA) constitutes one of the most important groups of industrially relevant enzymes used in the production of optically pure amino acids and derivatives. In this study, a CβAA-encoding gene from Rhizobium radiobacter strain MDC 8606 was cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The purified recombinant enzyme (RrCβAA) showed a specific activity of 14 U·mg using N-carbamoyl-β-alanine as a substrate with an optimum activity at 55 °C and pH 8.

Impact of a Community-Based Weight Management Program in a North Carolina Health Care System.

Background And Objectives: Current strategies for obesity management in primary care leave many patients inadequately treated or unable to access treatment entirely. We aimed to evaluate a comprehensive, primary care clinic-based weight management program's clinical effectiveness in a community practice setting.  Methods:  This was an 18-month pre/postintervention study.

Anthropometric Indices and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus as a Risk Factor in Predicting Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease - A Prospective Study in Indian Population.

Background: The different anthropometric indices have different predictive values of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in various populations. Since obesity is a common cause of NAFLD and diabetes, therefore, it is critical to correlate the various anthropometric indices as a risk factor in terms of NAFLD and diabetes in the Indian population. In view of reported association between obesity and NAFLD, the study was employed to analyze the relationship of various anthropometric indices (body mass index [BMI], a body shape index [ABSI], waist-height ratio [WHtR], etc.

Low high density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and acute coronary syndrome in young patients admitted at a tertiary care facility.

Background: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a cardiovascular disease which is related to mortality and morbidity among the Indians predominantly in the older age group. But, recently CAD has been found more often in young population. Hence, our study aims to observe the outcomes based on various categories of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels estimated during admission at the hospital and correlate the levels of HDL cholesterol with severity of CAD as measured by Gensini score.

Insulin-Binding Peptide Probes Provide a Novel Strategy for Pancreatic β-Cell Imaging.

Type 1 diabetes develops in childhood and adolescence, with peak incidence in the early teenage years. There is an urgent need for an accurate method to detect insulin-producing β-cells in patients that is not affected by alterations in β-cell function. As part of our research program to design specific probes to measure β-cell mass, we recently developed a novel insulin-binding peptide probe (IBPP) for the detection of β-cells in vivo.

Dissecting the structural and functional roles of a putative metal entry site in encapsulated ferritins.

Encapsulated ferritins belong to the universally distributed ferritin superfamily, whose members function as iron detoxification and storage systems. Encapsulated ferritins have a distinct annular structure and must associate with an encapsulin nanocage to form a competent iron store that is capable of holding significantly more iron than classical ferritins. The catalytic mechanism of iron oxidation in the ferritin family is still an open question because of the differences in organization of the ferroxidase catalytic site and neighboring secondary metal-binding sites.

Cost of Cerebellar Ataxia in Hong Kong: A Retrospective Cost-of-Illness Analysis.

Cerebellar ataxia affects the coordination and balance of patients. The impact of this disease increases burden in patients, caregivers and society. Costs and the burden of this disease have not been investigated in Hong Kong.

Weil syndrome causing autoimmune haemolytic anaemia.

Weil syndrome is a fulminant form of leptospirosis, usually caused by spirochetal organism Leptospira interrogans. It is characterized by icterus, petechial rashes over the body, signs of renal failure and hepatic failure. Anaemia is a usual manifes- tation of Leptospira infection, but autoimmune haemolytic anaemia is rare.

Correction: Elevational Distribution and Ecology of Small Mammals on Tanzania's Second Highest Mountain.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Tigray Orthohantavirus Infects Two Related Rodent Species Adapted to Different Elevations in Ethiopia.

Orthohantaviruses are RNA viruses that some members are known to cause severe zoonotic diseases in humans. Orthohantaviruses are hosted by rodents, soricomorphs (shrews and moles), and bats. Only two orthohantaviruses associated with murid rodents are known in Africa, Sangassou orthohantavirus (SANGV) in two species of African wood mice (), and Tigray orthohantavirus (TIGV) in the Ethiopian white-footed rat ().

Diagnostic Utility of Serum Ascites Lipid and Protein Gradients in Differentiation of Ascites.

Context: Ability of SAAG to differentiate malignant ascites from other aetiologies like tubercular peritonitis is a major problem. Alternate screening test is needed for differentiating ascites due to malignancy from those due to tubercular peritonitis.

Aims: To study the diagnostic utility of serum ascites lipid gradients and serum ascites protein gradients in pathophysiological differentiation of ascites.

The effect of gram-positive (Desulfosporosinus orientis) and gram-negative (Desulfovibrio desulfuricans) sulfate-reducing bacteria on iron sulfide mineral precipitation.

Growth of two dissimilatory sulfate-reducing bacteria, Desulfosporosinus orientis (gram-positive) and Desulfovibrio desulfuricans (gram-negative), in a chemically defined culture medium resulted in similar growth rates (doubling times for each culture = 2.8 h) and comparable rates of HS generation (D. orientis = 0.

Functional Analyses of a Putative, Membrane-Bound, Peroxisomal Protein Import Mechanism from the Apicomplexan Protozoan .

Peroxisomes are central to eukaryotic metabolism, including the oxidation of fatty acids-which subsequently provide an important source of metabolic energy-and in the biosynthesis of cholesterol and plasmalogens. However, the presence and nature of peroxisomes in the parasitic apicomplexan protozoa remains controversial. A survey of the available genomes revealed that genes encoding peroxisome biogenesis factors, so-called peroxins (Pex), are only present in a subset of these parasites, the coccidia.

Peptidoglycan degradation machinery in Clostridium difficile forespore engulfment.

Clostridium difficile remains the leading cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea in hospitals worldwide, linked to significant morbidity and mortality. As a strict anaerobe, it produces dormant cell forms - spores - which allow it to survive in the aerobic environment. Importantly, spores are the transmission agent of C.

Guillain-Barre Syndrome with Falciparum Malaria and Scrub Typhus Mixed Infection-An Unusual Combination.

Guillain-Barre Syndrome is very rare in parasitic and rickettsial infection. Here we report a case of Plasmodium falciparum and scrub typhus mixed infection, presented with quadriparesis. Clinical, Serological, CSF analysis and Nerve Conduction Studies were consistent with Acute Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (variant of GBS).

The Complete Phylogeny of Pangolins: Scaling Up Resources for the Molecular Tracing of the Most Trafficked Mammals on Earth.

Pangolins, considered the most-trafficked mammals on Earth, are rapidly heading to extinction. Eight extant species of these African and Asian scale-bodied anteaters are commonly recognized, but their evolutionary relationships remain largely unexplored. Here, we present the most comprehensive phylogenetic assessment of pangolins, based on genetic variation of complete mitogenomes and 9 nuclear genes.

Star Polymers Reduce Islet Amyloid Polypeptide Toxicity via Accelerated Amyloid Aggregation.

Protein aggregation into amyloid fibrils is a ubiquitous phenomenon across the spectrum of neurodegenerative disorders and type 2 diabetes. A common strategy against amyloidogenesis is to minimize the populations of toxic oligomers and protofibrils by inhibiting protein aggregation with small molecules or nanoparticles. However, melanin synthesis in nature is realized by accelerated protein fibrillation to circumvent accumulation of toxic intermediates.

Assessing Monkeypox Virus Prevalence in Small Mammals at the Human-Animal Interface in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

During 2012, 2013 and 2015, we collected small mammals within 25 km of the town of Boende in Tshuapa Province, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The prevalence of monkeypox virus (MPXV) in this area is unknown; however, cases of human infection were previously confirmed near these collection sites. Samples were collected from 353 mammals (rodents, shrews, pangolins, elephant shrews, a potamogale, and a hyrax).

JNK Activation of BIM Promotes Hepatic Oxidative Stress, Steatosis, and Insulin Resistance in Obesity.

The members of the BCL-2 family are crucial regulators of the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis in normal physiology and disease. Besides their role in cell death, BCL-2 proteins have been implicated in the regulation of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and cellular metabolism. It remains unclear, however, whether these proteins have a physiological role in glucose homeostasis and metabolism in vivo.

Differential regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokine signalling by protein tyrosine phosphatases in pancreatic β-cells.

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is characterized by the destruction of insulin-producing β-cells by immune cells in the pancreas. Pro-inflammatory including TNF-α, IFN-γ and IL-1β are released in the islet during the autoimmune assault and signal in β-cells through phosphorylation cascades, resulting in pro-apoptotic gene expression and eventually β-cell death. Protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) are a family of enzymes that regulate phosphorylative signalling and are associated with the development of T1D.

Reconstructing the molecular phylogeny of giant sengis (Macroscelidea; Macroscelididae; Rhynchocyon).

Giant sengis (Macroscelidea; Macroscelididae; Rhynchocyon), also known as giant elephant-shrews, are small-bodied mammals that range from central through eastern Africa. Previous research on giant sengi systematics has relied primarily on pelage color and geographic distribution. Because some species have complex phenotypic variation and large geographic ranges, we used molecular markers to evaluate the phylogeny and taxonomy of the genus, which currently includes four species: R.

Phylogeography of the heavily poached African common pangolin (Pholidota, Manis tricuspis) reveals six cryptic lineages as traceable signatures of Pleistocene diversification.

Knowledge on faunal diversification in African rainforests remains scarce. We used phylogeography to assess (i) the role of Pleistocene climatic oscillations in the diversification of the African common pangolin (Manis tricuspis) and (ii) the utility of our multilocus approach for taxonomic delineation and trade tracing of this heavily poached species. We sequenced 101 individuals for two mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), two nuclear DNA and one Y-borne gene fragments (totalizing 2602 bp).