Microglia influence host defense, disease, and repair following murine coronavirus infection of the central nervous system.

The present study examines functional contributions of microglia in host defense, demyelination, and remyelination following infection of susceptible mice with a neurotropic coronavirus. Treatment with PLX5622, an inhibitor of colony stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R) that efficiently depletes microglia, prior to infection of the central nervous system (CNS) with the neurotropic JHM strain of mouse hepatitis virus (JHMV) resulted in increased mortality compared with control mice that correlated with impaired control of viral replication. Single cell RNA sequencing (scRNASeq) of CD45+ cells isolated from the CNS revealed that PLX5622 treatment resulted in muted CD4+ T cell activation profile that was associated with decreased expression of transcripts encoding MHC class II and CD86 in macrophages but not dendritic cells.

Physical Activity and Mortality in Cancer Survivors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Recommendations for improved survival after cancer through physical activity (PA) exist, although the evidence is still emerging. Our primary objective was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between prediagnosis and postdiagnosis PA and survival (cancer-specific, all-cause, and cardiovascular disease mortality) for all cancers and by tumor site. Secondary objectives were to examine the associations within population subgroups, by PA domain, and to determine the optimal dose of PA related to survival.

Securitization of a Drug Development Mega-Fund: The Time-Certain Research-Backed Obligation.

Without sufficient capital, the cost of engaging in sustainable clinical development of a drug or drug compound is exceedingly difficult. Fagnan, Fernandez, Lo, and Stein have proposed the securitization of a drug development "mega-fund" as a means of attracting capital from traditional long-term corporate bond investors to the clinical stage of drug development. Our contribution to this line of thinking is the modeling of the cash flows of such a biopharmaceutical mega-fund and their distributions over time to develop an innovative design of securities that control the timing risk of cash flows.

A population-based measure of chronic disease severity for health planning and evaluation in the United States.

In the healthcare sector, patients can be categorized into clinical risk groups, which are based, in part, on multiple chronic conditions. Population-based measures of clinical risk groups for population health planning, however, are not available. Using responses of working-age adults (19-64 years old) from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System for survey years 2015-2017, a population-based measure of chronic disease severity (CDS) was developed as a proxy for clinical risk groups.

Children with reported penicillin allergy: Public health impact and safety of delabeling.

Objective: To review the relevant literature related to children with reported penicillin allergy and highlight the different ways in which children could be delabeled and to evaluate the public health impact that a penicillin allergy has for children.

Data Sources: Data for this review were obtained via PubMed searches and then retrieval of articles from their respective journals for further review.

Study Selections: Studies regarding the safety of different ways to evaluate penicillin allergy in children were identified via PubMed searches.

Patient and physician perceptions of lung cancer care in a multidisciplinary clinic model.

Background: Lung cancer (lc) is a complex disease requiring coordination of multiple health care professionals. A recently implemented lc multidisciplinary clinic (mdc) at Kingston Health Sciences Centre, an academic tertiary care hospital, improved timeliness of oncology assessment and treatment. This study describes patient, caregiver, and physician experiences in the mdc.

Amyloid duration is associated with preclinical cognitive decline and tau PET.

Introduction: This study applies a novel algorithm to longitudinal amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) imaging to identify age-heterogeneous amyloid trajectory groups, estimate the age and duration (chronicity) of amyloid positivity, and investigate chronicity in relation to cognitive decline and tau burden.

Methods: Cognitively unimpaired participants ( = 257) underwent one to four amyloid PET scans (Pittsburgh Compound B, PiB). Group-based trajectory modeling was applied to participants with longitudinal scans ( = 171) to identify and model amyloid trajectory groups, which were combined with Bayes theorem to estimate age and chronicity of amyloid positivity.

Development, characterization, and cross-amplification of polymorphic microsatellite markers for North American Trachymyrmex and Mycetomoellerius ants.

Objective: The objective of this study is to develop and identify polymorphic microsatellite markers for fungus-gardening (attine) ants in the genus Trachymyrmex sensu lato. These ants are important ecosystem engineers and have been a model group for understanding complex symbiotic systems, but very little is understood about the intraspecific genetic patterns across most North American attine species. These microsatellite markers will help to better study intraspecific population genetic structure, gene flow, mating habits, and phylogeographic patterns in these species and potentially other congeners.

Spatial, Temporal, and Genetic Invasion Dynamics of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) in Illinois.

The spread of the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus Skuse, throughout the United States has implications for the transmission potential of vector-borne diseases. We used a 30-yr data set of occurrence records in Illinois and developed a hierarchical Bayesian model to shed light on the patterns and processes involved in the introduction and expansion along the northern edge of the geographic range of this species. We also collected specimens from 10 locations and sequenced a segment of their mitochondrial COI genes to assess possible introduction sources and geographic patterns in genetic variation present within contemporary populations.

Development and Validation of a Penicillin Allergy Clinical Decision Rule.

Importance: Penicillin allergy is a significant public health issue for patients, antimicrobial stewardship programs, and health services. Validated clinical decision rules are urgently needed to identify low-risk penicillin allergies that potentially do not require penicillin skin testing by a specialist.

Objective: To develop and validate a penicillin allergy clinical decision rule that enables point-of-care risk assessment of patient-reported penicillin allergies.

A polymer coating which is sticky yet repulsive to water and slippery yet attractive for oils.

A one-step process has been developed to produce a polymer coating which is hydrophobic and oleophilic, but which oil slides off and water adheres to at all tilt angles - including when vertically inclined or inverted. The polymer is transparent, and the plasma coating process is independent of substrate composition and geometry.

Genetic and Biochemical Analysis of CodY-Mediated Cell Aggregation in Staphylococcus aureus Reveals an Interaction between Extracellular DNA and Polysaccharide in the Extracellular Matrix.

The global regulator CodY links nutrient availability to the regulation of virulence factor gene expression in , including many genes whose products affect biofilm formation. Antithetical phenotypes of both biofilm deficiency and accumulation have been reported for -null mutants; thus, the role of CodY in biofilm development remains unclear. mutant cells of a strain producing a robust biofilm elaborate proaggregation surface-associated features not present on mutant cells that do not produce a robust biofilm.

EphA2 contributes to disruption of the blood-brain barrier in cerebral malaria.

Disruption of blood-brain barrier (BBB) function is a key feature of cerebral malaria. Increased barrier permeability occurs due to disassembly of tight and adherens junctions between endothelial cells, yet the mechanisms governing junction disassembly and vascular permeability during cerebral malaria remain poorly characterized. We found that EphA2 is a principal receptor tyrosine kinase mediating BBB breakdown during Plasmodium infection.

Dose, Timing, and Spectrum of Prenatal Antibiotic Exposure and Risk of Childhood Asthma.

Background: The potential for prenatal antibiotic exposure to influence asthma risk is not clear. We aimed to determine the effect of timing, dose, and spectrum of prenatal antibiotic exposure on the risk of childhood asthma.

Methods: We conducted a population-based cohort study of 84 214 mother-child dyads to examine the association of prenatal antibiotic exposure and childhood asthma using multivariable logistic regression models.

Documentation of the Expansion of the Gulf Coast Tick () and : First Report in Illinois.

The Gulf Coast tick, is of public and veterinary health concern, as it is the primary vector of and , causative agents of Rickettsiosis and American canine hepatozoonosis. The Gulf Coast tick's range has expanded over the last 50 yr into the mid-Atlantic states, and its expansion is expected to continue northward. We are reporting the presence of for the first time in Illinois, including a total of 18 specimens collected at 6 different sites during surveys in 2013 and 2019.

A generic arboviral model framework for exploring trade-offs between vector control and environmental concerns.

Effective public health measures must balance potentially conflicting demands from populations they serve. In the case of infectious disease risks from mosquito-borne infections, such as Zika virus, public concern about the pathogen may be counterbalanced by public concern about environmental contamination from chemical agents used for vector control. Here we introduce a generic framework for modeling how the spread of an infectious pathogen might lead to varying public perceptions, and therefore tolerance, of both disease risk and pesticide use.

Amyloid and tau imaging biomarkers explain cognitive decline from late middle-age.

This study investigated differences in retrospective cognitive trajectories between amyloid and tau PET biomarker stratified groups in initially cognitively unimpaired participants sampled from the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer's Prevention. One hundred and sixty-seven initially unimpaired individuals (baseline age 59 ± 6 years; 115 females) were stratified by elevated amyloid-β and tau status based on 11C-Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) and 18F-MK-6240 PET imaging. Mixed effects models were used to determine if longitudinal cognitive trajectories based on a composite of cognitive tests including memory and executive function differed between biomarker groups.

Natural or synthetic - how global trends in textile usage threaten freshwater environments.

As the global demand for textiles increases, so to do the potential environmental impacts that stem from their production, use and disposal. Freshwater ecosystems are particularly at risk: rivers often act as the primary recipients of waste generated during the production of textiles and are subject to pollutants released during the broader lifecycle of a textile product. Here, we investigate how global technological and societal processes shape the way we produce, use and dispose of textiles, and what this means for the environmental quality and ecological health of freshwaters.