An expanded phylogenomic analysis of Heterolobosea reveals the deep relationships, non-canonical genetic codes, and cryptic flagellate stages in the group.

The phylum Heterolobosea Page and Blanton, 1985 is a group of eukaryotes that contains heterotrophic flagellates, amoebae, and amoeboflagellates, including the infamous brain-eating amoeba Naegleria fowleri. In this study, we investigate the deep evolutionary history of Heterolobosea by generating and analyzing transcriptome data from 16 diverse isolates and combine this with previously published data in a comprehensive phylogenomic analysis. This dataset has representation of all but one of the major lineages classified here as orders.

Amoebozoan testate amoebae illuminate the diversity of heterotrophs and the complexity of ecosystems throughout geological time.

Heterotrophic protists are vital in Earth's ecosystems, influencing carbon and nutrient cycles and occupying key positions in food webs as microbial predators. Fossils and molecular data suggest the emergence of predatory microeukaryotes and the transition to a eukaryote-rich marine environment by 800 million years ago (Ma). Neoproterozoic vase-shaped microfossils (VSMs) linked to Arcellinida testate amoebae represent the oldest evidence of heterotrophic microeukaryotes.

Binge alcohol induces NRF2-related antioxidant response in the skeletal muscle of female mice.

Background: Chronic alcohol enhances oxidative stress, but the temporal response of antioxidant genes in skeletal muscle following a binge drinking episode remains unknown.

Methods: Experiment 1: C57BL/6Hsd female mice received an IP injection of saline (CON; n = 39) or ethanol (ETOH; n = 39) (5 g/kg). Gastrocnemius muscles were collected from baseline (untreated; n = 3), CON (n = 3), and ETOH (n = 3) mice every 4 h for 48 h.

Molecular phylogenetic analyses support the validity of Ceratiomyxa porioides (Amoebozoa, Eumycetozoa) at species level.

The frequently encountered macroscopic slime molds of the genus Ceratiomyxa have long been recognized by mycologists and protistologists for hundreds of years. These organisms are amoebozoan amoebae that live and grow inside and on the surface of decaying wood. When conditions are favorable, they form subaerial sporulating structures called fruiting bodies which take on a variety of forms.

A 6-minute Limb Function Assessment for Therapeutic Testing in Experimental Peripheral Artery Disease Models.

Background: The translation of promising therapies from pre-clinical models of hindlimb ischemia (HLI) to patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) has been inadequate. While this failure is multifactorial, primary outcome measures in preclinical HLI models and clinical trials involving patients with PAD are not aligned well. For example, laser Doppler perfusion recovery measured under resting conditions is the most used outcome in HLI studies, whereas clinical trials involving patients with PAD primarily assess walking performance.

Effects of chronic alcohol intoxication on aerobic exercise-induced adaptations in female mice.

Chronic alcohol intoxication decreases muscle strength/function and causes mitochondrial dysfunction. Aerobic exercise training improves mitochondrial oxidative capacity and increases muscle mass and strength. Presently, the impact of chronic alcohol on aerobic exercise-induced adaptations was investigated.

Living in the cracks: Two novel genera of Variosea (Amoebozoa) discovered on an urban sidewalk.

Biological soil crusts represent a rich habitat for diverse and complex eukaryotic microbial communities. A unique but extremely common habitat is the urban sidewalk and its cracks that collect detritus. While these habitats are ubiquitous across the globe, little to no work has been conducted to characterize protists found there.

Burosumab for the treatment of cutaneous-skeletal hypophosphatemia syndrome.

Cutaneous-skeletal hypophosphatemia syndrome (CSHS) is a rare bone disorder featuring fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF23)-mediated hypophosphatemic rickets. We report a 2-year, 10-month-old girl with CSHS treated with burosumab, a novel human monoclonal antibody targeting FGF23. This approach was associated with rickets healing, improvement in growth and lower limb deformity, and clinically significant benefit to her functional mobility and motor development.

Determining the factors associated with a prolonged length of stay for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients undergoing posterior spinal instrumentation and fusion in a single-payer health care system: are these factors different than those in the United States?

Introduction: Rapid recovery pathways (RRP) for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients undergoing posterior spinal instrumentation and fusion (PSIF) have been shown to be successful in reducing hospital length of stay (LOS). Although the majority of patients are discharged within 3 days, some patients require longer hospital admission. Previous studies in the United States have identified predictors of prolonged LOS for this patient population.

Impact of prior alcohol use on the subsequent development of cancer cachexia in male and female mice.

Background: Alcohol is a carcinogen and its intake prior to developing cancer and throughout its duration exacerbates cancer cachexia in rodent models. However, the effects on cancer cachexia of stopping alcohol prior to tumor establishment are unknown.

Methods: Male and female mice consumed either a nonalcohol control liquid diet (CON) or a 20% ethanol (kcal/day) liquid diet (EtOH) for 6 weeks.

Mealtime alcohol consumption suppresses skeletal muscle mTORC1 signaling in female mice.

Objective: To determine whether alcohol consumed within the meal influences the feeding induced increase in mTORC1 signaling.

Methods: Alcohol provided in the liquid diet was consumed by alcohol naïve, fasted, C57BL/6Hsd female mice and gastrocnemius was collected 1hr after the refeeding. Subsequent experiments determined the extent to which changes in mTORC1 signaling persisted across the day.

Phylogenetic placement of the protosteloid amoeba Microglomus paxillus identifies another case of sporocarpic fruiting in Discosea (Amoebozoa).

Protosteloid amoebae are a paraphyletic assemblage of amoeboid protists found exclusively in the eukaryotic assemblage Amoebozoa. These amoebae can facultatively form a dispersal structure known as a fruiting body, or more specifically, a sporocarp, from a single amoeboid cell. Sporocarps consist of one to a few spores atop a noncellular stalk.

Chronic Alcohol Consumption Disrupts the Skeletal Muscle Circadian Clock in Female Mice.

The intrinsic skeletal muscle core clock has emerged as a key feature of metabolic control and influences several aspects of muscle physiology. Acute alcohol intoxication disrupts the core molecular clock, but whether chronic consumption, like that leading to alcoholic myopathy, is also a zeitgeber for skeletal muscle remains unknown. The purpose of this work was to determine whether chronic alcohol consumption dysregulates the skeletal muscle core molecular clock and clock-controlled genes (CCGs).

The effect of vertebral body tethering on spine range of motion in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: a pilot study.

Purpose: Posterior spinal fusion and instrumentation (PSF) and vertebral body tethering (VBT) are corrective surgical techniques used in treating adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Comparing the preservation of spine range of motion (ROM) following PSF and VBT for treatment of AIS has yet to be explored. The purpose of this work was to retrospectively compare global spine ROM in adolescents (9-18 years of age) without spine deformity, adolescents with untreated AIS, adolescents having undergone PSF, and adolescents having undergone VBT to gain insight on the effect of VBT on spine motion.

Prediction of Influenza Complications: Development and Validation of a Machine Learning Prediction Model to Improve and Expand the Identification of Vaccine-Hesitant Patients at Risk of Severe Influenza Complications.

Influenza vaccinations are recommended for high-risk individuals, but few population-based strategies exist to identify individual risks. Patient-level data from unvaccinated individuals, stratified into retrospective cases (n = 111,022) and controls (n = 2,207,714), informed a machine learning model designed to create an influenza risk score; the model was called the Geisinger Flu-Complications Flag (GFlu-CxFlag). The flag was created and validated on a cohort of 604,389 unique individuals.

Acute binge alcohol alters whole body metabolism and the time-dependent expression of skeletal muscle-specific metabolic markers for multiple days in mice.

Alcohol is a myotoxin that disrupts skeletal muscle function and metabolism, but specific metabolic alternations following a binge and the time course of recovery remain undefined. The purpose of this work was to determine the metabolic response to binge alcohol, the role of corticosterone in this response, and whether nutrient availability mediates the response. Female mice received saline (control) or alcohol (EtOH) (5 g/kg) via intraperitoneal injection at the start of the dark cycle.

Multicellularity: Amoebae follow the leader to food.

Multicellular fruiting body formation through aggregation of individual cells has been known in Fonticla alba since the original description of the organism. A new study reveals the existence of a second transient collective cellular behavior separate from fruiting body formation.

High-Fat Diet Augments the Effect of Alcohol on Skeletal Muscle Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Mice.

Previous studies have shown that chronic heavy alcohol consumption and consumption of a high-fat (HF) diet can independently contribute to skeletal muscle oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction, yet the concurrent effect of these risk factors remains unclear. We aimed to assess the effect of alcohol and different dietary compositions on mitochondrial activity and oxidative stress markers. Male and female mice were randomized to an alcohol (EtOH)-free HF diet, a HF + EtOH diet, or a low-Fat (LF) + EtOH diet for 6 weeks.

Binge alcohol disrupts skeletal muscle core molecular clock independent of glucocorticoids.

Circadian rhythms are central to optimal physiological function, as disruption contributes to the development of several chronic diseases. Alcohol (EtOH) intoxication disrupts circadian rhythms within liver, brain, and intestines, but it is unknown whether alcohol also disrupts components of the core clock in skeletal muscle. Female C57BL/6Hsd mice were randomized to receive either saline (control) or alcohol (EtOH) (5 g/kg) via intraperitoneal injection at the start of the dark cycle [], and gastrocnemius was collected every 4 h from control and EtOH-treated mice for the next 48 h following isoflurane anesthetization.

Effects of alcohol on skeletal muscle contractile performance in male and female mice.

Background: Acute and chronic alcohol use can cause skeletal muscle myopathy in concert with impairments in skeletal muscle strength, function and fatigue resistance. However, the fundamental contractile deficits induced in the presence of alcohol versus those observed in the recovery period following the clearance of alcohol have not yet been characterized nor is it known whether sex influences these outcomes.

Methods: Male and female mice received an intraperitoneal injection of either saline (Control) or ethanol (EtOH; 5g/kg body weight).

PhyloFisher: A phylogenomic package for resolving eukaryotic relationships.

Phylogenomic analyses of hundreds of protein-coding genes aimed at resolving phylogenetic relationships is now a common practice. However, no software currently exists that includes tools for dataset construction and subsequent analysis with diverse validation strategies to assess robustness. Furthermore, there are no publicly available high-quality curated databases designed to assess deep (>100 million years) relationships in the tree of eukaryotes.

The integrin-mediated adhesive complex in the ancestor of animals, fungi, and amoebae.

Integrins are transmembrane receptors that activate signal transduction pathways upon extracellular matrix binding. The integrin-mediated adhesive complex (IMAC) mediates various cell physiological processes. Although the IMAC was thought to be specific to animals, in the past ten years these complexes were discovered in other lineages of Obazoa, the group containing animals, fungi, and several microbial eukaryotes.