Enhanced crude oil degradation observed in sea ice following bioaugmentation with arctic bacteria.

Petroleum-derived contamination is a growing hazard for the Arctic Ocean and northern marine transportation corridors. In northern settings where the accessibility to oil spills can be limited, natural attenuation is the most promising remediation process. The goal of the presented research is to evaluate the impact of biodegradation on crude oil inside sea ice.

FDG PET/CT Scan Still Can Help in Evaluation of Prostate Cancer.

Although 18F-FDG PET/CT scan is not the preferred modality to evaluate prostate cancer patients due to generally low uptake of FDG in prostate cancer cells, it can still be helpful in some selected cases with diagnostic dilemma. Here we are presenting an unusual prostate cancer case, status post radical prostatectomy, with heterogenous uptake in osseous lesions on 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT scan and low PSA values. He was referred for further evaluation with 18F-FDG PET/CT scan, revealing widely metastatic lesions in bone and liver, in addition to mildly avid recurrence in prostatectomy surgical bed and also metastasis in the spleen.

Linking Phosphoinositides to Proteins: A Novel Signaling PIPeline.

Phosphoinositide (PIP) signaling plays pivotal roles in myriad biological processes and is altered in many diseases including cancer. Canonical PIP signaling involves membrane-associated PIP lipid second messengers that modulate protein recruitment and activity at membrane focal points. In the nucleus, PIP signaling operates separately from membranous compartments defining the paradigm of non-canonical PIP signaling.

Microbiome impact of ibezapolstat and other infection relevant antibiotics using humanized mice.

Background: Ibezapolstat (IBZ) is a competitive inhibitor of the bacterial Pol IIIC enzyme in clinical development for treatment of infection (CDI). Previous studies demonstrated IBZ carries a favorable microbiome diversity profile compared to vancomycin (VAN). However, head-to-head comparisons with other CDI antibiotics have not been done.

Adjunctive Middle Meningeal Artery Embolization for Subdural Hematoma.

Background: Subacute and chronic subdural hematomas are common and frequently recur after surgical evacuation. The effect of adjunctive middle meningeal artery embolization on the risk of reoperation remains unclear.

Methods: In a prospective, multicenter, interventional, adaptive-design trial, we randomly assigned patients with symptomatic subacute or chronic subdural hematoma with an indication for surgical evacuation to undergo middle meningeal artery embolization plus surgery (treatment group) or surgery alone (control group).

Grow Your Own School Mental Health Specialists: A Policy Pilot to Address Behavioral Health Workforce Shortages in Schools.

The capacity of schools to address behavioral health concerns presents an emerging challenge, exacerbated by major shortages in the workforce. Schools across the U.S.

Spatially Varying Frequencies Reveal the Invasion Origin of an Agricultural Pest Recently Introduced From Europe to North America.

The introduction of non-native species across the world represents a major global challenge. Retracing invasion origin is an important first step in understanding the invasion process, often requiring detailed sampling within the native range. Insect species frequently host , a widespread endosymbiotic bacterium that manipulates host reproduction to increase infected female fitness.

Road to Recovery: protocol for a mixed-methods prospective cohort study evaluating the impact of a new model of substance use care in a Canadian setting.

Introduction: The Road to Recovery (R2R) Initiative is an innovative model of substance use care that seeks to increase treatment capacity by creating approximately 100 new addiction treatment beds to provide on-demand addiction care in Vancouver, British Columbia, for patients with substance use disorders. The new model also coordinates the region's existing clinical substance use services to support patients across a care continuum that includes traditional office-based addiction treatment and harm reduction services, early withdrawal management and more intensive abstinence-based treatment programming. To understand the impact of offering on-demand and coordinated substance use care, an observational cohort of individuals who access any R2R clinical service will be created to examine health and social outcomes over time.

From trauma to resilience: advancing cultural responsiveness and equity in the Muskowekwan First Nation's healing journey.

Introduction: The Muskowekwan First Nation (MFN) in Saskatchewan, Canada, epitomizes the enduring strength and cultural preservation of the Saulteaux people. This community faces the lasting effects of colonial trauma, especially the violence, abuse, and adversity experienced by students at the Muskowequan Indian Residential School (MIRS). Decades of abuse by institutional leaders caused generational trauma, contributing to current mental health and well-being challenges.

Effects of Early Life Exposures to the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Ligand TCDF on Gut Microbiota and Host Metabolic Homeostasis in C57BL/6J Mice.

Background: Exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and disruptions in the gastrointestinal microbiota have been positively correlated with a predisposition to factors such as obesity, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes; however, it is unclear how the microbiome contributes to this relationship.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the association between early life exposure to a potent aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) agonist and persistent disruptions in the microbiota, leading to impaired metabolic homeostasis later in life.

Methods: This study used metagenomics, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)- and mass spectrometry (MS)-based metabolomics, and biochemical assays to analyze the gut microbiome composition and function, as well as the physiological and metabolic effects of early life exposure to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzofuran (TCDF) in conventional, germ-free (GF), and -null mice.

A novel minimally invasive and versatile kyphoplasty balloon-based model of porcine spinal cord injury.

Introduction: Spinal cord injury (SCI) animal models often utilize an open surgical laminectomy, which results in animal morbidity and also leads to changes in spinal canal diameter, spinal cord perfusion, cerebrospinal fluid flow dynamics, and spinal stability which may confound SCI research. Moreover, the use of open surgical laminectomy for injury creation lacks realism when considering human SCI scenarios.

Methods: We developed a novel, image-guided, minimally invasive, large animal model of SCI which utilizes a kyphoplasty balloon inserted into the epidural space via an interlaminar approach without the need for open surgery.

Quantification of Skeletal Muscle Perfusion in Peripheral Artery Disease Using F-Sodium Fluoride Positron Emission Tomography Imaging.

Background: Perfusion deficits contribute to symptom severity, morbidity, and death in peripheral artery disease (PAD); however, no standard method for quantifying absolute measures of skeletal muscle perfusion exists. This study sought to preclinically test and clinically translate a positron emission tomography (PET) imaging approach using an atherosclerosis-targeted radionuclide, fluorine-18-sodium fluoride (F-NaF), to quantify absolute perfusion in PAD.

Methods And Results: Eight Yorkshire pigs underwent unilateral femoral artery ligation and dynamic F-NaF PET/computed tomography imaging on the day of and 2 weeks after occlusion.

Pathobionts in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Origins, Underlying Mechanisms, and Implications for Clinical Care.

The gut microbiota plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of both forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), namely, Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Although evidence suggests dysbiosis and loss of beneficial microbial species can exacerbate IBD, many new studies have identified microbes with pathogenic qualities, termed "pathobionts," within the intestines of patients with IBD. The concept of pathobionts initiating or driving the chronicity of IBD has largely focused on the putative aggravating role that adherent invasive Escherichia coli may play in CD.

Treatment of a ruptured shallow trilobed cerebral aneurysm with the novel saccular endovascular aneurysm lattice (SEAL) device: A case report with one year follow-up.

Intrasaccular flow disruption is a viable alternative to other endovascular treatments for saccular or wide-necked bifurcation intracranial aneurysms; however, wide neck aneurysms with irregular shapes or shallow depth may not be amenable to treatment currently available intrasaccular devices. Here, we present the first ever case report of the novel Saccular Endovascular Aneurysm Lattice Embolization System (SEAL™). The versatile utility of the SEAL™ device is demonstrated in a patient with acute subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) from a ruptured, complex, left middle cerebral artery (MCA) trilobed shallow wide-necked bifurcation aneurysm.

Recurrent allopolyploidizations diversify ecophysiological traits in marsh orchids (Dactylorhiza majalis s.l.).

Whole-genome duplication has shaped the evolution of angiosperms and other organisms, and is important for many crops. Structural reorganization of chromosomes and repatterning of gene expression are frequently observed in allopolyploids, with physiological and ecological consequences. Recurrent origins from different parental populations are widespread among polyploids, resulting in an array of lineages that provide excellent models to uncover mechanisms of adaptation to divergent environments in early phases of polyploid evolution.

Contribution of Circulating Host and Microbial Tryptophan Metabolites Toward Ah Receptor Activation.

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is a ligand activated transcription factor that plays an integral role in homeostatic maintenance by regulating cellular functions such as cellular differentiation, metabolism, barrier function, and immune response. An important but poorly understood class of AHR activators are compounds derived from host and bacterial metabolism of tryptophan. The commensal bacteria of the gut microbiome are major producers of tryptophan metabolites known to activate the AHR, while the host also produces AHR activators through tryptophan metabolism.

Lipid transfer proteins and a PI 4-kinase initiate nuclear phosphoinositide signaling.

Unlabelled: Phosphoinositide (PIP ) messengers are present in non-membranous regions of nuclei, where they are assembled into a phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway that is distinct from the cytosolic membrane-localized pathway. In the nuclear pathway, PI kinases/phosphatases bind the p53 tumor suppressor protein (wild-type and mutant) to generate p53-PIP complexes that regulate Akt activation. However, this pathway is dependent on poorly characterized nuclear PIP pools.

Multi-factorial examination of amplicon sequencing workflows from sample preparation to bioinformatic analysis.

Background: The development of sequencing technologies to evaluate bacterial microbiota composition has allowed new insights into the importance of microbial ecology. However, the variety of methodologies used among amplicon sequencing workflows leads to uncertainty about best practices as well as reproducibility and replicability among microbiome studies. Using a bacterial mock community composed of 37 soil isolates, we performed a comprehensive methodological evaluation of workflows, each with a different combination of methodological factors spanning sample preparation to bioinformatic analysis to define sources of artifacts that affect coverage, accuracy, and biases in the resulting compositional profiles.

The COVID-19 pandemic's impact on all-cause mortality disparities in Medicare: By race, income, chronic health, mental/behavioral health, disability.

Background: The Medicare-enrolled population is heterogeneous across race, ethnicity, age, dual eligibility, and a breadth of chronic health, mental and behavioral health, and disability-related conditions, which may be differentially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: To quantify changes in all-cause mortality prior-to and in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic across Medicare's different sociodemographic and health-condition subpopulations.

Methods: This observational, population-based study used stratified bivariate regression to investigate Medicare fee-for-service subpopulation differences in pre-pandemic (i.

Contribution of circulating host and microbial tryptophan metabolites towards Ah receptor activation.

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is a ligand activated transcription factor that plays an integral role in homeostatic maintenance by regulating cellular functions such as cellular differentiation, metabolism, barrier function, and immune response. An important but poorly understood class of AHR activators are compounds derived from host and bacterial metabolism of tryptophan. The commensal bacteria of the gut microbiome are major producers of tryptophan metabolites known to activate the AHR, while the host also produces AHR activators through tryptophan metabolism.