Biomass ash as soil fertilizers: Supercharging biomass accumulation by shifting auxin distribution.

Growing quantities of biomass ashes (phyto-ashs) are currently produced worldwide due to the increasing biomass consumption in energy applications. Utilization of phyto-ash in agriculture is environmentally friendly solution. However, mechanisms involving the coordination of carbon metabolism and distribution in plants and soil amendment are not well known.

A Phase 2 Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Safety, Reactogenicity, and Immunogenicity of Different Prime-Boost Vaccination Schedules of 2013 and 2017 A(H7N9) Inactivated Influenza Virus Vaccines Administered With and Without AS03 Adjuvant in Healthy US Adults.

Introduction: A surge of human influenza A(H7N9) cases began in 2016 in China from an antigenically distinct lineage. Data are needed about the safety and immunogenicity of 2013 and 2017 A(H7N9) inactivated influenza vaccines (IIVs) and the effects of AS03 adjuvant, prime-boost interval, and priming effects of 2013 and 2017 A(H7N9) IIVs.

Methods: Healthy adults (n = 180), ages 19-50 years, were enrolled into this partially blinded, randomized, multicenter phase 2 clinical trial.

Cellular and humoral immunity to Ebola Zaire glycoprotein and viral vector proteins following immunization with recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus-based Ebola vaccine (rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP).

While effective at preventing Zaire ebolavirus (ZEBOV) disease, cellular immunity to ZEBOV and vector-directed immunity elicited by the recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus expressing ZEBOV glycoprotein (rVSVΔG-ZEBOV-GP) vaccine remain poorly understood. Sera and peripheral blood mononuclear cells were collected from 32 participants enrolled in a prospective multicenter study [ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02788227] before vaccination and up to six months post-vaccination.

Robust and adjustable dynamic scattering compensation for high-precision deep tissue optogenetics.

The development of high-precision optogenetics in deep tissue is limited due to the strong optical scattering induced by biological tissue. Although various wavefront shaping techniques have been developed to compensate the scattering, it is still a challenge to non-invasively characterize the dynamic scattered optical wavefront inside the living tissue. Here, we present a non-invasive scattering compensation system with fast multidither coherent optical adaptive technique (fCOAT), which allows the rapid wavefront correction and stable focusing in dynamic scattering medium.

USP39 Regulates NF-κB-Mediated Inflammatory Responses through Deubiquitinating K48-Linked IκBα.

IκBα is a critical protein that inhibits NF-κB nuclear translocation and impairs NF-κB-mediated signaling. The abundance of IκBα determines the activation and restoration of the inflammatory response. However, posttranslational regulation of IκBα remains to be fully understood.

An Oil-in-Water adjuvant significantly increased influenza A/H7N9 split virus Vaccine-Induced circulating follicular helper T (cT) cells and antibody responses.

Background: Unadjuvanted A/H7N9 vaccines are poorly immunogenic. The immune response is improved with the addition of MF59, an oil-in-water adjuvant. However, the cellular immunologic responses of MF59-adjuvanted A/H7N9 vaccine are not fully understood.

Long-term microglial phase-specific dynamics during single vessel occlusion and recanalization.

Vascular occlusion leading to brain dysfunctions is usually considered evoking microglia-induced inflammation response. However, it remains unclear how microglia interact with blood vessels in the development of vascular occlusion-related brain disorders. Here, we illuminate long-term spatiotemporal dynamics of microglia during single vessel occlusion and recanalization.

Contextual Fear Learning and Extinction in the Primary Visual Cortex of Mice.

Fear memory contextualization is critical for selecting adaptive behavior to survive. Contextual fear conditioning (CFC) is a classical model for elucidating related underlying neuronal circuits. The primary visual cortex (V1) is the primary cortical region for contextual visual inputs, but its role in CFC is poorly understood.

Immunologic mechanisms of seasonal influenza vaccination administered by microneedle patch from a randomized phase I trial.

In a phase 1 randomized, single-center clinical trial, inactivated influenza virus vaccine delivered through dissolvable microneedle patches (MNPs) was found to be safe and immunogenic. Here, we compare the humoral and cellular immunologic responses in a subset of participants receiving influenza vaccination by MNP to the intramuscular (IM) route of administration. We collected serum, plasma, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells in 22 participants up to 180 days post-vaccination.

A far-red hybrid voltage indicator enabled by bioorthogonal engineering of rhodopsin on live neurons.

Membrane potential is a key aspect of cellular signalling and is dynamically regulated by an array of ion-selective pumps and channels. Fluorescent voltage indicators enable non-invasive optical recording of the cellular membrane potential with high spatial resolution. Here, we report a palette of bright and sensitive hybrid voltage indicators (HVIs) with fluorescence intensities sensitive to changes in membrane potential via electrochromic Förster resonance energy transfer.

The Effects of Imprinting and Repeated Seasonal Influenza Vaccination on Adaptive Immunity after Influenza Vaccination.

(1) Background: The influenza virus continues to cause significant annual morbidity and mortality. The overall efficacy of seasonal influenza vaccination is suboptimal, which is partly due to host immune factors. The effects of imprinting and repeated seasonal influenza vaccination were investigated to assess for immune factors and mechanisms that impact influenza vaccine responses.

Serosurvey on healthcare personnel caring for patients with Ebola virus disease and Lassa virus in the United States.

Objective: Healthcare personnel (HCP) were recruited to provide serum samples, which were tested for antibodies against Ebola or Lassa virus to evaluate for asymptomatic seroconversion.

Setting: From 2014 to 2016, 4 patients with Ebola virus disease (EVD) and 1 patient with Lassa fever (LF) were treated in the Serious Communicable Diseases Unit (SCDU) at Emory University Hospital. Strict infection control and clinical biosafety practices were implemented to prevent nosocomial transmission of EVD or LF to HCP.

Duration of Cellular and Humoral Responses after Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus Vaccination in Healthy Female Adults with or without Prior Type 16 and/or 18 Exposure.

Human papillomavirus virus (HPV) vaccines aim to provide durable protection and are ideal to study the association of cellular with humoral responses. We assessed the duration and characteristics of immune responses provided by the quadrivalent HPV (4vHPV) vaccine in healthy female adults with or without prior exposure with type 16 and 18 HPV. In a prospective cohort, vaccine naïve females received three doses of 4vHPV vaccine and were followed for two years to assess cellular (intracellular cytokine staining, proliferation and B cell ELISpot assays) and humoral (multiplex L1/L2 viral-like particles (VLP) and M4 ELISAs) responses.

Baseline Levels of Influenza-Specific B Cells and T Cell Responses Modulate Human Immune Responses to Swine Variant Influenza A/H3N2 Vaccine.

The cellular immune responses elicited by an investigational vaccine against an emergent variant of influenza (H3N2v) are not fully understood. Twenty-five subjects, enrolled in an investigational influenza A/H3N2v vaccine study, who received two doses of vaccine 21 days apart, were included in a sub-study of cellular immune responses. H3N2v-specific plasmablasts were determined by ELISpot 8 days after each vaccine dose and H3N2v specific CD4+ T cells were quantified by intracellular cytokine and CD154 (CD40 ligand) staining before vaccination, 8 and 21 days after each vaccine dose.

Plasmablast, Memory B Cell, CD4+ T Cell, and Circulating Follicular Helper T Cell Responses to a Non-Replicating Modified Vaccinia Ankara Vaccine.

Background Vaccinia is known to induce antibody and cellular responses. Plasmablast, circulating follicular helper T (cT) cells, cytokine-expressing CD4 T cells, and memory B cells were compared between subcutaneous (SC) and needle-free jet injection (JI) recipients of non-replicating modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) vaccine. Methods Vaccinia-naïve adults received MVA SC or by JI on Days 1 and 29.

Imaging Neuronal Activity with Fast and Sensitive Red-Shifted Electrochromic FRET Indicators.

Genetically encoded voltage indicators (GEVIs) allow optical recording of neuronal activities with high spatial resolution. While most existing GEVIs emit in the green range, red-shifted GEVIs are highly sought after because they would enable simultaneous stimulation and recording of neuronal activities when paired with optogenetic actuators, or two-color imaging of signaling and neuronal activities when used along with GFP-based indicators. In this study, we present several improved red-shifted GEVIs based on the electrochromic Förster resonance energy transfer (eFRET) between orange/red fluorescent proteins/dyes and rhodopsin mutants.

Identification of Beclin-1 from orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides) involved in viral infection.

Beclin-1 is an essential autophagic regulator that plays diverse roles in physiology and disease. However, reports about the function of fish Beclin-1 during pathogen infection are still very limited. In this study, a Beclin-1 homolog (EcBeclin-1) from orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides) was identified and its roles in viral infection were investigated.

ALK phosphorylates SMAD4 on tyrosine to disable TGF-β tumour suppressor functions.

Loss of TGF-β tumour suppressive response is a hallmark of human cancers. As a central player in TGF-β signal transduction, SMAD4 (also known as DPC4) is frequently mutated or deleted in gastrointestinal and pancreatic cancer. However, such genetic alterations are rare in most cancer types and the underlying mechanism for TGF-β resistance is not understood.

Hybrid Indicators for Fast and Sensitive Voltage Imaging.

Membrane voltage is an important biophysical signal that underlies intercellular electrical communications. A fluorescent voltage indicator is presented that enables the investigation of electrical signaling at high spatial resolution. The method is built upon the site-specific modification of microbial rhodopsin proteins with organic fluorophores, resulting in a hybrid indicator scaffold that is one of the most sensitive and fastest orange-colored voltage indicators developed to date.

Innate, T-, and B-Cell Responses in Acute Human Zika Patients.

Background: There is an urgent need for studies of viral persistence and immunity during human Zika infections to inform planning and conduct of vaccine clinical trials.

Methods: In 5 returned US travelers with acute symptomatic Zika infection, clinical features, viral RNA levels, and immune responses were characterized.

Results: Two pregnant, flavivirus-experienced patients had viral RNA persist in plasma for >44 and >26 days.

Biphasic Zika Illness With Rash and Joint Pain.

During the current Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak, acute symptomatic ZIKV infection in adults appears to be a mild-to-moderate, self-limited illness. We present a case of ZIKV rash illness that improved and then relapsed without repeat exposure to ZIKV. Clinicians should be alert for relapses in patients with ZIKV infection.

Pericarditis Associated With Acute Zika Virus Infection in a Returning Traveler.

Despite the widespread outbreak, few cases of Zika virus associated with cardiac manifestations have been described. We present a case of pericarditis in the setting of an acute, symptomatic Zika virus infection in a traveler returning from St. Thomas.