There is a growing interest in how exposure to biodiversity influences mental health and wellbeing; however, few studies have focused on children. The aim of this review was to identify studies that used components of biodiversity and children's health outcomes to assess if there were any themes that could be used to inform urban design and understand the mechanisms behind associations. We used a PROSPERO registered protocol to identify eligible studies following pre-defined inclusion criteria.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStabilizing proteins without otherwise hampering their function is a central task in protein engineering and design. PYR1 is a plant hormone receptor that has been engineered to bind diverse small molecule ligands. We sought a set of generalized mutations that would provide stability without affecting functionality for PYR1 variants with diverse ligand-binding capabilities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Urban transportation noise is a major public concern because of its adverse effects on health. The determinants of urban noise exposure have not been widely explored but the "natural experiment" presented by the COVID-19 lockdowns presented a unique opportunity. This study examined the relationship between environmental characteristics and urban noise pollution during the COVID-19 related lockdown in Metro Vancouver, Canada, from March 21st to May 18th, 2020.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Multiple characteristics of the urban environment have been shown to influence population health and health-related behaviours, though the distribution and combined effects of these characteristics on health is less understood. A composite measure of multiple environmental conditions would allow for comparisons among different urban areas; however, this measure is not available in Canada.
Objectives: To develop an index of environmental quality for Canada's largest urban areas and to assess the influence of population size on index values.
Background: Growing evidence suggests that exposure to green space is associated with improved childhood health and development, but the influence of different green space types remains relatively unexplored. In the present study, we investigated the association between early-life residential exposure to vegetation and early childhood development and evaluated whether associations differed according to land cover types, including paved land.
Methods: Early childhood development was assessed via kindergarten teacher-ratings on the Early Development Instrument (EDI) in a large population-based birth cohort (n = 27,539) in Metro Vancouver, Canada.
Background: Emerging studies have associated low greenspace and high air pollution exposure with risk of child attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Population-based studies are limited, however, and joint effects are rarely evaluated. We investigated associations of ADHD incidence with greenspace, air pollution, and noise in a population-based birth cohort.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Exposure to greenspace is associated with improved childhood development, but the pathways behind this relationship are insufficiently understood. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the association between lifetime residential exposure to greenspace and early childhood development and evaluate the extent to which this association is mediated by reductions in traffic-related air pollution and noise.
Methods: This population-based birth cohort study comprised singleton births in Metro Vancouver, BC, Canada, between April 1, 2000, and Dec 31, 2005.
Background: Several studies have assessed the relationship between exposure to natural environments (NEs) and childhood mental health and development. In most cases, a positive association has been found, but results are inconsistent, and the strength of association is unclear. This inconsistency may reflect the heterogeneity in measurements used to assess NE.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStalled mRNA translation results in the production of incompletely synthesized proteins that are targeted for degradation by ribosome-associated quality control (RQC). Here we investigated the fate of defective proteins translated from stall-inducing, nonstop mRNA that escape ubiquitylation by the RQC protein LTN1. We found that nonstop protein products accumulated in nucleoli and this localization was driven by polylysine tracts produced by translation of the poly(A) tails of nonstop mRNA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFβ- and γ-herpesviruses include the oncogenic human viruses Kaposi's sarcoma-associated virus (KSHV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), which is a significant cause of congenital disease. Near the end of their replication cycle, these viruses transcribe their late genes in a manner distinct from host transcription. Late gene transcription requires six virally encoded proteins, one of which is a functional mimic of host TATA-box-binding protein (TBP) that is also involved in recruitment of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) via unknown mechanisms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMitochondrial dysfunction and proteostasis failure frequently coexist as hallmarks of neurodegenerative disease. How these pathologies are related is not well understood. Here, we describe a phenomenon termed MISTERMINATE (mitochondrial-stress-induced translational termination impairment and protein carboxyl terminal extension), which mechanistically links mitochondrial dysfunction with proteostasis failure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Deficiencies in childhood development is a major global issue and inequalities are large. The influence of environmental exposures on childhood development is currently insufficiently explored. This project will analyse the impact of various modifiable early life environmental exposures on different dimensions of childhood development.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The value of lung ultrasonography in the diagnosis of respiratory dysfunction and severity stratification in patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) was investigated.
Methods: Over a 3-month period, 41 patients (median age: 59.1 years; 21 males) presenting with a diagnosis of potential AP were prospectively recruited.
Background: The value of lung ultrasonography in the diagnosis of respiratory dysfunction and severity stratification in patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) was investigated.
Methods: Over a 3-month period, 41 patients (median age: 59.1 years; 21 males) presenting with a diagnosis of potential AP were prospectively recruited.
Transcription of herpesviral late genes is stimulated after the onset of viral DNA replication but otherwise restricted. Late gene expression in gammaherpesviruses requires the coordination of six early viral proteins, termed viral transactivation factors (vTFs). Here, we mapped the organization of this protein complex for Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
August 2015
Infection of cells with DNA viruses triggers innate immune responses mediated by DNA sensors. cGMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) is a key DNA sensor that produces the cyclic dinucleotide cGMP-AMP (cGAMP) upon activation, which binds to and activates stimulator of interferon genes (STING), leading to IFN production and an antiviral response. Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is a DNA virus that is linked to several human malignancies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMapping host-pathogen interactions has proven instrumental for understanding how viruses manipulate host machinery and how numerous cellular processes are regulated. DNA viruses such as herpesviruses have relatively large coding capacity and thus can target an extensive network of cellular proteins. To identify the host proteins hijacked by this pathogen, we systematically affinity tagged and purified all 89 proteins of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) from human cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInfection with the human gammaherpesviruses, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), is associated with several cancers. During lytic replication of herpesviruses, viral genes are expressed in an ordered cascade. However, the mechanism by which late gene expression is regulated has not been well characterized in gammaherpesviruses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe genotoxic activities of three cancer chemopreventive drug candidates, CP-31398 (a cell permeable styrylquinazoline p53 modulator), SHetA2 (a flexible heteroarotinoid), and phospho-ibuprofen (PI, a derivative of ibuprofen) were tested. None of the compounds were mutagenic in the Salmonella/Escherichia coli/microsome plate incorporation test. CP-31398 and SHetA2 did not induce chromosomal aberrations (CA) in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, either in the presence or absence of rat hepatic S9 (S9).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNew iridium complexes of a tridentate pincer ligand, 2,6-bis(di-tert-butylphosphinito)pyridine (PONOP), have been prepared and used in the study of hydrocarbon C-H bond activation. Intermolecular oxidative addition of a benzene C-H bond was directly observed with [(PONOP)Ir(I)(cyclooctene)][PF(6)] at ambient temperature, resulting in a cationic five-coordinate iridium(III) phenyl hydride product. Protonation of the (PONOP)Ir(I) methyl complex yielded the corresponding iridium(III) methyl hydride cation, a rare five-coordinate, 16-valence electron transition metal alkyl hydride species which was characterized by X-ray diffraction.
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