The periplasmic protein HslJ is the first-line of defense against oxidative stress in Acinetobacter baumannii.

Background: Acinetobacter baumannii poses a significant threat globally, causing infections primarily in healthcare settings, with high mortality rates. Its adaptability to antibiotic resistance and tolerance to various stresses, including reactive oxygen species (ROS), contribute to its persistence in healthcare environments. Previous evidence suggested that the periplasmic heat shock protein, HslJ-like protein (ABUW_2868), could be involved in oxidative stress defense in A.

Anopheles mosquitoes in Mondulkiri forest, Cambodia: abundance, distribution, seasonal patterns and Plasmodium prevalence.

Background: Mosquitoes are important drivers of infectious diseases transmission, with Anopheles mosquitoes being responsible of malaria transmission. In Cambodia, where malaria is prevalent in forested regions, understanding the ecology of these vectors is crucial. This study aimed to investigate the abundance, distribution, seasonal patterns, biting behaviour of Anopheles mosquitoes, and prevalence of Plasmodium, in Mondulkiri province, Northeastern Cambodia.

An IS element-driven antisense RNA attenuates the expression of serotype 2 fimbriae and the cytotoxicity of .

Insertion sequences (IS) represent mobile genetic elements that have been shown to be associated with bacterial evolution and adaptation due to their effects on genome plasticity. In , the causative agent of whooping cough, the numerous IS elements induce genomic rearrangements and contribute to the diversity of the global population. Previously, we have shown that the majority of IS-specific endogenous promoters induce the synthesis of alternative transcripts and thereby affect the transcriptional landscape of .

Non-Polio Enterovirus Inhibitors: Scaffolds, Targets, and Potency─What's New?

Enterovirus (EV) is a genus that includes a large diversity of viruses spread around the world. They are the main cause of numerous diseases with seasonal clusters, like hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD). A vaccine is marketed in China for the prevention of HFMD caused by EV-A71.

Status of infection prevention and control in Cameroon healthcare facilities: lessons learned from the WHO COVID-19 scorecard tool under the hierarchy of control model.

Background: Infection prevention and control (IPC) helps prevent disease transmission in healthcare facilities. There is a dearth of information on the implementation of IPC during the COVID-19 outbreak in Cameroon using the recommended WHO COVID-19 IPC scorecard tool. The present study assessed healthcare facilities' compliance to IPC by continuous assessments, with an evaluation of the tool using the hierarchy of control theory.

Female mice exhibit similar long-term plasticity and microglial properties between the dorsal and ventral hippocampal poles.

The hippocampus is a heterogenous structure that exhibits functional segregation along its longitudinal axis. We recently showed that in male mice, microglia, the brain's resident immune cells, differ between the dorsal (DH) and ventral (VH) hippocampus, impacting long-term potentiation (LTP) mainly through the CX3CL1-CX3CR1 signaling. Here, we assessed the specific features of the hippocampal poles in female mice, demonstrating a similar LTP amplitude in VH and DH in both control and Cx3cr1 knock-out mice.

Spatiotemporal evolution and transmission dynamics of Alpha and Delta SARS-CoV-2 variants contributing to sequential outbreaks in Cambodia during 2021.

Background: Tracking the emergence, introduction and spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern are essential for informing public health strategies. In 2021, Cambodia faced two major epidemic waves of SARS-CoV-2 triggered by the successive rise of the Alpha and Delta variants.

Methods: Phylodynamic analysis of 1,163 complete SARS-CoV-2 genomes from Cambodia, along with global sequences, were conducted between February and September 2021 to infer viral introductions, molecular epidemiology and population dynamics.

Supercomputer-Based Virtual Screening for Deoxyribonucleic Acid Methyltransferase 1 Inhibitors as Novel Anticancer Agents.

Targeting epigenetics is a new strategy to treat cancer and develop novel epigenetic drugs with anti-tumor activity. DNA methyltransferases transfer the methyl group from -adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) to the cytosine residue in a CpG island, leading to the transcription silencing of the gene. Hypermethylation can frequently be observed in several tumor types.

Primary care physicians' attitudes, practices, and perceived barriers toward depression screening in older people in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Purpose: This study aimed to explore attitudes, practices, and perceived barriers of primary care physicians (PCPs) toward depression screening in older people.

Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled PCPs from randomly selected representative primary care centers in Bahrain. A self-administered piloted semi-structured questionnaire was used for data collection.

Assessing the state of infection prevention and control in cameroon: a cross-sectional workshop evaluation using socioecological models.

Objectives: Infection prevention and control (IPC) contributes to the reduction of healthcare associated infections. Notwithstanding the global attention with available guidelines and tools, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) still struggle to put into place effective IPC programmes. Here, we use a socioecological approach to summarize the findings of a recent workshop on the implementation of IPC activities in Cameroon.

The T4bSS of Legionella features a two-step secretion pathway with an inner membrane intermediate for secretion of transmembrane effectors.

To promote intracellular survival and infection, Legionella spp. translocate hundreds of effector proteins into eukaryotic host cells using a type IV b protein secretion system (T4bSS). T4bSS are well known to translocate soluble as well as transmembrane domain-containing effector proteins (TMD-effectors) but the mechanisms of secretion are still poorly understood.

Optimization of ultrasound-mediated DNA transfer for bacteria and preservation of frozen competent cells.

Unlabelled: The transformation of DNA into cells is the basis of molecular biology. Commonly employed techniques include heat shock transformation, electro-transformation, conjugation, transduction, and protoplast fusion. Recently, ultrasonic transformation technology has been developed to transfer DNA into competent cells.

Cell damage shifts the microRNA content of small extracellular vesicles into a Toll-like receptor 7-activating cargo capable to propagate inflammation and immunity.

Background: The physiological relevance of cell-to-cell communication mediated by small extracellular vesicle-encapsulated microRNAs (sEV-miRNAs) remains debated because of the limiting representativity of specific miRNAs within the extracellular pool. We hypothesize that sEV-miRNA non-canonical function consisting of the stimulation of Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) may rely on a global shift of the sEV cargo rather than on the induction of one or few specific miRNAs. Psoriasis represents an ideal model to test such hypothesis as it is driven by overt activation of TLR7-expressing plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) following keratinocyte damage.

modXNA: A Modular Approach to Parametrization of Modified Nucleic Acids for Use with Amber Force Fields.

Modified nucleic acids have surged as a popular therapeutic route, emphasizing the importance of nucleic acid research in drug discovery and development. Beyond well-known RNA vaccines, antisense oligonucleotides and aptamers can incorporate various modified nucleic acids to target specific biomolecules for various therapeutic activities. Molecular dynamics simulations can accelerate the design and development of these systems with noncanonical nucleic acids by observing intricate dynamic properties and relative stability on the all-atom level.

Peptidoglycan accumulates in distinct brain regions and cell types over lifetime but is absent in newborns.

Peptidoglycan (PGN) is a large complex polymer critical to structure and function of all bacterial species. Intact PGN and its fragments are inflammatory, contributing to infectious and autoimmune disease. Recent studies show that PGN physiologically contributes to immune setpoints, and importantly also to mouse brain development and behavior.

Ramachandran-like Conformational Space for DNA.

DNA's ability to exist in a wide variety of structural forms, subforms, and secondary motifs is fundamental to numerous biological processes and has driven the development of biotechnological applications. Major determinants of DNA flexibility are the multiple torsional degrees of freedom around the phosphodiester backbone. This high complexity can be rationalized by using two pseudotorsional angles linking atoms P and C4', from which Ramachandran-like plots can be built.

Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis to Prevent Hematophagous Bat-Mediated Rabies Outbreaks in Remote Amazon Communities: Lessons from a Pilot for Public Health Policy.

In 2018, an outbreak of human rabies caused by the hematophagous bat hit the Brazilian Amazon Basin community of Melgaço, Brazil, resulting in the death of 10 people, 9 of them children. The incidence of rabies has been on the rise among populations in conditions of vulnerability in this ecosystem due to human expansion into sylvatic environments and limited access to public health services. To address this issue, in September 2019, a collaborative effort from national, local, and international institutions promoted and executed a pilot for pre-exposure prophylaxis of a population in high-risk areas for hematophagous bat-mediated rabies.

Impact of immunity loss on the optimal vaccination strategy for an age-structured epidemiological model.

The pursuit of effective vaccination strategies against COVID-19 remains a critical endeavour in global public health, particularly amidst challenges posed by immunity loss and evolving epidemiological dynamics. This study investigated optimal vaccination strategies by considering age structure, immunity dynamics, and varying maximal vaccination rates. To this end, we formulated an SEIR model stratified into $ n $ age classes, with the vaccination rate as an age-dependent control variable in an optimal control problem.