Phage-Encoded Virulence Factor, Gp05, Alters Membrane Phospholipids and Reduces Antimicrobial Susceptibility in Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a leading pathogen causing severe endovascular infections. The prophage-encoded protein Gp05 has been identified as a critical virulence factor that contributes to MRSA persistence during vancomycin (VAN) treatment in an experimental endocarditis model. However, the underlining mechanisms driving this persistence phenotype remain poorly understood.

Community Synchrony in Seed Production is Associated With Trait Similarity and Climate Across North America.

Mast seeding, the synchronous and highly variable production of seed crops by perennial plants, is a population-level phenomenon and has cascading effects in ecosystems. Mast seeding studies are typically conducted at the population/species level. Much less is known about synchrony in mast seeding between species because the necessary long-term data are rarely available.

Incidental affect influences choice preference among competing alternatives in a modified Affect Misattribution Procedure.

Affective feelings exert a powerful influence on decision making, even when the source of those feelings is incidental, i.e., unrelated to the decision at hand.

Territory Sizes and Patterns of Habitat Use by Forest Birds Over Five Decades: Ideal Free or Ideal Despotic?

Relations among territoriality, abundance and habitat suitability are fundamental to the ecology of many animal populations. Theory suggests two classes of possible responses to increasing abundance in territorial species: (1) the ideal free distribution (IFD), which predicts smaller territory sizes and decreased fitness as individuals adaptively pack into suitable habitats, and (2) the ideal despotic distribution (IDD), which predicts stable territory sizes and fitness in preferred habitats for dominant individuals and increased use of marginal habitats, reduced fitness and changes in territory sizes for subordinate individuals. We analysed the territory sizes and locations of seven migratory songbird species occupying a 10-ha plot in the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire, USA over a 52-year period.

Estimation of Ligand Binding Free Energy Using Multi-eGO.

The computational study of ligand binding to a target protein provides mechanistic insight into the molecular determinants of this process and can improve the success rate of drug design. All-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations can be used to evaluate the binding free energy, typically by thermodynamic integration, and to probe binding mechanisms, including the description of protein conformational dynamics. The advantages of MD come at a high computational cost, which limits its use.

Patient-specific cutting guides allow 1° precision in asymmetric anterior closing-wedge osteotomy.

Purpose: Asymmetric anterior closing-wedge high tibial osteotomy (ACWHTO) allows correction of both excessive posterior tibial slope (PTS) and varus deformity. However, the complexity of this surgery requires a high degree of accuracy, which is less likely to be achieved with standard instrumentations. This study aimed to determine the accuracy of 3D patient-specific cutting guides (PSCGs) to provide the accurate planned correction in the frontal and sagittal planes.

Reported outcomes following cytoreductive surgery for colorectal peritoneal metastases: A systematic review to inform evidence-based practice and international consensus.

Aim: Cytoreductive surgery provides a chance for long-term survival and cure in selected patients with colorectal peritoneal metastases. As clinical and academic interest in this field increases, heterogeneity in outcome reporting hinders the valid and meaningful synthesis of data into high-quality meta-analyses. The aim of this systemic review was to investigate variability in outcome reporting following cytoreductive surgery with or without intraperitoneal chemotherapy for colorectal peritoneal metastases.

Biopreservation and reversal of oxidative injury during blood storage by a novel curcumin-based gel formulation.

Blood storage lesion induces cytosolic and membrane changes driven in part by hemoglobin (Hb) oxidation reactions within red blood cells (RBCs). A novel gel formulation containing the antioxidant curcuminoids in a biocompatible solvent system was used to deliver curcumin into RBCs. Incubation of peroxide treated RBCs stored in PBS with curcumin gel led to a reduction in prooxidant ferrylHb and recovery in ATP.

A descriptive examination of rurality in the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes Cohort: Implications, illustrations, and future directions.

Purpose: The Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Cohort has enrolled over 60,000 children to examine how early environmental factors (broadly defined) are associated with key child health outcomes. The ECHO Cohort may be well-positioned to contribute to our understanding of rural environments and contexts, which has implications for rural health disparities research. The present study examined the outcome of child obesity to not only illustrate the suitability of ECHO Cohort data for these purposes but also determine how various definitions of rural and urban populations impact the presentation of findings and their interpretation.

Deployment to bases with open burn pits and mortality of US Military Veterans.

Introduction: Five million US Veterans had possible exposure to open burn pits used for waste disposal through service in Iraq (2003-2011) and Afghanistan (2001-2014). Burn pits generate toxic exposures that may be associated with adverse health outcomes. We examined all-cause and cause-specific mortality in relation to deployment to bases with open burn pits.

Shared Decision-Making in Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty: Understanding Surgeon and Patient Perspectives Regarding When It Is Time for Surgery.

Background: Although total hip and total knee arthroplasty are highly successful operations, the decision of whether and when to undergo surgery is highly subjective and discretionary, and specific guidelines regarding readiness for surgery remain elusive. The nature of these decisions underscores the importance of shared decision-making, which is founded on the concept that patients substantially contribute to determining their own readiness for surgery. The OPTION survey was developed as a conversation aid to facilitate shared decision-making in the context of total joint arthroplasty.

3D-Printed Self-Assembling Helical Models for Exploring Viral Capsid Structures.

This work presents a novel application of additive manufacturing in the design of self-assembling helical viral capsids using 3D-printed components. Expanding on prior work with 3D-printed self-assembling spherical capsids, we developed helical models that integrate geometric parameters and magnetic interactions to mimic key features of the assembly process of helical viral capsids. Using dual-helix phyllotactic patterns and simplified electrostatic simulations, these models consistently self-assemble into a cylinder, providing unique insights into the structural organization and stability of helical capsids.

Nitrogen Deposition Weakens Soil Carbon Control of Nitrogen Dynamics Across the Contiguous United States.

Anthropogenic nitrogen (N) deposition is unequally distributed across space and time, with inputs to terrestrial ecosystems impacted by industry regulations and variations in human activity. Soil carbon (C) content normally controls the fraction of mineralized N that is nitrified (ƒ), affecting N bioavailability for plants and microbes. However, it is unknown whether N deposition has modified the relationships among soil C, net N mineralization, and net nitrification.

The methylome of clonal seagrass shoots shows age-associated variation and differentiation of roots from other tissues.

Factors influencing variance of DNA methylation in vegetatively reproducing plants, both terrestrial plants and aquatic seagrasses, is just beginning to be understood. Improving our knowledge of these mechanisms will increase understanding of transgenerational epigenetics in plant clones, of the relationship between DNA methylation and seagrass development, and of the drivers of epigenetic variation, which may underly acclimation in clonally reproducing plants. Here, we sampled leaves, rhizomes and roots of three physically and spatially separated ramet sections from a clonally propagated field of the seagrass Zostera marina.

Mechanistic Insight into the Formation and Deposition of Conductive, Layered Metal-Organic Framework Nanocrystals.

This paper describes the use of the layered conductive metal-organic framework (MOF) (nickel)-(hexahydroxytriphenylene) [Ni(HHTP)] as a model system for understanding the process of self-assembly within this class of materials. We confirm and quantify experimentally the role of the oxidant in the synthetic process. Monitoring the deposition of Ni(HHTP) with infrared spectroscopy revealed that MOF formation is characterized by an initial induction period, followed by linear growth with respect to time.

The Role of Chronotypes and Perceived Stress on Sleep Quality in Undergraduates in Taiwan.

Introduction: Chronotypes and perceived stress can predict psychiatric symptoms and affect sleep quality, though the relationships between these factors are not completely described. This study explores the influence of chronotypes and perceived stress on sleep quality among undergraduates.

Methods: An online survey was administered to a convenience sample of 110 undergraduates aged 18-23 years (mean age 20.

Machine Learning Enabled Prediction of Biologically Relevant Gene Expression Using CT-Based Radiomic Features in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Background: Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains a global health challenge, driving morbidity and mortality. The emerging field of radiogenomics utilizes statistical methods to correlate radiographic tumor features with genomic characteristics from biopsy samples. Radiomic techniques automate the precise extraction of imaging features from tumor regions in radiographic scans, which are subjected to machine learning (ML) to predict genomic attributes.

Prevalence of Gun Carrying and Gun Violence Victimization and Perpetration Among a Nationally Representative Sample of U.S. Youth and Young Adults.

Introduction: Guns were one of the leading causes of death in children and youth aged 0-24 years in the U.S. over the last decade, with large variations by sex, race, region, and income.

Oncological and Clinical Impacts of Routine Splenic Flexure Mobilization in Anterior Resection.

Background Splenic flexure mobilization (SFM) is widely regarded as one of the most challenging steps in laparoscopic and robotic colorectal surgery, sparking ongoing debate. Some surgeons routinely advocate for SFM, citing its role in achieving greater left colonic reach, which facilitates a safe, tension-free, and well-vascularized anastomosis while adhering to oncological principles. Conversely, others argue that SFM does not consistently ensure these benefits and may increase the risk of complications, including splenic, bowel, or vascular injuries, as well as unnecessarily prolonging the procedure.

Keeping up with recent developments in immunodeficiency.

Inborn errors of immunity (IEIs) are a rapidly expanding group of monogenetic disorders affecting the immune system. Advancements in genetic testing and functional validation studies have accelerated the pace of IEI gene discovery and mechanism of disease, particularly in the past 5 years. To keep up with this rapid expansion, the International Union of Immunological Societies Expert Committee has periodically, since 1999, released updated IEI classifications with corresponding genotypic and phenotypic catalogues with its most recent update in 2022.

Diet of the blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) during range expansion in Great Bay Estuary, New Hampshire.

Great Bay Estuary (GBE), within the rapidly warming Gulf of Maine, has experienced significant ecological shifts this century due to naturalization of invasive species. The range expansion of the American blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) currently underway from the mid-Atlantic northward brings the possibility of similar ecological shifts. This study accounts recent trapping and diet analysis of C.