NCR peptides in plant-bacterial symbiosis: applications and importance.

While establishing symbiotic relationships with nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria certain legumes produce nodule-specific cysteine rich peptides. These peptides turn the bacteria into terminally differentiated non-replicative bacteroids. Here, we discuss the properties, essentiality, emerging clinical and agricultural applications, and the need to study the detailed mechanism of action of these peptides.

Impacts of zero-fare transit policy on health and social determinants: protocol for a natural experiment study.

Population-level efforts are needed to increase levels of physical activity and healthy eating to reduce and manage chronic diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes. Interventions to increase public transit use may be one promising strategy, particularly for low-income communities or populations of color who are disproportionately burdened by health disparities and transportation barriers. This study employs a natural experiment design to evaluate the impacts of a citywide zero-fare transit policy in Kansas City, Missouri, on ridership and health indicators.

Enhancing Lifestyles in the Metabolic syndrome (ELM) multisite behavioral efficacy trial. Design and baseline cohort.

Background: Prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) increased from one-quarter to one-third of the U.S. adult population over 8 years and is spreading to young adults and Asian and Hispanic Americans.

Association between frailty and sleep quality in people living with multiple sclerosis and obesity: An observational cross-sectional study.

Background: A majority of the people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) experience sleep disturbances. Frailty is also common in pwMS. The geriatric literature strongly suggests that frailty is associated with worse sleep outcomes in community-dwelling older adults, but this association has yet to be explored among pwMS.

Modifying diet and exercise in multiple sclerosis (MoDEMS): A randomized controlled trial for behavioral weight loss in adults with multiple sclerosis and obesity.

Background: Obesity is a risk factor for developing multiple sclerosis (MS) and MS-related disability. The efficacy of behavioral weight loss interventions among people with MS (pwMS) remains largely unknown.

Objective: Examine whether a group-based telehealth weight loss intervention produces clinically significant weight loss in pwMS and obesity.

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Metabolic Syndrome: A Review of the Associations and Recommendations.

Objective: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) share common characteristics and risk factors. Both conditions increase the risk of chronic diseases and, thus, may share a common pathogenesis. This review begins with a clinical vignette, followed by evidence supporting the risk of MetS after GDM among women and their offspring and the risk of having GDM among pregnant women who have MetS before pregnancy.

Body metrics are associated with clinical, free-living, and self-report measures of mobility in a cohort of adults with obesity and multiple sclerosis.

Background: Obesity is associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) onset and may contribute to more rapid disability accumulation. Whether obesity impacts mobility in MS is uncertain. Some studies find that obesity in MS is associated with poorer mobility; other studies find no relationship.

A culturally and linguistically adapted text-message Diabetes Prevention Program for Latinos: Feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness.

Despite the general positive outcomes of the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), the program's reach, adherence, and effectiveness among Latinos are still suboptimal. Text-message DPP can potentially overcome barriers and improve DPP outcomes for this group. We aimed to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminarily effectiveness of a culturally and linguistically adapted text-message DPP for Latinos.

Changes in Depressive Symptoms, Perceived Stress, and Food Security Among Study Participants With Metabolic Syndrome During a COVID-19-Mandated Research Pause.

Introduction: We explored how depressive symptoms, perceived stress, and food security of people with metabolic syndrome (MetS) changed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: An online survey was administered from October 2019 through March 2020, to participants in a 2-year lifestyle intervention trial to reverse MetS; the survey was repeated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Outcomes were a change in depressive symptoms, perceived stress, and food security as measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8), Perceived Stress Scale, and US Department of Agriculture's 10-item Adult Food Security Module.

Food and Nutrition Security in Clinical Settings.

Food insecurity affects fourteen million American households. Due to the impact on health outcomes and costs of care, food insecurity is one of the leading health and nutrition issues in the U.S.

PCR amplicons identify widespread copy number variation in human centromeric arrays and instability in cancer.

Centromeric α-satellite repeats represent ~6% of the human genome, but their length and repetitive nature make sequencing and analysis of those regions challenging. However, centromeres are essential for the stable propagation of chromosomes, so tools are urgently needed to monitor centromere copy number and how it influences chromosome transmission and genome stability. We developed and benchmarked droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) assays that measure copy number for five human centromeric arrays.

Combined inhibition of RNA polymerase I and mTORC1/2 synergize to combat oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the major cause of morbidity and mortality in head and neck cancer patients worldwide. This malignant disease is challenging to treat because of the lack of effective curative strategies and the high incidence of recurrence. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of a single and dual approach targeting ribosome biogenesis and protein translation to treat OSCC associated with the copy number variation (CNV) of ribosomal DNA (rDNA).

Establishing a Multi-Institutional Quality and Patient Safety Consortium: Collaboration Across Affiliates in a Community-Based Medical School.

The landscape of health care delivery and medical education is evolving. Institutions must continually reassess priorities, strategies, and partnerships to align the knowledge and skills of the health care workforce with the delivery of quality, socially accountable, collaborative health care that meets the needs of diverse populations in communities. This article describes the development, implementation, and early outcomes of the University of Missouri-Kansas City's Health Care Quality and Patient Safety Consortium.

Childhood Obesity in the State of Missouri: A Review for Providers to Counsel and Treat Patients.

Childhood obesity is a common disease both nationally and in the state of Missouri. Obesity in childhood is often under-recognized and is difficult to treat. Screening, accurate diagnosis, and counseling is imperative to proper management.

TH2BS11ph histone mark is enriched in the unsynapsed axes of the XY body and predominantly associates with H3K4me3-containing genomic regions in mammalian spermatocytes.

Background: TH2B is a major histone variant that replaces about 80-85% of somatic H2B in mammalian spermatocytes and spermatids. The post-translational modifications (PTMs) on TH2B have been well characterised in spermatocytes and spermatids. However, the biological function(s) of these PTMs on TH2B have not been deciphered in great detail.

RUNX proteins desensitize multiple myeloma to lenalidomide via protecting IKZFs from degradation.

Ikaros family zinc finger protein 1 and 3 (IKZF1 and IKZF3) are transcription factors that promote multiple myeloma (MM) proliferation. The immunomodulatory imide drug (IMiD) lenalidomide promotes myeloma cell death via Cereblon (CRBN)-dependent ubiquitylation and proteasome-dependent degradation of IKZF1 and IKZF3. Although IMiDs have been used as first-line drugs for MM, the overall survival of refractory MM patients remains poor and demands the identification of novel agents to potentiate the therapeutic effect of IMiDs.

The ULK1-FBXW5-SEC23B nexus controls autophagy.

In response to nutrient deprivation, the cell mobilizes an extensive amount of membrane to form and grow the autophagosome, allowing the progression of autophagy. By providing membranes and stimulating LC3 lipidation, COPII (Coat Protein Complex II) promotes autophagosome biogenesis. Here, we show that the F-box protein FBXW5 targets SEC23B, a component of COPII, for proteasomal degradation and that this event limits the autophagic flux in the presence of nutrients.

A Structured Workflow for Mapping Human Sin3 Histone Deacetylase Complex Interactions Using Halo-MudPIT Affinity-Purification Mass Spectrometry.

Although a variety of affinity purification mass spectrometry (AP-MS) strategies have been used to investigate complex interactions, many of these are susceptible to artifacts because of substantial overexpression of the exogenously expressed bait protein. Here we present a logical and systematic workflow that uses the multifunctional Halo tag to assess the correct localization and behavior of tagged subunits of the Sin3 histone deacetylase complex prior to further AP-MS analysis. Using this workflow, we modified our tagging/expression strategy with 21.

Ribosomal DNA copy number loss and sequence variation in cancer.

Ribosomal DNA is one of the most variable regions in the human genome with respect to copy number. Despite the importance of rDNA for cellular function, we know virtually nothing about what governs its copy number, stability, and sequence in the mammalian genome due to challenges associated with mapping and analysis. We applied computational and droplet digital PCR approaches to measure rDNA copy number in normal and cancer states in human and mouse genomes.

PTEN counteracts FBXL2 to promote IP3R3- and Ca-mediated apoptosis limiting tumour growth.

In response to environmental cues that promote IP3 (inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate) generation, IP3 receptors (IP3Rs) located on the endoplasmic reticulum allow the 'quasisynaptical' feeding of calcium to the mitochondria to promote oxidative phosphorylation. However, persistent Ca release results in mitochondrial Ca overload and consequent apoptosis. Among the three mammalian IP3Rs, IP3R3 appears to be the major player in Ca-dependent apoptosis.

The TDH-GCN5L1-Fbxo15-KBP axis limits mitochondrial biogenesis in mouse embryonic stem cells.

Self-renewing naive mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) contain few mitochondria, which increase in number and volume at the onset of differentiation. KBP (encoded by Kif1bp) is an interactor of the mitochondrial-associated kinesin Kif1Bα. We found that TDH, responsible for mitochondrial production of acetyl-CoA in mESCs, and the acetyltransferase GCN5L1 cooperate to acetylate Lys501 in KBP, allowing its recognition by and degradation via Fbxo15, an F-box protein transcriptionally controlled by the pluripotency core factors and repressed following differentiation.