Oral SARS-CoV-2 reduction by local treatment: A plasma technology application?

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic reemphasized the importance of and need for efficient hygiene and disinfection measures. The coronavirus' efficient spread capitalizes on its airborne transmission routes via virus aerosol release from human oral and nasopharyngeal cavities. Besides the upper respiratory tract, efficient viral replication has been described in the epithelium of these two body cavities.

Dung-visiting beetle diversity is mainly affected by land use, while community specialization is driven by climate.

Dung beetles are important actors in the self-regulation of ecosystems by driving nutrient cycling, bioturbation, and pest suppression. Urbanization and the sprawl of agricultural areas, however, destroy natural habitats and may threaten dung beetle diversity. In addition, climate change may cause shifts in geographical distribution and community composition.

Assessing synergistic effect of Jerusalem Artichoke juice and antioxidant compounds on enhanced viability and persistence of species, palatability, and shelf life.

Commercial vegetable and fruit juices with probiotics are new functional type of beverages; however, limitations including persistence and impact of probiotic bacteria on palatability and shelf life may prevent their industrial development. This study evaluated the effect of antioxidant compounds (ascorbic acid, astaxanthin, and ginseng) on viability and persistence of spp. in Jerusalem Artichoke (JA) juice; and determine the impact of these antioxidants on the sensory (color, texture, flavor, acidity) properties, free reducing sugar (inulin and fructose), and shelf life in the fortified JA juice.

Zoning has little impact on the seasonal diel activity and distribution patterns of wild boar () in an UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

Understanding the spatio-temporal distribution of ungulates is important for effective wildlife management, particularly for economically and ecologically important species such as wild boar (). Wild boars are generally considered to exhibit substantial behavioral flexibility, but it is unclear how their behavior varies across different conservation management regimes and levels of human pressure. To analyze if and how wild boars adjust their space use or their temporal niche, we surveyed wild boars across the core and buffer zones (collectively referred to as the conservation zone) and the transition zone of a biosphere reserve.

Adaptive and nonadaptive plasticity in changing environments: Implications for sexual species with different life history strategies.

Populations adapt to novel environmental conditions by genetic changes or phenotypic plasticity. Plastic responses are generally faster and can buffer fitness losses under variable conditions. Plasticity is typically modeled as random noise and linear reaction norms that assume simple one-to-one genotype-phenotype maps and no limits to the phenotypic response.

Trophic level and basal resource use of soil animals are hardly affected by local plant associations in abandoned arable land.

Plants provide resources and shape the habitat of soil organisms thereby affecting the composition and functioning of soil communities. Effects of plants on soil communities are largely taxon-dependent, but how different functional groups of herbaceous plants affect trophic niches of individual animal species in soil needs further investigation. Here, we studied the use of basal resources and trophic levels of dominating soil meso- and macrofauna using stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen in arable fallow systems 3 and 14-16 years after abandonment.

Evolutionary significance of the variation in acoustic communication of a cryptic nocturnal primate radiation ( spp.).

Acoustic phenotypic variation is of major importance for speciation and the evolution of species diversity. Whereas selective and stochastic forces shaping the acoustic divergence of signaling systems are well studied in insects, frogs, and birds, knowledge on the processes driving acoustic phenotypic evolution in mammals is limited. We quantified the acoustic variation of a call type exchanged during agonistic encounters across eight distinct species of the smallest-bodied nocturnal primate radiation, the Malagasy mouse lemurs.

A companion to the preclinical common data elements for pharmacologic studies in animal models of seizures and epilepsy. A Report of the TASK3 Pharmacology Working Group of the ILAE/AES Joint Translational Task Force.

Preclinical pharmacology studies in animal models of seizures and epilepsy have provided a platform to identify more than 20 antiseizure drugs in recent decades. To minimize variability in lab-to-lab studies and to harmonize approaches to data collection and reporting methodology in pharmacologic evaluations of the next generation of therapies, we present common data elements (CDEs), case report forms (CRFs), and this companion manuscript to help with the implementation of methods for studies in established preclinical seizure and epilepsy models in adult rodents. The development of and advocacy for CDEs in preclinical research has been encouraged previously by both clinical and preclinical groups.

Genomic and phenotypic signatures of climate adaptation in an lizard.

Integrated knowledge on phenotype, physiology, and genomic adaptations is required to understand the effects of climate on evolution. The functional genomic basis of organismal adaptation to changes in the abiotic environment, its phenotypic consequences, and its possible convergence across vertebrates are still understudied. In this study, we use a comparative approach to verify predicted gene functions for vertebrate thermal adaptation with observed functions underlying repeated genomic adaptations in response to elevation in the lizard .

CD4 T Cell Dependent Colitis Exacerbation Following Re-Exposure of ssp. .

ssp. (MAP) is the causative agent of Johne's disease (JD), a chronic inflammatory bowel disease of cattle characterized by intermittent to chronic diarrhea. In addition, MAP has been isolated from Crohn's disease (CD) patients.

Interaction of Bacterial Exotoxins with Neutrophil Extracellular Traps: Impact for the Infected Host.

Since their discovery in 2004, neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) have been characterized as a fundamental host innate immune defense against various pathogens. Released in response to infectious and pro-inflammatory stimuli, NETs can immobilize invading pathogens within a fibrous matrix consisting of DNA, histones, and antimicrobial peptides. Conversely, excessive or dysregulated NET release may hold a variety of detrimental consequences for the host.

Recovering full-length viral genomes from metagenomes.

Infectious disease metagenomics is driven by the question: "what is causing the disease?" in contrast to classical metagenome studies which are guided by "what is out there?" In case of a novel virus, a first step to eventually establishing etiology can be to recover a full-length viral genome from a metagenomic sample. However, retrieval of a full-length genome of a divergent virus is technically challenging and can be time-consuming and costly. Here we discuss different assembly and fragment linkage strategies such as iterative assembly, motif searches, k-mer frequency profiling, coverage profile binning, and other strategies used to recover genomes of potential viral pathogens in a timely and cost-effective manner.

Glia in the cytokine-mediated onset of depression: fine tuning the immune response.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a mood disorder of multifactorial origin affecting millions of people worldwide. The alarming estimated rates of prevalence and relapse make it a global public health concern. Moreover, the current setback of available antidepressants in the clinical setting is discouraging.

FurA contributes to the oxidative stress response regulation of Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis.

The ferric uptake regulator A (FurA) is known to be involved in iron homeostasis and stress response in many bacteria. In mycobacteria the precise role of FurA is still unclear. In the presented study, we addressed the functional role of FurA in the ruminant pathogen Mycobacterium avium ssp.

Assembly of viral genomes from metagenomes.

Viral infections remain a serious global health issue. Metagenomic approaches are increasingly used in the detection of novel viral pathogens but also to generate complete genomes of uncultivated viruses. In silico identification of complete viral genomes from sequence data would allow rapid phylogenetic characterization of these new viruses.

Functional promiscuity in a mammalian chemosensory system: extensive expression of vomeronasal receptors in the main olfactory epithelium of mouse lemurs.

The vomeronasal organ (VNO) is functional in most terrestrial mammals, though progressively reduced in the primate lineage, and is used for intraspecific communication and predator recognition. Vomeronasal receptor (VR) genes comprise two families of chemosensory genes (V1R and V2R) that have been considered to be specific for the VNO. However, recently a large number of VRs were reported to be expressed in the main olfactory epithelium (MOE) of mice, but there is little knowledge of the expression of these genes outside of rodents.

The Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis specific mptD gene is required for maintenance of the metabolic homeostasis necessary for full virulence in mouse infections.

Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) causes Johne's disease, a chronic granulomatous enteritis in ruminants. Furthermore, infections of humans with MAP have been reported and a possible association with Crohn's disease and diabetes type I is currently discussed. MAP owns large sequence polymorphisms (LSPs) that were exclusively found in this mycobacteria species.

Comparison of non-coding RNAs in human and canine cancer.

The discovery of the post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS) by small non-protein-coding RNAs is considered as a major breakthrough in biology. In the last decade we just started to realize the biologic function and complexity of gene regulation by small non-coding RNAs. PTGS is a conserved phenomenon which was observed in various species such as fungi, worms, plants, and mammals.

Colonization properties of Campylobacter jejuni in chickens.

Campylobacter is the most common bacterial food-borne pathogen worldwide. Poultry and specifically chicken and raw chicken meat is the main source for human Campylobacter infection. Whilst being colonized by Campylobacter spp.