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Terrapene carolina and Terrapene ornata are sympatric in Missouri, but they tend to occupy different habitats. There is also disparity in their diets, with T. carolina tending to be more herbivorous than T. ornata. Differences in diet and habitat may require different digestive physiologies between species. We investigated the ability of these species to digest three different pure diets of fruit (blackberry, mayapple, and strawberry). Diet type had a significant effect on digestive efficiency and gut transit rate. We found T. carolina had significantly longer gut transit times than did T. ornata when fed strawberry diets but not when fed blackberry and mayapple diets. Terrapene ornata had significantly higher digestive efficiency than did T. carolina for mayapple diets but not for strawberry and blackberries diets. This study suggests that diet- dependent differences in digestive ability exist between these turtle species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated. Despite differential changes between groups in variables such as REE, lean muscle mass, and percent body fat, only lower body strength was shown to be improved via supplementation during resistance training. Participants were matched based on lean mass and randomly assigned to consume either a placebo (PL) or the dietary supplement Iron Cuts (IC). [Extracted from the article]

Dietary supplementation is commonly employed by individuals seeking to improve body composition and exercise performance. The purpose of the present study was to examine the safety and effectiveness of a commercially available dietary supplement designed to promote thermogenesis and fat loss. In a randomized double-blind trial, participants were assigned to consume placebo or a multi-ingredient supplement containing caffeine, green tea extract, l-carnitine, evodiamine and other ingredients that purportedly enhance thermogenesis. The study included acute baseline testing, a 6-week progressive resistance training and supplementation intervention, and post-intervention testing. Laboratory assessments included resting energy expenditure responses to acute supplement ingestion, evaluation of body composition and muscular performance, and analysis of blood variables (metabolic panel, testosterone, estrogen and cortisol). Dependent variables were analyzed using ANOVA with repeated measures. No unfavorable effects of supplementation were reported, and the supplement did not adversely affect safety markers. However, the supplement did not reduce fat mass or increase lean mass relative to placebo. In the supplement group, lower body maximal strength was increased relative to placebo (+18%, d=1.1 vs. +10%, d=0.5), and cortisol concentrations were decreased relative to placebo (-16%; d=-0.4 vs. +15%, d=.75). However, no differences were observed for upper body maximal strength or muscular endurance. REE increased in response to both supplement and placebo ingestion (placebo: +5%; supplement: +11.5%), but the difference between conditions was not statistically significant. Overall, some select parameters may have been beneficially modified by supplementation, but this did not result in superior weight or fat loss over 6 weeks of supplementation and resistance training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although immune check-point inhibitors (CPIs) revolutionized treatment of Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), patients with CPI-refractory MCC lack effective therapy. More than 80% of MCC express T-antigens encoded by Merkel cell polyomavirus, which is an ideal target for T-cell receptor (TCR)-based immunotherapy. However, MCC often repress HLA expression, requiring additional strategies to reverse the downregulation for allowing T cells to recognize their targets. We identified TCR MCC1 that recognizes a T-antigen epitope restricted to human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A*02:01. Seven CPI-refractory metastatic MCC patients received CD4 and CD8 T cells transduced with TCR MCC1 (T TCR-MCC1 ) preceded either by lymphodepleting chemotherapy or an HLA-upregulating regimen (single-fraction radiation therapy (SFRT) or systemic interferon gamma (IFNγ)) with concurrent avelumab. Two patients who received preceding SFRT and IFNγ respectively experienced tumor regression. One experienced regression of 13/14 subcutaneous lesions with 1 'escape' lesion and the other had delayed tumor regression in all lesions after initial progression. Although T TCR-MCC1 cells with an activated phenotype infiltrated tumors including the 'escape' lesion, all progressing lesions transcriptionally lacked HLA expression. While SFRT/IFNγ did not immediately upregulate tumor HLA expression, a secondary endogenous antigen-specific T cell infiltrate was detected in one of the regressing tumors and associated with HLA upregulation, indicating in situ immune responses have the potential to reverse HLA downregulation. Indeed, supplying a strong co-stimulatory signal via a CD200R-CD28 switch receptor allows T TCR-MCC1 cells to control HLA-downregulated MCC cells in a xenograft mouse model, upregulating HLA expression. Our results demonstrate the potential of TCR gene therapy for metastatic MCC and propose a next strategy for overcoming epigenetic downregulation of HLA in MCC., Competing Interests: M. McAfee, P. Nghiem, T. Schmitt and A. G. Chapuis are inventors on Fred Hutchinson patents related to the MCPyV TCR (patent no. 17-085-US-PCT) used in these studies. A. G. Chapuis received research funding through cooperative research and development agreements with bluebird Bio and Affini-T Therapeutics.