Search

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is an acute transboundary infectious viral disease of small ruminants, mainly sheep and goats. Host susceptibility varies considerably depending on the PPR virus (PPRV) strain, the host species and breed. The effect of strains with different levels of virulence on the modulation of the immune system has not been thoroughly compared in an experimental setting so far. In this study, we used a multi-omics approach to investigate the host cellular factors involved in different infection phenotypes. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from Saanen goats were activated with a T-cell mitogen and infected with PPRV strains of different virulence: Morocco 2008 (high virulence), Ivory Coast 1989 (low virulence) and Nigeria 75/1 (live attenuated vaccine strain). Our results showed that the highly virulent strain replicated better than the other two in PBMCs and rapidly induced cell death and a stronger inhibition of lymphocyte proliferation. However, all the strains affected lymphocyte proliferation and induced upregulation of key antiviral genes and proteins, meaning a classical antiviral response is orchestrated regardless of the virulence of the PPRV strain. On the other hand, the highly virulent strain induced stronger inflammatory responses and activated more genes related to lymphocyte migration and recruitment, and inflammatory processes. Both transcriptomic and proteomic approaches were successful in detecting viral and antiviral effectors under all conditions. The present work identified key immunological factors related to PPRV virulence in vitro.

To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the publication of Mina Shaughnessy's groundbreaking book, "Errors and Expectations," a roundtable discussion was held at the March 2007 Conference on College Composition and Communication in New York City. This article, based on the earlier discussion, examines the question of CUNY's multiple identities within the legacy of Shaughnessy, who coined the term "basic writing" and founded the Journal of Basic Writing in 1975. Composition theory and practice owe much to Shaughnessy's work at CUNY's City College in the 1970s against the backdrop of the University's experiment with Open Admissions. Although much has changed since then, CUNY is still associated with that rich historical moment, and with the questions Shaughnessy and others at the time confronted. These questions, which grapple with the very nature of literacy and democracy, need to be reframed for our times. Contributors to this article include scholars from a number of CUNY's 17 undergraduate colleges, each of whom begins with a quotation selected to focus attention on an issue of relevance today.

Lung-resident (LR) mesenchymal stem and stromal cells (MSCs) are key elements of the alveolar niche and fundamental regulators of homeostasis and regeneration. We interrogated their function during virus-induced lung injury using the highly prevalent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) which causes severe outcomes in infants. We applied complementary approaches with primary pediatric LR-MSCs and a state-of-the-art model of human RSV infection in lamb. Remarkably, RSV-infection of pediatric LR-MSCs led to a robust activation, characterized by a strong antiviral and pro-inflammatory phenotype combined with mediators related to T cell function. In line with this, following in vivo infection, RSV invades and activates LR-MSCs, resulting in the expansion of the pulmonary MSC pool. Moreover, the global transcriptional response of LR-MSCs appears to follow RSV disease, switching from an early antiviral signature to repair mechanisms including differentiation, tissue remodeling, and angiogenesis. These findings demonstrate the involvement of LR-MSCs during virus-mediated acute lung injury and may have therapeutic implications.

Clinical phenotyping of term and preterm labor is imprecise, and disagreement persists on categorization relative to underlying pathobiology, which remains poorly understood. We performed RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) of 31 specimens of human uterine myometrium from 10 term and 21 preterm cesarean deliveries with rich clinical context information. A molecular signature of 4814 transcripts stratified myometrial samples into quiescent (Q) and nonquiescent (NQ) phenotypes, independent of gestational age and incision site. Similar stratifications were achieved using expressed genes in Ca2+ signaling and TGF-β pathways. For maximal parsimony, we evaluated the expression of just 2 Ca2+ transporter genes, ATP2B4 (encoding PMCA4) and ATP2A2 (coding for SERCA2), and we found that their ratio reliably distinguished NQ and Q specimens in the current study, and also in 2 publicly available RNA-seq data sets (GSE50599 and GSE80172), with an overall AUC of 0.94. Cross-validation of the ATP2B4/ATP2A2 ratio by quantitative PCR in an expanded cohort (by 11 additional specimens) achieved complete separation (AUC of 1.00) of NQ versus Q specimens. While providing additional insight into the associations between clinical features of term and preterm labor and myometrial gene expression, our study also offers a practical algorithm for unbiased classification of myometrial biopsies by their overall contractile program.

The ongoing coronavirus disease 19s pandemic has yet again demonstrated the importance of the human-animal interface in the emergence of zoonotic diseases, and in particular the role of wildlife and livestock species as potential hosts and virus reservoirs. As most diseases emerge out of the human-animal interface, a better understanding of the specific drivers and mechanisms involved is crucial to prepare for future disease outbreaks. Interactions between wildlife and livestock systems contribute to the emergence of zoonotic diseases, especially in the face of globalization, habitat fragmentation and destruction and climate change. As several groups of viruses and bacteria are more likely to emerge, we focus on pathogenic viruses of the Bunyavirales, Coronaviridae, Flaviviridae, Orthomyxoviridae, and Paramyxoviridae, as well as bacterial species including Mycobacterium sp., Brucella sp., Bacillus anthracis and Coxiella burnetii. Noteworthy, it was difficult to predict the drivers of disease emergence in the past, even for well-known pathogens. Thus, an improved surveillance in hotspot areas and the availability of fast, effective, and adaptable control measures would definitely contribute to preparedness. We here propose strategies to mitigate the risk of emergence and/or re-emergence of prioritized pathogens to prevent future epidemics.

Simple Summary: Thrips are minute insects that, despite their small size, are one of the most damaging and challenging pests affecting ornamental crops. Ontario growers have observed a recent increase in thrips damage that was not adequately controlled by standard biological control programs developed for the primary pest species, Western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande)). This led to an assumption that biological control programs were no longer effective or suffered from quality control issues. Proper species identification is critical for successful pest management; however, efforts to identify thrips species in Canadian greenhouses have not been formally made since the 1980s. We sampled thrips communities from eight commercial floriculture greenhouses in the Niagara region (Ontario, Canada) from 2016 to 2019. A secondary species, onion thrips (Thrips tabaci Lindeman), constituted a large percentage of the species found in ornamental crops and appears to be largely responsible for increased crop damage. The recent interception of other exotic thrips species found in ornamental crops further heightens the need for prompt identification when unusual damage or outbreaks occur. As traditional taxonomic keys are inaccessible to non-specialists due to their technical difficulty, we developed a simplified identification key for use by growers and IPM consultants. Proper species identification is the keystone of successful integrated pest management (IPM). However, efforts to identify thrips species in Canadian greenhouses have not been formally made since the 1980s. In response to recent increases in crop damage, we sampled thrips communities from eight commercial floriculture greenhouses in the Niagara region (Ontario, Canada) from May until August 2016. Selected sites were revisited in 2017, 2018, and 2019 to determine changes in species composition over time. Western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande)), along with onion thrips (Thrips tabaci Lindeman), constituted the majority of species found. Other pest species (less than 8% of specimens across all sampling years) included poinsettia thrips (Echinothrips americanus Morgan), chrysanthemum thrips (Thrips nigropilosus Uzel), and Frankliniella fusca (Hinds). Further investigations of thrips outbreaks in Ontario from 2016 to 2023 revealed other important species, including Thrips parvispinus (Karny), Hercinothrips femoralis (Reuter), and Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood. The current biocontrol strategies used in Ontario floriculture crops for western flower thrips do not adequately control onion thrips or other thrips pests in ornamental crops, making identification a fundamental step in determining whether biocontrol or chemical control strategies should be implemented. However, traditional taxonomic keys are inaccessible to non-specialists due to their technical difficulty. Using the data gathered in these surveys, we developed a simplified, illustrated identification key for use by growers and IPM consultants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The packing of spheres, disks and other simple shapes into arrays on surfaces is relevant to many problems across the physical sciences. Here the authors study the influence of flexibility and reduced symmetry on the packing of porphyrin nanorings which are deposited from solution onto a graphite surface.

Insulating hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) is theoretically expected to undergo a crossover to a direct bandgap in the monolayer limit. Here, the authors perform optical spectroscopy measurements on atomically thin epitaxial hBN providing indications of the presence of a direct gap of energy 6.1 eV in the single atomic layer.

Semiconducting polymers are widely used in optoelectronic devices, in which their microstructure informs function. Here, the authors are able to resolve the molecular and sub-molecular ordering of polythiophene strands and thin films using atomic force microscopy, a significant step towards correlating polymer structure with device performance.

Santiago Herce Castañón and colleagues show that people are blind to mental errors that arise when combining multiple pieces of discordant information. This blindness helps explain why cognitive judgements often are suboptimal.

Amniotic fluid embolus is a rare and life threatening peripartum complication that requires quick recognition and emergent interdisciplinary management to provide the best chance of a positive outcome for the mother and infant. The following case study demonstrates the importance of quick recognition as well as an interdisciplinary approach in caring for such a condition. A literature review regarding the current recommendations for management of this condition follows as well as a proposed treatment algorithm.

Vaccines are essential to control the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and to protect the vulnerable population. However, one safety concern of vaccination is the possible development of antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The potential infection of Fc receptor bearing cells such as macrophages, would support continued virus replication and inflammatory responses, and thereby potentially worsen the clinical outcome of COVID-19. Here we demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV neither infect human monocyte-derived macrophages (hMDM) nor induce inflammatory cytokines in these cells, in sharp contrast to Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus and the common cold human coronavirus 229E. Furthermore, serum from convalescent COVID-19 patients neither induced enhancement of SARS-CoV-2 infection nor innate immune response in hMDM. Although, hMDM expressed angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, no or very low levels of transmembrane protease serine 2 were found. These results support the view that ADE may not be involved in the immunopathological processes associated with COVID-19, however, more studies are necessary to understand the potential contribution of antibodies-virus complexes with other cells expressing FcR receptors.

This case reports on a critically ill patient (Male, 74) with severe subcutaneous emphysema which progressed to causing respiratory distress. We document both the severity of the condition we observed and then present a novel intervention. In this case, we decompressed the patient at the intensive care unit-bedside and resolved the condition. While subcutaneous emphysema is relatively common, the severity of the condition we observed, and the lack of definitive treatment guidance have prompted us to present this case as a plausible treatment guide.