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Curricular guidelines promote standardized approaches to coverage of essential knowledge and skills in undergraduate education. The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Microbiology were developed in 2012. Continuous, rapid growth of knowledge in science and a dynamic, changing world necessitate updates to these guidelines. As such, ASM formed a task force in the summer of 2022. The task force assessed the 2012 ASM Curriculum Guidelines considering advancements in technology, an understanding of an expanded role of microbes, and a broader scope addressing relevant social and environmental aspects of microbiology. Language in the updated guidelines was also modified to better include eukaryotic microbes, viruses, and other acellular microbes. The task force formed working groups, each aimed at revising specific sections of the 2012 ASM Curriculum Guidelines. The revisions to the ASM Curriculum Guidelines were reviewed by subject matter experts and education stakeholders. Feedback from this peer review was incorporated into the updated guidelines, and further comments were solicited from the ASM Conference of Undergraduate Educators (ASMCUE) attendees in November 2023 before these guidelines were finalized. In this article, we describe the rationale and development of updated ASM Curriculum Guidelines which identify foundational concepts that will serve to improve microbial literacy and that can be expanded upon to address more advanced and specialized topics.

Higher serum cholesterol levels have been associated with an increased risk of dry eye disease (DED). The relationship between statin (HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor) use and DED in patients with hyperlipidemia remains unclear. To investigate the association between statin use and the risk of DED in patients with hyperlipidemia, we conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study utilizing data from Taiwan's Longitudinal Generation Tracking Database. Patients were categorized into statin users and nonusers, with a 5-year follow-up period. The study identified patients with newly diagnosed hyperlipidemia, excluding those with prior DED diagnoses. Matching and adjustments for covariates resulted in 41,931 individuals in each group. Patients receiving statin therapy were compared with those unexposed. Cumulative exposure doses were also evaluated to assess dose-response relationships. The primary outcome was the incidence of DED diagnosed during the follow-up period. Cox proportional hazards regression models estimated the risk of DED, and conditional logistic regression analyzed the dose-response effect of statin exposure. Among 41,931 matched pairs, statin users exhibited a slightly increased risk of developing DED compared with nonusers (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.02-1.11; p < 0.01). However, no dose-response relationship was observed between statin exposure and DED risk. Statin use among patients with hyperlipidemia is associated with a marginally higher risk of DED. These findings underscore the importance of regular eye examinations in this patient population to facilitate early detection and management of DED., (© 2024 The Author(s). Clinical and Translational Science published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.)

A frequently invoked explanation for the sharing of false over true political information is that partisans are motivated by their reputations. In particular, it is often argued that by indiscriminately sharing news that is favorable to one's political party, regardless of whether it is true-or perhaps especially when it is not true-partisans can signal loyalty to their group, and improve their reputations in the eyes of their online networks. Across three survey studies (total N = 3,038), and an analysis of over 26,000 tweets, we explored these hypotheses by measuring the reputational benefits that people anticipate and receive from sharing different content online. In the survey studies, we showed participants actual news headlines that varied in (ⅰ) veracity, and (ⅱ) favorability to their preferred political party. Across all three studies, participants anticipated that sharing true news would bring more reputational benefits than sharing false news. Critically, while participants also expected greater reputational benefits for sharing news favorable to their party, the perceived reputation value of veracity was no smaller for more favorable headlines. We found a similar pattern when analyzing engagement on Twitter: among headlines that were politically favorable to a user's preferred party, true headlines elicited more approval than false headlines., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of National Academy of Sciences.)

Objective: To investigate the effect of higher cumulative defined daily dose per year (cDDD/y) compared with lower cDDD/y of statin use in the incidence of any joint osteoarthritis (OA)., Design: In this population-based retrospective cohort study, patients who were aged ≥40 years were newly initiated on statin therapy between 2002 and 2011, and had a statin prescription for ≥90 days in the first year of treatment were identified from the 2000 Longitudinal Generation Tracking Database. All patients were separated into groups with higher cDDD/y (>120 cDDD/y) and lower cDDD/y (≤120 cDDD/y; as an active comparator) values. Propensity score matching was performed to balance potential confounders. All recruited patients were followed up for 8 years. Marginal Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate time-to-event outcomes of OA., Results: Compared with lower cDDD/y use, higher cDDD/y use did not reduce the risk of any joint OA (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.07; 95% confidence interval, 0.99-1.14). Dose-related analysis did not reveal any dose-dependent association. A series of sensitivity analyses showed similar results. Joint-specific analyses revealed that statin did not reduce the incidence of knee, hand, hip, and weight-bearing (knee or hip) OA., Conclusions: Higher cDDD/y statin use did not reduce the risk of OA in this Taiwanese nationwide cohort study. The complexity of OA pathogenesis might contribute to the ineffectiveness of statin. Repurposing statin with its anti-inflammation properties might be ineffective for OA development, and balancing the catabolism and anabolism of cartilage might be a major strategy for OA prevention., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Background: The lipid-lowering and anti-inflammatory effects of statins and fibrates may ameliorate periodontitis. Patients with hyperlipidemia tend to have a worse periodontal status. This study assessed the association between the use of statins/fibrates and the incidence of chronic periodontitis in patients with hyperlipidemia in Taiwan., Methods: This retrospective cohort study enrolled patients newly diagnosed with hyperlipidemia between 2001 and 2012 from the 2000 Longitudinal Generation Tracking Database and followed them for 5 years. The study population was divided into four groups: statin monotherapy, fibrate monotherapy, combination therapy (both statins and fibrates), and control (neither statins nor fibrates). Each patient in the treatment group was matched at a ratio of 1:1 with a control. Chronic periodontitis risk was compared in the three study arms by using a Cox proportional hazard model., Results: Chronic periodontitis risk was reduced by 25.7% in the combination therapy group compared with the control group (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 0.743; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.678-0.815). Low dose (<360 cumulative defined daily dose [cDDD]) and shorter duration (<2 years) of statin monotherapy seem to be associated with an increased risk of chronic periodontitis; high dose (≥720 cDDD/≥1080 cDDD) and longer duration (≥3 years) of statin/fibrate monotherapy may be correlated with a lower risk of periodontitis. Hydrophobic statin users had a lower chronic periodontitis risk than hydrophilic statin users., Conclusion: Chronic periodontitis risk was lower in patients with hyperlipidemia on combination treatment with statins and fibrates, and the risk decreased when patients used statins or fibrates for >3 years., (© 2023 American Academy of Periodontology.)

There are places on earth that are considered to possess extreme physico-chemical characteristics as they relate to life. Surprisingly, there are microbes that have adapted various strategies that enable them to form robust communities in these environments. The microbes that live in these environments, called extremophiles, are described as being thermophilic, psychrophilic, halophilic, acidophilic, alkaliphilic, barophilic, and so on. Given that extremophiles were not discovered until relatively recently due to a view point that the environments in which they inhabited were not conducive to life, it is reasonable to conclude that the concept of extremophiles may be hard to grasp for students. Herein is described a laboratory exercise adapted from laboratory exercises that use mesophilic catalase enzymes to illustrate the influence of physico-chemical parameters on enzyme activity. Catalase is an enzyme that accelerates the degradation of hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen gas. In addition to mesophilic catalases, the catalase from Pyrobaculum calidifontis , a hyperthermophile with an optimal growth temperature of 90°C, is used to highlight the adaptation of an enzyme to an extreme environment. A visual comparison of bubble production by the hyperthermophilic and mesophilic enzymes after heating at high temperatures dramatically illustrates differences in thermostability that will likely reinforce concepts that are given in a pre-laboratory lecture that discusses not only the extremophiles themselves but also their applications in biotechnology and possible role in the field of astrobiology., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Differences in coloration between the sexes (sexual dichromatism) can increase or decrease in a species through evolutionary changes in either or both sexes diverging or converging in their colors. Few previous studies, however, have examined the relative rates of such changes, particularly when dichromatism is lost. Using reflectance data from 37 species of the New World blackbird family (Icteridae), we compared evolutionary rates of plumage color change in males and females when dichromatism was either increasing (colors diverging) or decreasing (colors converging). Increases in dichromatism involved divergent changes in both sexes at approximately equal rates. Decreases in dichromatism, in contrast, involved changes in females to match male plumage colors that were significantly more rapid than any changes in males. Such dramatic changes in females show how selection can differ between the sexes. Moreover, these evolutionary patterns support the idea that losses of dimorphism involve genetic mechanisms that are already largely present in both sexes, whereas increases in dimorphism tend to involve the appearance of novel sex-specific traits, which evolve more slowly. Our results have broad implications for how sexual dimorphisms evolve., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Society for the Study of Evolution (SSE). All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Tenets of high-quality out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) resuscitation include early recognition and treatment of shockable rhythms, and minimizing interruptions in compressions. Little is known about how use of a mechanical compression device affects these elements. We hypothesize that use of such a device is associated with prolonged pauses in compressions to apply the device, and long compression intervals overall., Methods: We systematically abstracted CPR metrics from 4 months of adult non-traumatic OHCA cases, each of which had at least 10 minutes of resuscitation, used a LUCAS device, and had a valid monitor file attached to the patient care report. Our primary outcomes of interest were the duration of each pause in compressions and the duration of compressions between pauses, stratified by whether or not the LUCAS device was used/applied during the segment. Each pause was further evaluated for a possible associated procedure based on pre-defined criteria. Descriptive statistics, chi-square, and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used as appropriate., Results: Fifty-eight cases were included, median age 62.5 years (IQR 49.3-70.8), 47% female, 66% nonwhite. Overall, 633 compression-pause segments were analyzed (517 with and 116 without LUCAS applied). Spacing of pauses was significantly longer with the LUCAS than without [median (IQR) 133 (82-213) seconds vs. 38 (18-62) seconds, p  < 0.05]. When using a LUCAS, compressions were continuous for at least 3 min in 166/517 segments, at least 4 min in 89/517 segments, and at least 5 min in 56/517 segments. Without a LUCAS, compressions were longer than 3 min in 7/116 segments. Pauses exceeded 10 s more frequently with LUCAS application (32/38) than airway management or defibrillation (27/80, p  < 0.05). Peri-LUCAS pauses exceeded 30 s in 6/38 cases., Conclusion: LUCAS use was associated with long compression intervals without identifiable pauses to assess for pulse or cardiac rhythm, and device application was associated with longer pauses than airway management or defibrillation. The clinical significance and effect on patient outcomes remain uncertain and require further study.

Introduction: The presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) in wastewater has been proposed as a sentinel surveillance epidemiological tool for detection of infectious disease at a community level and as a complementary approach to syndromic surveillance of infectious disease outbreaks. We have designed a study to test the presence and quantity of SARS-CoV2, the virus responsible for COVID19, in the wastewater treatment facility (WWTF) of the U.S. Air Force Academy., Materials and Methods: Wastewater samples were tested in the laboratory to quantify the amount of SARS-CoV2 RNA using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Raw SARS-CoV2 viral titer in wastewater was normalized to the viral titer of a fecal marker, pepper mild mottle virus, to correct for dilutions. Temporal and spatial trends of COVID19 were analyzed. Furthermore, we compared wastewater analysis results against clinical data to assist public health decisions., Results: Preliminary data suggest that wastewater analysis can provide temporal and spatial trends of COVID19. The geographically discrete WWTF at the U.S. Air Force suggests that wastewater testing is a useful approach to developing a comprehensive sentinel surveillance system., Conclusions: Together with ongoing syndromic surveillance data, this proof-of-concept study seeks to determine whether early detection of SARS-CoV2 in a closed system WWTF correlates to changes in community and clinically reported COVID19. The well-documented population served by the geographically discrete WWTF at the U.S. Air Force Academy may serve to better elucidate the adjunctive role of wastewater testing in a comprehensive surveillance system. These results may be of particular interest to the DoD and local commanders given the WWTFs under their immediate control and the information that these studies may provide in support of operational readiness through early detection of disease outbreaks., (Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States 2023. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.)

Reputation is a powerful driver of human behavior. Reputation systems incentivize 'actors' to take reputation-enhancing actions, and 'evaluators' to reward actors with positive reputations by preferentially cooperating with them. This article proposes a reputation framework that centers the perspective of evaluators by suggesting that reputation systems can create two fundamentally different incentives for evaluators to reward positive reputations. Evaluators may be pulled towards 'good' actors to benefit directly from their reciprocal cooperation, or pushed to cooperate with such actors by normative pressure. I discuss how psychology and behavior might diverge under pull versus push mechanisms, and use this framework to deepen our understanding of the empirical reputation literature and suggest ways that we may better leverage reputation for social good., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The author declares no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: The aim of this study was to demonstrate the biomechanical properties in different abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) presentations of real-life patients. We used the actual 3D geometry of the AAAs under analysis and a realistic, nonlinearly elastic biomechanical model., Materials and Methods: Three patients with different clinical scenarios (R: rupture, S: symptomatic, and A: asymptomatic) with infrarenal aortic aneurysms were studied. Factors affecting aneurysm behavior such as morphology, wall shear stress (WSS), pressure, and velocities were studied and analyzed using steady state computer fluid dynamics using SolidWorks (Dassault Systems SolidWorksCorp., Waltham, Massachusetts)., Results: When analyzing the WSS, Patient R and Patient A had a decrease in the pressure in the bottom-back region compared with the body of the aneurysm. In contrast, WSS values appeared to be the most uniform across the entire aneurysm in Patient S. Furthermore, Patient A had focal small surface regions with high WSS values. The overall WSS in the unruptured aneurysms (Patient S and Patient A) were a lot higher than in the ruptured 1 (Patient R). All 3 patients showed a pressure gradient, being high at the top and low at the bottom. All patients had pressure values 20 times smaller in the iliac arteries compared with the neck of the aneurysm. The overall maximum pressure was similar between Patient R and Patient A, higher than the maximum pressure of Patient S., Conclusions: Computed fluid dynamics was implemented in anatomically accurate models of AAAs in different clinical scenarios for obtaining a broader understanding of the biomechanical properties that determine the behavior of AAA. Further analysis and the inclusion of new metrics and technological tools are needed to accurately determine the key factors that will compromise the integrity of the patient's aneurysms anatomy., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Punishing wrongdoers can confer reputational benefits, and people sometimes punish without careful consideration. But are these observations related? Does reputation drive people to people to "punish without looking"? And if so, is this because unquestioning punishment looks particularly virtuous? To investigate, we assigned "Actors" to decide whether to sign punitive petitions about politicized issues ("punishment"), after first deciding whether to read articles opposing these petitions ("looking"). To manipulate reputation, we matched Actors with copartisan "Evaluators," varying whether Evaluators observed i) nothing about Actors' behavior, ii) whether Actors punished, or iii) whether Actors punished and whether they looked. Across four studies of Americans (total n = 10,343), Evaluators rated Actors more positively, and financially rewarded them, if they chose to (vs. not to) punish. Correspondingly, making punishment observable to Evaluators (i.e., moving from our first to second condition) drove Actors to punish more overall. Furthermore, because some of these individuals did not look, making punishment observable increased rates of punishment without looking. Yet punishers who eschewed opposing perspectives did not appear particularly virtuous. In fact, Evaluators preferred Actors who punished with (vs. without) looking. Correspondingly, making looking observable (i.e., moving from our second to third condition) drove Actors to look more overall-and to punish without looking at comparable or diminished rates. We thus find that reputation can encourage reflexive punishment-but simply as a byproduct of generally encouraging punishment, and not as a specific reputational strategy. Indeed, rather than fueling unquestioning decisions, spotlighting punishers' decision-making processes may encourage reflection.

Several studies have indicated that lipoproteins might contribute to the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In this population-based retrospective cohort study, patients with hyperlipidemia were divided into two groups (study groups I and II) based on whether or not they were receiving antihyperlipidemic agents. The comparison group included patients without hyperlipidemia who were randomly selected and matched with study group II patients. A Cox proportional hazard model was used to evaluate the risk of AMD among the groups. Patients with hyperlipidemia receiving antihyperlipidemic agents (study group I, n = 15,482) had a significantly increased AMD risk (adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 1.23, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.04-1.45) compared to those not receiving antihyperlipidemic agents (study group II, n = 15,482). However, with an increase in cumulative exposure, a reduced risk of AMD was observed in patients using a defined daily dose of more than 721, with an adjusted HR of 0.34 (95% CI = 0.22-0.53, p < 0.001). Additionally, the adjusted HR of AMD for study group II was 1.40 (95% CI = 1.20-1.63, p < 0.001) relative to the comparison group (n = 61,928). In conclusion, the study results indicated that patients with hyperlipidemia have a higher AMD risk than patients without hyperlipidemia. Furthermore, patients with hyperlipidemia who received antihyperlipidemic agents had a significantly increased AMD risk. However, a dose-dependent reduction in the risk of AMD was observed in patients with hyperlipidemia using statins or/and fibrates.

Background: Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) is a clinically critical pathogen that causes severe infection. Due to improper antibiotic administration, the prevalence of CRKP infection has been increasing considerably. In recent years, the utilization of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has enabled the identification of bacterial isolates at the families and species level. Moreover, machine learning (ML) classifiers based on MALDI-TOF MS have been recently considered a novel method to detect clinical antimicrobial-resistant pathogens., Methods: A total of 2683 isolates (369 CRKP cases and 2314 carbapenem-susceptible Klebsiella pneumoniae [CSKP]) collected in the clinical laboratories of Taipei Medical University Hospital (TMUH) were included in this study, and 80% of data was split into the training data set that were submitted for the ML model. The remaining 20% of data was used as the independent data set for external validation. In this study, we established an artificial neural network (ANN) model to analyze all potential peaks on mass spectrum simultaneously., Results: Our artificial neural network model for detecting CRKP isolates showed the best performance of area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC = 0.91) and of area under precision-recall curve (AUPRC = 0.90). Furthermore, we proposed the top 15 potential biomarkers in probable CRKP isolates at 2480, 4967, 12,362, 12,506, 12,855, 14,790, 15,730, 16,176, 16,218, 16,758, 16,919, 17,091, 18,142, 18,998, and 19,095 Da., Conclusions: Compared with the prior MALDI-TOF and machine learning studies of CRKP, the amount of data in our study was more sufficient and allowing us to conduct external validation. With better generalization abilities, our artificial neural network model can serve as a reliable screening tool for CRKP isolates in clinical practice. Integrating our model into the current workflow of clinical laboratories can assist the rapid identification of CRKP before the completion of traditional antimicrobial susceptibility testing. The combination of MADLI-TOF MS and machine learning techniques can support physicians in selecting suitable antibiotics, which has the potential to enhance the patients' outcomes and lower the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Objective: To investigate the association between statin use and risk of gout in patients with hyperlipidemia. Methods: In this population-based retrospective cohort study, patients ≥20 years and diagnosed as having incident hyperlipidemia between 2001 and 2012 were identified from the 2000 Longitudinal Generation Tracking Database in Taiwan. Regular statin users (incident statin use, having 2 times and ≥90 days of prescription for the first year) and two active comparators [irregular statin use and other lipid-lowering agent (OLLA) use] were compared; the patients were followed up until the end of 2017. Propensity score matching was applied to balance potential confounders. Time-to-event outcomes of gout and dose- and duration-related associations were estimated using marginal Cox proportional hazard models. Results: Regular statin use non-significantly reduced gout risk compared with irregular statin use (aHR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.90-1.01) and OLLA use (aHR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.84-1.04). However, a protective effect was noted for a cumulative defined daily dose (cDDD) of >720 (aHR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.47-0.69 compared with irregular statin use and aHR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.34-0.67 compared with OLLA use) or a therapy duration of >3 years (aHR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.64-0.90 compared with irregular statin use and aHR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.37-0.68 compared with OLLA use). Dose- and duration-dependent associations were consistent in the 5-year sensitivity analyses. Conclusion: Although statin use was not associated with a reduction in gout risk, the protective benefit was observed in those receiving higher cumulative doses or with a longer therapy duration., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Lin, Lin, Lin, Keller and Wang.)

Background: Clinical guidelines for adult out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) recommend a ventilation rate of 8-10 per minute yet acknowledge that few data exist to guide recommendations. The goal of this study was to evaluate the utility of continuous capnography to measure ventilation rates and the association with return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC)., Methods: This was a retrospective observational cohort study. We included all OHCA during a two-year period and excluded traumatic and pediatric patients. Ventilations were recorded using non-invasive continuous capnography. Blinded medically trained team members manually annotated all ventilations. Four techniques were used to analyze ventilation rate. The primary outcome was sustained prehospital ROSC. Secondary outcomes were vital status at the end of prehospital care and survival to hospital admission. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression models were constructed., Results: A total of 790 OHCA were analyzed. Only 386 (49%) had useable capnography data. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, the final study cohort was 314 patients. The median ventilation rate per minute was 7 (IQR 5.4-8.5). Only 70 (22%) received a guideline-compliant ventilation rate of 8-10 per minute. Sixty-two (20%) achieved the primary outcome. No statistically significant associations were observed between any of the ventilation parameters and patient outcomes in both univariable and multivariable logistic regression models., Conclusions: We failed to detect an association between intra-arrest ventilation rates measured by continuous capnography and proximal patient outcomes after OHCA. Capnography has poor reliability as a measure of ventilation rate. Achieving guideline-compliant ventilation rates remains challenging., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Professional development for teachers of primary, intermediate, and secondary schools (Kindergarten to Grade 12; K-12), especially for highly technical subjects such as Microbial Biotechnology, can involve arduous and ineffective training methods prioritizing content delivery over sound pedagogical techniques. Teachers are learning complex content, techniques, and pedagogies but have little time to practice or gain experience and confidence in their newly acquired skills. The Biotechnology Immersion Program (BiP) sought to overcome this challenge by incorporating an intentional immersive experiential system into professional development; teachers learn new content, experience hands-on activities, and work through assessments in the role of a student while experienced subject matter expert faculty run the teaching and activities. Afterwards, the teachers get the opportunity to switch roles and practice teaching, running, and managing the same learning activities that they just experienced. The faculty experts are available to mentor, guide, and direct the teachers as they try out teaching and implementing novel biotechnology classroom activities. BiP focused on three critical aspects of successful professional development: time, personal experience, and connection. This mentored teaching and implementation practice system provided a robust professional development platform, where educators felt prepared and confident to run new biotechnology lab activities in their own classrooms., (Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of FEMS 2022.)

This is the first study of pyrite minerals in the entire West and Central African Rift System (WCARS). Several polished organic-rich core samples from the Cretaceous Yogou Formation of the Niger (Chad) Basin located in the WCARS were investigated for their pyrite content using FE-SEM and SEM-EDS imaging techniques. An attempt was made to classify the types and provenance of the pyrites and to highlight the control of rift fractures on the oxidation and dissolution of pyrites in the region. Three major types of pyrites are present in the studied formation, including euhedral pyrite (E Py ) crystals, pyrite framboids (F Py ), and sunflower pyrites (S Py ). A statistical analysis of 307 F Py shows that the framboids are diagenetically formed with an average diameter of 6.61 μm. S Py is present in a relatively low amount compared to framboids. The pyrites underwent a variety of diagenetic modifications, from mechanical compaction to oxidation, dissolution, and recrystallization. Unoxidized pyrites primarily contain Fe, S, and C, but oxidized pyrites also contain O, Al, and Si. There is a strong correlation between the fractures and the spatial distribution of the physicochemical alteration of the pyrite in the study. Dissolution in relatively deep-buried samples occurs mainly along fracture planes. The fractures provide a pathway for oxidants and other metal elements to reach the pyrites. The pattern of pyrite dissolution reflects the timing of fracture formation and fracture activities as a purveyor or drainage for fluids in the organic-rich samples investigated. The pyrites are associated intimately with organic matter (OM); thus, the relationship between the fracture and the pyrites' transformation is significant in the assessment of organic matter preservation at deep-burial depth., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2022 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Background: Evaluating malaria control strategies for pregnant women is essential. The objective of this study was to determine the factors influencing antenatal care (ANC) visit attendance, complete intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) and its impact on the health of pregnant women and their newborn babies living in semi-urban and rural areas of southeastern Gabon., Methods: This transversal study was performed at the Centre Hospitalier Régional Paul Moukambi de Koula-Moutou (CHRPMK). Information regarding age, frequency of prenatal consultations, obstetric history, use of malaria control measures, use of IPTp-SP, malaria diagnostic of women and their newborns, were collected: (i): from birth registers from 1 January, 2018 to 31 December, 2019 and, (ii): a questionnaire from January to April 2020., Results: In total, 1,851 and 323 pregnant women were included during the first and the second sub-set of study, respectively. In the first sub-set of data, the mean age was 26.18 ± 7.02 years and 96.54% (1,787/1,851) of pregnant women had attended ANC service but 54.45% had complete ANC visit attendance (at least 4 ANC). The complete ANC visit was linked with age (p < 0.001) and profession (p < 0.001). The complete IPTp-SP (at least 3 doses) was 58.87%. Complete IPTp-SP was linked to profession (aOR = 1.49, 95% CI [1.04-2.18], p < 0.001), ANC visit (aOR = 0.176, 95% CI [0.14-0.22], p < 0.034) and age (p = 0.03). Birth weight was higher for babies whose mothers had received complete IPTp-SP (p < 0,001) but the Apgar score was not influenced by the use of IPTp-SP (p = 0.71). In the second sub-set of data, the prevalence of plasmodial infection was 3.10% (95% IC [1.21-5]) and Plasmodium falciparum was responsible for 100% of infections. The prevalence of plasmodial infection was the same for all age groups (p = 0.69), gravidity (p = 0.13) and domestic control measures (p > 0.05). A low birth weight was statistically linked to the mother's plasmodial infection (p < 0.01). Furthermore, plasmodial infection was statistically linked to premature birth (p < 0.001)., Conclusions: It was observed that attendance of women to ANC service and a complete IPTp-SP course is insufficient., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Since the initial reported discovery of SARS-CoV-2 in late 2019, genomic surveillance has been an important tool to understand its transmission and evolution. Here, we sought to describe the underlying regional phylodynamics before and during a rapid spreading event that was documented by surveillance protocols of the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) in late October-November of 2020. We used replicate long-read sequencing on Colorado SARS-CoV-2 genomes collected July through November 2020 at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical campus in Aurora and the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. Replicate sequencing allowed rigorous validation of variation and placement in a phylogenetic relatedness network. We focus on describing the phylodynamics of a lineage that likely originated in the local Colorado Springs community and expanded rapidly over the course of two months in an outbreak within the well-controlled environment of the United States Air Force Academy. Divergence estimates from sampling dates indicate that the SARS-CoV-2 lineage associated with this rapid expansion event originated in late October 2020. These results are in agreement with transmission pathways inferred by the United States Air Force Academy, and provide a window into the evolutionary process and transmission dynamics of a potentially dangerous but ultimately contained variant., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Alphaviruses are single stranded, positive sense RNA viruses that are often transmitted through mosquito vectors. With the increasing spread of mosquito populations throughout the world, these arboviruses represent a significant global health concern. Viruses such as Sindbis Virus (SINV), Chikungunya Virus (CHIKV) and Equine Encephalitis Viruses (EEV) are all alphaviruses. As viruses, these pathogens are dependent on the host cell environment for successful viral replication. It has been observed that viruses manipulate cellular metabolism and mitochondrial shape, activity, and dynamics to favor viral infection. This report looked to understand the metabolic changes present during Sindbis virus infection of hamster and human kidney cells. Cells were infected with increasing levels of SINV and at 24 hours post infection the mitochondria morphology was assessed with staining and mitochondrial activity was measured with a real-time Seahorse Bioanalyzer. The relative amount of mitochondrial staining intensity decreased with Sindbis virus infected cells. Both oxygen consumption rate and ATP production were decreased during SINV infection while non-mitochondrial respiration and extracellular acidification rate increased during infection. Collectively, the data indicates that SINV primarily utilizes non-mitochondrial metabolism to support viral infection within the first 24 hours. This understanding of viral preference for host cell metabolism may provide critical targets for antiviral therapies and help further define the nature of alphavirus infection., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Rodriguez, Costlow, Sheedy, Yoon, Gabaldón and Steel.)

Predominantly asymptomatic infections, such as those for SARS-CoV-2, require robust surveillance testing to identify people who are unknowingly spreading the virus. The US Air Force Academy returned to in-person classes for more than 4000 cadets aged 18-26 years during the fall 2020 semester to meet graduation and leadership training requirements. To enable this sustained cadet footprint, the institution developed a dynamic SARS-CoV-2 response plan using near-real-time data to inform decisions and trigger policies. A surveillance testing program based on mathematical modeling and a policy-driven campus reset option provided a scaled approach to react to SARS-CoV-2 conditions. This program adequately controlled the spread of the virus for the first 2 months of the academic semester but failed to predict or initially mitigate a significant outbreak in the second half of the semester. Although this approach did not completely eliminate SARS-CoV-2 infections in the population, it served as an early warning system to alert public health authorities to potential issues, which allowed timely responses while containment was still possible.

Purpose: Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogues reduce testosterone levels to castration levels in patients with prostate cancer. However, the role of testosterone in atopic diseases has remained undefined. We aimed to investigate this role., Materials and Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted using the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD). Patients with prostate cancer were categorized into two groups according to whether they received GnRH analogue treatment (study group I) or not (study group II), and men without prostate cancer and with no GnRH analogue use were defined to comprise the comparison group after their ages and index years were matched with group II. Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess the hazard ratio (HR) of atopic diseases., Results: Group I, group II, and the comparison group comprised 663, 2,172, and 8,688 individuals, respectively. Group I had a significantly lower risk of atopic diseases (adjusted HR: 0.66, 95% CI, 0.49-0.89, p < 0.01) than did group II. A reduced risk of atopic diseases was found when GnRH analogues were prescribed for 2 months (adjusted HR 0.53, 95% CI, 0.29-0.97, p = 0.04) and 2-14 months (adjusted HR 0.66, 95% CI, 0.49-0.89, p = 0.007). No significant difference in the risk of atopic diseases between group II and the comparison group was observed., Conclusions: A decreased risk of atopic diseases was observed in patients with prostate cancer treated with GnRH analogues. Further studies are warranted to verify the association between testosterone levels and atopic diseases., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Per- and Polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are a broad class of synthetic compounds that have fluorine substituted for hydrogen in several or all locations and are globally categorized as PFCs (perfluorochemicals; commonly called fluorinated chemicals). These compounds have unique chemical and physical properties that enable their use in non-stick surfaces, fire-fighting efforts, and as slick coatings. However, recent concerns over the health effects of such compounds, specifically perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOA, PFOS; PFOA/S), have led to increased attention and research by the global community into degradation methods. In this study, soil samples from PFAS-contamination sites were cultured and screened for microbes with PFOA/S degradation potential, which led to the identification of Delftia acidovorans. It was found that D. acidovorans isolated from PFAS-contaminated soils was capable of growth in minimal media with PFOA as a sole carbon resource, and an observable fluoride concentration increase was observed when cells were exposed to PFOA. This suggests potential activity of a dehalogenase enzyme that may be of use in PFOA or PFAS microbial remediation efforts. Several associated haloacid dehalogenases have been identified in the D. acidovorans genome and have been engineered for expression in Escherichia coli for rapid production and purification. These enzymes have shown potential for enzymatic defluorination, a significant step in biological degradation and removal of PFOA/S from the environment. We hypothesize that bioremediation of PFAS using naturally occurring microbial degradation pathways may represent a novel approach to remove PFAS contamination., Competing Interests: None., (© 2022 The Authors.)

Delftia acidovorans strain D4B is an aerobic bacterium within the Betaproteobacteria lineage that was isolated from soil. The genome size is 6.26 Mbp, with a G+C content of 67%. The genome encodes enzymes potentially involved in the degradation of fluorinated compounds.

How do people perceive the moral character of victims? We find, across a range of transgressions, that people frequently see victims of wrongdoing as more moral than nonvictims who have behaved identically. Across 17 experiments (total n = 9676), we document this Virtuous Victim effect and explore the mechanisms underlying it. We also find support for the Justice Restoration Hypothesis, which proposes that people see victims as moral because this perception serves to motivate punishment of perpetrators and helping of victims, and people frequently face incentives to enact or encourage these “justice-restorative” actions. Our results validate predictions of this hypothesis and suggest that the Virtuous Victim effect does not merely reflect (i) that victims look good in contrast to perpetrators, (ii) that people are generally inclined to positively evaluate those who have suffered, or (iii) that people hold a genuine belief that victims tend to be people who behave morally.

COVID-19 prevention behaviors may be seen as self-interested or prosocial. Using American samples from MTurk and Prolific (total n = 6850), we investigated which framing is more effective-and motivation is stronger-for fostering prevention behavior intentions. We evaluated messaging that emphasized personal, public, or personal and public benefits of prevention. In initial studies (conducted March 14-16, 2020), the Public treatment was more effective than the Personal treatment, and no less effective than the Personal + Public treatment. In additional studies (conducted April 17-30, 2020), all three treatments were similarly effective. Across all these studies, the perceived public threat of coronavirus was also more strongly associated with prevention intentions than the perceived personal threat. Furthermore, people who behaved prosocially in incentivized economic games years before the pandemic had greater prevention intentions. Finally, in a field experiment (conducted December 21-23, 2020), we used our three messaging strategies to motivate contact-tracing app signups (n = 152,556 newsletter subscribers). The design of this experiment prevents strong causal inference; however, the results provide suggestive evidence that the Personal + Public treatment may have been more effective than the Personal or Public treatment. Together, our results highlight the importance of prosocial motives for COVID-19 prevention., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Robust surveillance testing is a key strategic plan to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks and slow the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic; however, limited resources, facilities and time often impair the implementation of a widespread surveillance effort. To mitigate these resource limitations, we employed a strategy of pooling samples, reducing reagent cost and processing time. Through utilizing academic faculty and labs, successful pooled surveillance testing was conducted throughout Fall 2020 semester to detect positive SARS-CoV-2 infections in a population of 4400 students. During the semester, over 25,000 individual COVID status evaluations were made by pooling eight individual samples into one quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. This pooled surveillance strategy was highly effective at detecting infection and significantly reduced financial burden and cost by $3.6 million.

Background: Sindbis virus (Alphaviridae) is a plus-strand RNA virus that is dependent on the host cell for replication. Cannabinoid (CB) receptors are found on most human cells, including virally infected cells. Activation of cannabinoid receptors has been shown to alter normal cellular physiology. This study aimed to assess how agonist (ACEA) or antagonists/inverse agonist (AM251) of the cannabinoid receptors would alter the cellular environment and impact Sindbis virus replication., Methods: Human hepatoma (Huh7) cells were used as our model for viral replication. Cells were infected with Sindbis virus (SINV) and then treated with CB agonist (ACEA) (10 μM) or antagonist/inverse agonist (AM-251) (10 μM) and virus replication was monitored. A double subgenomic Sindbis virus containing a green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter gene inserted into a 3' subgenomic promoter was utilized for these assays to quickly measure viral replication. GFP fluorescent cells were analyzed using flow cytometry to measure the percentage of cells expressing the viral reporter and also quantify the levels of GFP fluorescence., Result: Treatment of SINV-infected Huh7 cells with CB1 receptor antagonist/inverse agonist (AM251, 10 μM) resulted in a significant decrease in viral replication, while infected cells treated with a CB1 receptor agonist (ACEA, 10 μM) resulted in a significant increase of viral infection. The data indicates that activation of CB1 receptor by cannabinoids significantly influences the ability of Sindbis virus to replicate in the host cell., Conclusion: Blocking CB1 receptor activity with 10 μM AM251 reduced viral replication, but activating the CB1 receptor with 10 μM ACEA resulted in an increase in viral infection. These results indicate cannabinoids may significantly impact a virus replicating in human liver cells. Future confirmation with other viruses and cell lines will be performed to better understand the impact of cannabinoids on viral infections.

Background: Prescriptions for gastric acid-suppressive agents, including proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) and histamine type-2 receptor antagonists (H2RAs), are rising. However, little data exist regarding their association with dementia in the Asian population. The objective of this study was thus to investigate the impact of the use of PPIs and H2RAs on the risk of dementia in an Asian population with upper gastrointestinal disease (UGID)., Methods: We conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study with a 10-year follow-up using data from 2000 to 2015 derived from Taiwan's Longitudinal Health Insurance Database. We included 6711 patients with UGID receiving gastric acid-suppressive agents, 6711 patients with UGID not receiving agents, and 6711 patients without UGID or treatment thereof, all at least 20 years of age. Groups were matched for age, sex, and index date. The association between gastric acid-suppressive agent use and dementia was analyzed using a Cox proportional hazards regression model adjusted for potential confounders., Results: The adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) of dementia for patients with UGID receiving gastric acid-suppressive agents compared with patients with UGID without gastric acid-suppressive agents was 1.470 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.267-1.705, p < 0.001). Both PPIs and H2RAs increase the risk of dementia (PPIs: aHR 1.886 [95% CI 1.377-2.582], p < 0.001; H2RAs: aHR 1.357 [95% CI 1.098-1.678], p < 0.01), with PPIs exhibiting significantly greater risk (aHR 1.456 [95% CI 1.022-2.075], p < 0.05)., Conclusions: Our results demonstrate an increased risk of dementia in patients with UGID receiving gastric acid-suppressive agents, including PPIs and H2RAs, and the use of PPIs was associated with a significantly greater risk than H2RA use., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Genetically encoded calcium indicators have proven useful for characterizing dorsal root ganglion neuron excitability in vivo. Challenges persist in achieving high spatial-temporal resolutions in vivo, however, due to deep tissue imaging and motion artifacts that may be limiting technical factors in obtaining measurements. Here we report an ex vivo imaging method, using a peripheral neuron-specific Advillin-GCaMP mouse line and electric field stimulation of dorsal root ganglion tissues, to assess the sensitivity of neurons en bloc. The described method rapidly characterizes Ca 2+ activity in hundreds of dorsal root ganglion neurons (221 ± 64 per dorsal root ganglion) with minimal perturbation to the in situ soma environment. We further validate the method for use as a drug screening platform with the voltage-gated sodium channel inhibitor, tetrodotoxin. Drug treatment led to decreased evoked Ca 2+ activity; half-maximal response voltage (EV 50 ) increased from 13.4 V in untreated tissues to 21.2, 23.3, 51.5 (p < 0.05), and 60.6 V (p < 0.05) at 0.01, 0.1, 1, and 10 µM doses, respectively. This technique may help improve an understanding of neural signaling while retaining tissue structural organization and serves as a tool for the rapid ex vivo recording and assessment of neural activity.

Many animals produce coordinated signals, but few are more striking than the elaborate male-female vocal duets produced by some tropical songbirds. Yet, little is known about the factors driving the extreme levels of vocal coordination between mated pairs in these taxa. We examined evolutionary patterns of duet coordination and their potential evolutionary drivers in Neotropical wrens (Troglodytidae), a songbird family well known for highly coordinated duets. Across 23 wren species, we show that the degree of coordination and precision with which pairs combine their songs into duets varies by species. This includes some species that alternate their song phrases with exceptional coordination to produce rapidly alternating duets that are highly consistent across renditions. These highly coordinated, consistent duets evolved independently in multiple wren species. Duet coordination and consistency are greatest in species with especially long breeding seasons, but neither duet coordination nor consistency are correlated with clutch size, conspecific abundance or vegetation density. These results suggest that tightly coordinated duets play an important role in mediating breeding behaviour, possibly by signalling commitment or coalition of the pair to mates and other conspecifics.

[Correction Notice: An Erratum for this article was reported online in Journal of Personality and Social Psychology on Jul 22 2019 (see record 2019-43753-001). In the article, a printer error did not enable the authors to correct various errors before publication. Tables 1 and 2 have been corrected. All versions of this article have been corrected.] Moralistic punishment can confer reputation benefits by signaling trustworthiness to observers. However, why do people punish even when nobody is watching? We argue that people often rely on the heuristic that reputation is typically at stake, such that reputation concerns can shape moralistic outrage and punishment even in one-shot anonymous interactions. We then support this account using data from Amazon Mechanical Turk. In anonymous experiments, subjects (total n = 8,440) report more outrage in response to others' selfishness when they cannot signal their trustworthiness through direct prosociality (sharing with a third party)-such that if the interaction were not anonymous, punishment would have greater signaling value. Furthermore, mediation analyses suggest that sharing opportunities reduce outrage by influencing reputation concerns. Additionally, anonymous experiments measuring costly punishment (total n = 6,076) show the same pattern: subjects punish more when sharing is not possible. Moreover, and importantly, moderation analyses provide some evidence that sharing opportunities do not merely reduce outrage and punishment by inducing empathy toward selfishness or hypocrisy aversion among non-sharers. Finally, we support the specific role of heuristics by investigating individual differences in deliberateness. Less deliberative individuals (who typically rely more on heuristics) are more sensitive to sharing opportunities in our anonymous punishment experiments, but, critically, not in punishment experiments where reputation is at stake (total n = 3,422); and not in our anonymous outrage experiments (where condemning is costless). Together, our results suggest that when nobody is watching, reputation cues nonetheless can shape outrage and-among individuals who rely on heuristics-costly punishment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

People often punish norm violations. In what cases is such punishment viewed as normative-a behavior that we "should" or even "must" engage in? We approach this question by asking when people who fail to punish a norm violator are, themselves, punished. (For instance, a boss who fails to punish transgressive employees might, herself, be fired.) We conducted experiments exploring the contexts in which higher-order punishment occurs, using both incentivized economic games and hypothetical vignettes describing everyday situations. We presented participants with cases in which an individual fails to punish a transgressor, either as a victim (second party) or as an observer (third party). Across studies, we consistently observed higher-order punishment of non-punishing observers. Higher-order punishment of non-punishing victims, however, was consistently weaker, and sometimes non-existent. These results demonstrate the selective application of higher-order punishment, provide a new perspective on the psychological mechanisms that support it, and provide some clues regarding its function., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Synthetic biology encompasses some of the greatest advancements in biology. With improvements in molecular methods and techniques that allow targeted and highly efficient genome manipulation, the capabilities of engineering biology have significantly increased. These enhancements in biotechnology represent significant potential benefits and risks to the global population. It is important that future leaders are trained and understand the incredible benefits, opportunities and risks associated with synthetic biology. The US Department of Defense (DoD) has issued a technical assessment on the future opportunities of synthetic biology and has encouraged the military institutions to expand and encourage bioengineering research programs. At the US Air Force Academy (USAFA), opportunities are provided for future Air Force officers to recognize the potential and risks associated with synthetic biology by participating in the USAFA Synthetic Biology Education Program (USBEP). Cadets can enroll in synthetic biology courses to learn and master molecular biology techniques and work on independent undergraduate research projects. In addition, cadets have the opportunity to join the USAFA's International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) team and compete in the international synthetic biology competition. This report includes details on how USAFA has recruited, enrolled and encouraged synthetic biology research and education among future leaders in the US Air Force., (Published by Oxford University Press 2019. This work is written by US Government employees and is in the public domain in the US.)

Background: Optimizing intranasal distribution and retention of nasal sprays is essential in the management of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), including those that have had functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS). Despite multiple existing distribution studies, there remains a need for a technique that allows regionalization of particle deposition within a patient's unique 3-dimensional (3D) geometry without exposing the patient to radiation., Methods: Seven participants delivered normal saline containing a gadolinium-based contrast agent (GBCA) by either saline irrigation or nasal sprays on 1 side of the nasal cavity. The saline irrigation group included 2 participants (both healthy) while the nasal spray group included 5 participants (2 healthy, 2 post-FESS patients, 1 CRS patient without any sinus surgery). The distribution of new signal enhancement was assessed on each participant using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Serial scans were performed over an interval of 4 minutes in the nasal spray group to assess changes in intranasal distribution over time., Results: Signal enhancement was widespread within the nasal cavities and maxillary sinuses of participants (both healthy) that underwent sinus irrigation. For the nasal spray participants, the hotspots for signal enhancement were similar regardless of disease status or previous history of surgery. These included the internal nasal valve, anterior septum, inferior surface of the inferior turbinate, nasal floor, and nasopharynx. No signal enhancement was detected with nasal sprays in either unoperated or operated paranasal sinuses., Conclusion: A technique has been developed using MRI evaluation of radioopaque contrast to characterize the temporospatial distribution of topical drug delivery within the sinonasal cavities., (© 2019 ARS-AAOA, LLC.)

A variety of medical simulators have been developed over recent years for students of all medical professions. These simulators serve to teach basic science concepts, advanced clinical skills, as well as empathy and student confidence. This study aimed to understand the students' perception of the integration of high-fidelity simulation exercises into the teaching of human physiology. Research groups were made up of both osteopathic and podiatric medical students. Data were obtained using a Likert-scale survey. Results indicated that students believed the simulation experiences were beneficial to further understanding of physiological concepts, as well as seeing these concepts in a clinical setting. Variations were noted between podiatric and osteopathic medical students' perception on how the experiences helped them develop clinical and personal confidence, and if the experience helped illustrate correlations between laboratory values and accompanying physiology. Results illustrated no differences in perception between the sexes. Although all students agreed that the experience helped with the understanding of physiology, podiatric medical students did not necessarily find value in the simulation for their development as future clinicians. We predict that differences in perception are largely based on the different curriculums of the students questioned. The present study indicated that incorporation of simulation experiences in the first year of medical school enhanced learning basic science physiology concepts and promoted the development of self-confidence as future clinicians. Incorporating simulation into the didactic coursework should be promoted in other medical schools' curricula.

Background: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the primary cause of blindness and severe vision loss in developed countries and is responsible for 8.7% of blindness globally. Ultraviolet radiation can induce DNA breakdown, produce reactive oxygen species, and has been implicated as a risk factor for AMD. This study investigated the effects of UVA radiation on Human retinal pigment epithelial cell (ARPE-19) growth and protein expression., Methods: ARPE-19 cells were irradiated with a UVA lamp at different doses (5, 10, 20, 30 and 40 J/cm 2 ) from 10 cm. Cell viability was determined by MTT assay. Visual inspection was first achieved with inverted light microscopy and then the DeadEnd™ Fluorometric TUNEL System was used to observe nuclear DNA fragmentation. Flow cytometry based-Annexin V-FITC/PI double-staining was used to further quantify cellular viability. Mitochondrial membrane potential was assessed with JC-1 staining. 2D electrophoresis maps of exposed cells were compared to nonexposed cells and gel images analyzed with PDQuest 2-D Analysis Software. Spots with greater than a 1.5-fold difference were selected for LC-MS/MS analysis and some confirmed by western blot. We further investigated whether caspase activation, apoptotic-related mitochondrial proteins, and regulators of ER stress sensors were involved in UVA-induced apoptosis., Results: We detected 29 differentially expressed proteins (9 up-regulated and 20 down-regulated) in the exposed cells. Some of these proteins such as CALR, GRP78, NPM, Hsp27, PDI, ATP synthase subunit alpha, PRDX1, and GAPDH are associated with anti-proliferation, induction of apoptosis, and oxidative-stress protection. We also detected altered protein expression levels among caspases (caspase 3 and 9) and in the mitochondrial (cytosolic cytochrome C, AIF, Mcl-1, Bcl-2, Bcl-xl, Bax, Bad, and p-Bad) and ER stress-related (p-PERK, p-eIF2α, ATF4 and CHOP) apoptotic pathways., Conclusions: UVA irradiation suppressed the proliferation of ARPE-19 cells in a dose-dependent manner, caused quantitative loses in transmembrane potential (ΔΨm), and induced both early and late apoptosis.

Background: Periodontitis is a frequently cited extraintestinal manifestation of Crohn's disease (CD). Despite a plethora of investigations and a recent meta-analysis linking CD and periodontitis, no study has estimated the risk of periodontitis among CD patients with respect to a comparison group nor has any investigation analyzed the effect of CD-specific medications on the risk of periodontitis. The present cohort study compared CD patients and matched subjects without a history of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) to estimate the effect of CD and CD-specific pharmaceutical prescriptions on the risk of developing periodontitis by leveraging a population-based dataset in Taiwan., Methods: We sourced 6657 CD patients and 26,628 comparison subjects without a history of IBD from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Database. Cox proportional hazards regressions were used to estimate the risk of subsequent periodontitis by CD status and pharmaceutical prescription during the follow-up period., Results: After adjusting for socioeconomic status (SES), urbanicity, selected medical co-morbidities, and CD-specific pharmaceutical prescriptions, the hazard ratio (HR) for subsequent periodontitis among patients with CD was 1.36 (95% CI = 1.25-1.48) that of comparison subjects. There was not a significant difference in risk between genders or across ages. Steroids (95% CI = 0.66-0.77) appeared to confer a protective effect and Aspirin, Plavix, and Licodin were marginally protective (95% CI = 0.76-0.95)., Conclusion: This is the first study to report an increased HR for subsequent periodontitis among CD patients when compared to matched comparison subjects without IBD. The protective effect of some pharmaceuticals may suggest that treatment of CD protects against periodontitis.

Positive strand RNA viruses, such as dengue virus type 2 (DENV2) expand and structurally alter ER membranes to optimize cellular communication pathways that promote viral replicative needs. These complex rearrangements require significant protein scaffolding as well as changes to the ER chemical composition to support these structures. We have previously shown that the lipid abundance and repertoire of host cells are significantly altered during infection with these viruses. Specifically, enzymes in the lipid biosynthesis pathway such as fatty acid synthase (FAS) are recruited to viral replication sites by interaction with viral proteins and displayed enhanced activities during infection. We have now identified that events downstream of FAS (fatty acid desaturation) are critical for virus replication. In this study we screened enzymes in the unsaturated fatty acid (UFA) biosynthetic pathway and found that the rate-limiting enzyme in monounsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis, stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1), is indispensable for DENV2 replication. The enzymatic activity of SCD1, was required for viral genome replication and particle release, and it was regulated in a time-dependent manner with a stringent requirement early during viral infection. As infection progressed, SCD1 protein expression levels were inversely correlated with the concentration of viral dsRNA in the cell. This modulation of SCD1, coinciding with the stage of viral replication, highlighted its function as a trigger of early infection and an enzyme that controlled alternate lipid requirements during early versus advanced infections. Loss of function of this enzyme disrupted structural alterations of assembled viral particles rendering them non-infectious and immature and defective in viral entry. This study identifies the complex involvement of SCD1 in DENV2 infection and demonstrates that these viruses alter ER lipid composition to increase infectivity of the virus particles., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Pathogenic bacteria associated with the adenoids and tonsils cause much morbidity in the paediatric population. Hyperplasia of the adenoids is associated with otitis media with effusion and hyperplasia of the palatine tonsils is associated with both recurrent tonsillitis and obstructive sleep apnoea. Most current knowledge of the microbiology of the upper airways has been derived from culture-based studies, which usually reflect only a small fraction of the bacteria present on the mucosal surface. Culture-independent molecular surveys based on 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing are now being employed to determine the microbiota on the surface and within the tissue of adenoids and palatine tonsils. This review describes the new techniques applied in determining the microbiome and summarises the results of studies employing these techniques., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.)

Anesthesia simulations have been used in pre-clinical medical training for decades to help learners gain confidence and expertise in an operating room environment without danger to a live patient. The authors describe a veterinary anesthesia simulation environment (VASE) with anesthesia scenarios developed to provide a re-creation of a veterinarian's task environment while performing anesthesia. The VASE uses advanced computer technology with simulator inputs provided from standard monitoring equipment in common use during veterinary anesthesia and a commercial canine training mannequin that allows intubation, ventilation, and venous access. The simulation outputs are determined by a script that outlines routine anesthesia scenarios and describes the consequences of students' hands-on actions and interventions during preestablished anesthetic tasks and critical incidents. Patients' monitored physiologic parameters may be changed according to predetermined learner events and students' interventions to provide immediate learner feedback and clinical realism. A total of 96 students from the pre-clinical anesthesia course participated in the simulations and the pre- and post-simulation surveys evaluating students' perspectives. Results of the surveys and comparisons of overall categorical cumulative responses in the pre- and post-simulation surveys indicated improvement in learners' perceived preparedness and confidence as a result of the simulated anesthesia experience, with significant improvement in the strongly agree, moderately agree, and agree categories (p<.05 at a 95% CI). These results suggest that anesthesia simulations in the VASE may complement traditional teaching methods through experiential learning and may help foster classroom-to-clinic transference of knowledge and skills without harm to an animal.

Why are avian eggs ovoid, while the eggs of most other vertebrates are symmetrical? The interaction between an egg and its environment likely drives selection that will shape eggs across evolutionary time. For example, eggs incubated in hot, arid regions face acute exposure to harsh climatic conditions relative to those in temperate zones, and this exposure will differ across nest types, with eggs in open nests being more exposed to direct solar radiation than those in enclosed nests. We examined the idea that the geographical distribution of both egg shapes and nest types should reflect selective pressures of key environmental parameters, such as ambient temperature and the drying capacity of air. We took a comparative approach, using 310 passerine species from Australia, many of which are found in some of the most extreme climates on earth. We found that, across the continent, egg elongation decreases and the proportion of species with domed nests with roofs increases in hotter and drier areas with sparse plant canopies. Eggs are most spherical in open nests in the hottest environments, and most elongate in domed nests in wetter, shadier environments. Our findings suggest that climatic conditions played a key role in the evolution of passerine egg shape.