bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
T3SS protein EsrC binds to the
lacI
-like operator of type 1 fimbrial operon to suppress adhesion of
Edwardsiella piscicida
Authors: Sun Shan Shan , He Tian Tian , Zhang Shu Ya , Yu Xiu-Jun , Chen Chang , Laghari Zubair Ahmed , Nie Pin , Xie Hai Xia 
Published: July 2024

ABSTRACT

Type 1 fimbria, the short hair-like appendage assembled on the bacterial surface, plays a pivotal role in adhesion and invasion in
Edwardsiella piscicida
. The type III secretion system (T3SS), another bacterial surface appendage, facilitates
E. piscicida
’s replication
in vivo
by delivering effectors into host cells. Our previous research demonstrated that
E. piscicida
T3SS protein EseJ inhibits adhesion and invasion of
E. piscicida
by suppressing type 1 fimbria. However, how EseJ suppresses type 1 fimbria remains elusive. In this study, a
lacI
-like operator (nt −245 to −1 of
fimA
) upstream of type 1 fimbrial operon in
E. piscicida
was identified, and EseJ inhibits type 1 fimbria through the
lacI
-like operator. Moreover, through DNA pull-down and electrophoretic mobility shift assay, an AraC-type T3SS regulator, EsrC, was screened and verified to bind to nt −145 to −126 and nt −50 to −1 of
fimA
, suppressing type 1 fimbria. EseJ is almost abolished upon the depletion of EsrC. EsrC and EseJ impede type 1 fimbria expression. Intriguingly, nutrition and microbiota-derived indole activate type 1 fimbria through downregulating T3SS, alleviating EsrC or EseJ’s inhibitory effect on
lacI
-like operator of type 1 fimbrial operon. By this study, it is revealed that upon entering the gastrointestinal tract, rich nutrients and indole downregulate T3SS and thereof upregulate type 1 fimbria, stimulating efficient adhesion and invasion; upon being internalized into epithelium, the limit in indole and nutrition switches on T3SS and thereof switches off type 1 fimbria, facilitating effector delivery to guarantee
E. piscicida
’s survival/replication
in vivo
.

IMPORTANCE

In this work, we identified the
lacI
-like operator of type 1 fimbrial operon in
E. piscicida
, which was suppressed by the repressors-T3SS protein EseJ and EsrC. We unveiled that
E. piscicida
upregulates type 1 fimbria upon sensing rich nutrition and the microbiota-derived indole, thereof promoting the adhesion of
E. piscicida
. The increase of indole and nutrition promotes type 1 fimbria by downregulating T3SS. The decrease in EseJ and EsrC alleviates their suppression on type 1 fimbria, and
vice versa
.
ER-transiting bacterial toxins amplify STING innate immune responses and elicit ER stress
Authors: Schlenker Catherine , Richard Katharina , Skobelkina Sofia , Mathena R. Paige , Perkins Darren J. 
Published: July 2024

ABSTRACT

The cGAS/STING sensor system drives innate immune responses to intracellular microbial double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) and bacterial cyclic nucleotide second messengers (e.g., c-di-AMP). STING-dependent cell-intrinsic responses can increase resistance to microbial infection and speed pathogen clearance. Correspondingly, STING activation and signaling are known to be targeted for suppression by effectors from several bacterial pathogens. Whether STING responses are also positively regulated through sensing of specific bacterial effectors is less clear. We find that STING activation through dsDNA, by its canonical ligand 2′-3′ cGAMP, or the small molecule DMXAA is potentiated following intracellular delivery of the AB
5
toxin family member pertussis toxin from
Bordetella pertussis
or the B subunit of cholera toxin from
Vibrio cholerae
. Entry of pertussis toxin or cholera toxin B into mouse macrophages triggers markers of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and enhances ligand-dependent STING responses at the level of STING receptor activation in a manner that is independent of toxin enzymatic activity. Our results provide an example in which STING responses integrate information about the presence of relevant ER-transiting bacterial toxins into the innate inflammatory response and may help to explain the
in vivo
adjuvant effects of catalytically inactive toxins.
A scoping review of undergraduate anatomy and physiology education: approaches to evaluating student outcomes in the United States
Authors: Royse Emily A. , Pullen Nicholas A. , Cogswell Andi , Holt Emily A. 
Published: July 2024

ABSTRACT

Studies document difficulties undergraduate pre-nursing and allied health students face when learning human anatomy and physiology (A&P) course content. A comprehensive synthesis exploring the teaching practices within the course and how those practices are evaluated is warranted. This scoping literature review identified 78 journal articles investigating teaching practices, and we charted their research methods, student outcomes, and institutional contexts. Content analysis found the teaching practices described most frequently in A&P education research literature involved multiple aligned changes across the curriculum, including student activities, course delivery, and assessments. Critical appraisal of study methodologies revealed that most studies in undergraduate A&P were longitudinal, included comparison groups, and used simple inferential statistics. In contrast, few studies listed limitations of their research, collected data from multiple institutions, or reported student demographic data. We believe these factors pose notable limitations to the interpretation of A&P education studies across institutional contexts. The results of this review identify future lines of inquiry to enrich existing evidence about pedagogical interventions in A&P courses.
A new dynamic
in vitro
model for evaluating antimicrobial activity against bacterial biofilms on central venous catheters
Authors: Fang Liangyan , Qiao Yunqian , Li Xiuting , Wang Changbin , Li Chunqiao , Luan Tongqing , Wang Wenqing 
Published: July 2024

ABSTRACT

Central venous catheters (CVCs) are widely used for intravenous medication administration. However, biofilm formation along the catheter surface is the main most important cause of catheter-related bloodstream infections. Nowadays, several antimicrobial-coated catheters are available to prevent biofilm development. In this study, we introduced a new dynamic
in vitro
model to evaluate the antimicrobial activity against bacterial biofilms on CVCs. Rifampicin–minocycline-coated catheters and control catheters without antimicrobial component were assembled into the model to test the antimicrobial activity on external surface and internal surface. After 1 h irrigation of
Staphylococcus epidermidis
or
Staphylococcus aureus
preculture and 23 h irrigation of Trypticase Soy Broth, the viable adherent organism was collected and counted. The enumeration results showed that the number of bacteria attached to antibacterial catheter was significantly less than that of the control catheter, both on external surface (
P
< 0.05) and internal surface (
P
< 0.05). The results were further confirmed by the scanning electron microscopy. In conclusion, the dynamic
in vitro
model can be applied to evaluate the antimicrobial activity against bacterial biofilms grown on the external and internal surfaces of CVCs used in clinical practice.

IMPORTANCE

For the first time, a new dynamic
in vitro
model was constructed to evaluate the antimicrobial activity against bacterial biofilms on central venous catheters (CVCs) on both external surface and internal surface. This model could be applied to evaluate the antimicrobial activity against bacterial biofilms not only on CVCs but also other types of catheters.
Non-reporting of sport-related concussion symptoms: a cross-sectional study of community rugby league players in the UK
Authors: Tadmor Daniel Isaac , Chesson Lucy , Till Kevin , Phillips Gemma , Fairbank Laura , Brown James , Cross Matt , Gardner Andrew J , Johnston Rich D , Owen Cameron , Hendricks Sharief , Stokes Keith A , Jones Ben 
Published: July 2024

Recognising and removing players with suspected sport-related concussions is crucial for community sports.ObjectivesQuantify rates and factors associated with non-reporting of concussion symptoms in community rugby league.MethodsOverall, 484 community rugby league players aged ≥18 years and 965 parents of rugby league players aged <18 years completed an online survey, regarding concussion history, knowledge, prevalence and reasons for non-reporting of concussion, long-term implications and perceptions of concussion.ResultsThirty-five percent of players aged ≥18 years and 22% of parents of players aged <18 years reported at least one concussion in the last two seasons. Forty-three percent of players aged ≥18 years and 5% of parents of players aged<18 years surveyed stated they did not report concussion-related symptoms sustained during 2020 and 2021 seasons. The two most common reasons for non-reporting of concussion symptoms were‘didn’t want to be ruled out of a match’and‘didn’t want to let down the team’. Players aged ≥18 years who received external coaching pressures around concussion were more likely to not report concussion symptoms. Over 40% of parents and players were concerned about the potential long-term implications. Ten percent of players aged ≥18 years and 7% of parents of players aged <18 years would encourage their family members/children to not play rugby league.ConclusionsNon-reporting rates of suspected concussion symptoms in adult community players were twice as high as in professional rugby league, with similar reasons (wanting to play and not letting the team down). Engaging coaches to prioritise brain health and providing broader and appropriate education on concussion should be focused on, given the concerns reported by community players and parents.
Retention of survival swimming skills among SwimSafe graduates in rural communities of Bangladesh: Results from a cross-sectional study
Authors: Rahman Aminur , Ashraf Lamisa , Rahman AKM Fazlur , Bhuiyan Md. Al-Amin , Shafkat Hossain Md , Alam Zobaer , Talab Abu , Li Qingfeng , Bachani Abdulgafoor 
Published: July 2024

BackgroundDrowning is the leading cause of death among children in rural Bangladesh. While survival swimming for children ages 6 years and above is recommended in low-income and middle-income countries, research into the long-term retention of survival swimming skills is absent.MethodsThe retention of four survival swimming skills, including swimming for 25 m, floating/treading for 30 s, reach rescue skills and throw rescue skills, was observed among those trained under the SwimSafe programme more than 10 years ago. Information about the practice of survival swimming skills among SwimSafe graduates and whether they recommended such lessons for others was also collected through surveys. A multistage sampling strategy was used. Descriptive statistics on the retention of survival swimming skills and other variables and ORs from logistic regression analysis were reported.ResultsA total of 3603 SwimSafe graduates were observed. The retention of swimming and floating/treading skills was 88.4% and 89.7%, respectively, and that of swimming and floating/treading skills combined was 84.2%. While 87.7% of the graduates retained reach rescue skills, the retention of throw rescue skills was lower (71.9%). Approximately 60.6% of the graduates retained all four survival swimming skills. The majority of the graduates (70.3%) rarely practised swimming following graduation. Overall, 61.7% of the graduates recommended other children to learn survival swimming skills.ConclusionThe majority of the SwimSafe graduates retained swimming and floating/treading skills for over 10 years despite minimal practice. Retention of throw rescue skills was lower. Therefore, refresher training and awareness campaigns focused on survival swimming skills are recommended.
Homicides of American Indians/Alaska Natives in urban versus rural areas: United States National Violent Death Reporting System, 2003–2020
Authors: Corry Daniel T , Kollar Laura M Mercer , Betz Carter J , Fowler Katherine A , Kearns Megan C , Smith Sharon G , Satter Delight E 
Published: July 2024

BackgroundMissing and Murdered Indigenous People is a historic and contemporary issue that has gained national attention. In 2021, homicide was the eighth leading cause of death among American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) persons aged between 1 and 54 years old, and homicide is the sixth leading cause of death among all AIAN males aged 1–54 years old.AimThese data will build knowledge around AIAN homicides and to identify circumstances that can aid in comprehensive Missing and Murdered Indigenous People prevention efforts.MethodsAIAN homicide data came from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Violent Death Reporting System, a state/jurisdiction-based surveillance system that collects detailed information about characteristics and circumstances of violent deaths. We examined data from 2003 to 2020 (all available years) from participating states/jurisdictions. We also assessed sociodemographic characteristics of victims and suspects, incident characteristics and differences across dichotomised urban/rural status. The study was conducted in 2022.ResultsThe National Violent Death Reporting System provided data on 2959 AIAN homicides from 2003 to 2020 (54.2% urban and 45.8% rural). Significant differences based on the two locations included type of weapon used, the location of the injury, race of the primary suspect, the victim’s relationship to the suspect and select circumstances precipitating the homicide including crimes precipitating the homicide and homicides stemming from intimate partner violence.OutcomesThese findings provide crucial information to strengthen public health efforts for prevention.
Longitudinal relationships between early-life homelessness and school-aged asthma and wheezing
Authors: Keen Ryan , Kim Hannah Hayoung , Chen Jarvis T , Tiemeier Henning , Sandel Megan T , Denckla Christy , Slopen Natalie 
Published: July 2024

BackgroundHomelessness is a disruptive life event with profound impacts on children’s health. It remains unclear, however, whether homelessness in early life has an enduring association with asthma and wheezing among school-aged children.ObjectiveTo test whether early-life homelessness is prospectively associated with asthma and wheezing during school-aged years.MethodsWe draw on data from 9242 children from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Children were categorised as ‘ever’ or ‘never’ homeless based on maternal reports from the prenatal period through age 5 years. Children were assigned a binary indicator of asthma/wheezing based on maternal reports of asthma and wheezing at ages 6.8, 7.6 and 8.6 years. We used multilevel logistic regression models to test the association of interest in both bivariate analyses and models adjusted for a broad set of potential confounders. We conducted sensitivity analyses using generalised estimating equations and considering asthma and wheezing separately to test the robustness of the results.ResultsBetween 12.1% and 14.3% of children had asthma or wheezing at ages 6.8, 7.6 and 8.6 years, and these conditions were more common among ever homeless participants. Ever-homeless children displayed higher odds of asthma or wheezing than never-homeless children (OR: 1.59, 95% CI 1.02 to 2.48) after adjustment for child, maternal and household risk factors. Sensitivity analyses yielded similar results.ConclusionEarly-life homelessness is prospectively associated with asthma and wheezing among school-aged children and should be prioritised by interventions promoting healthy child development.
Spin-dependent conductance and magnetoresistance ratio in two magnetic-barrier structures
Authors: Zheng Xingrong , Li Feifei 
Published: July 2024

An improved transfer matrix method is developed with modular matrices for rectangular electric and magnetic vector potentials, as well as the δ-function like potentials. As an example, the spin-dependent conductance in two-dimensional electron gas under modulation of two magnetic barriers are recalculated and compared with those illustrated in (Wang et al. Chin. Phys. B 19, 037301(2010)). The previous results are found inaccurate, their transfer matrix was derived for slowly varying magnetic vector potential, which is inappropriate for δ-function like Zeeman interaction potentials. Furthermore, the last transfer matrix of eq. (4) is also found incorrect, and the Zeeman interaction is wrongly expressed and mistakenly enhanced about (1/0.067 ≈ 15) times. Our improved method here is general and is demonstrated very fast forevaluating various spin-dependent transport properties in complex hybrid magnetic–electric structures.
Study on Two Inorganic Consumables in PMMA Electrochromic Devices Based on Work Function Differences
Authors: Liu Yuhang , Mengnan Ruan , Nie Shanshan , Lian Yi , Zhao Lei , Zhifeng Liu 
Published: July 2024

In electrochromic devices, the dielectric layer is not only an electrode dielectric, but also can provide compensating ions for electrochromism. In this paper, three composite porous materials, PMMA/SiO2, PMMA/TiO2, and PMMA/SiO2/TiO2, were prepared and assembled using polymethyl cellulose (PMMA) as the polymer matrix, impurity medium (SiO2) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) inorganic polymers, and the effect of doping two inorganic porous materials on the electrochromic performance was studied. The optical recovery and cycle stability of electrochromic wear of the PMMA/SiO2/TiO2 composite structure are significantly improved compared with the loss of other ceramic structures. Cyclic voltammetry analysis shows that the lithium ion diffusion coefficient of the electrochromic device using the PMMA/SiO2/TiO2 composite ceramic structure is the largest, which is 2.5 × 10−14 cm2​ s−1 . The improvement of electrochromic performance is mainly due to the difference in work function between SiO2 and TiO2 on the figure of merit diagram, which leads to the directional movement of the resonator, accelerates the transmission rate of Li+ and further optimizes the electrochemical properties of the composite ceramic. This study provides an effective method to improve the performance of electrochromic devices.
Tumoral Interferon Beta Induces an Immune-Stimulatory Phenotype in Tumor-Associated Macrophages in Melanoma Brain Metastases
Authors: Gellert Julia , Agardy Dennis A. , Kumar Swaminathan , Kourtesakis Alexandros , Boschert Tamara , Jähne Kristine , Breckwoldt Michael O. , Bunse Lukas , Wick Wolfgang , Davies Michael A. , Platten Michael , Bunse Theresa 
Published: July 2024

Abstract

Type I interferons (IFN) are immune-stimulatory cytokines involved in antiviral and antitumor immune responses. They enhance the efficacy of immunogenic anticancer therapies such as radiotherapy by activating both innate and adaptive immune cells. Macrophages are one of the most abundant innate immune cells in the immune microenvironment of melanoma brain metastases (MBM) and can exert potent immune-suppressive functions. Here, we investigate the potential of tumoral type I IFNs to repolarize tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) in two murine MBM models and assess the effects of radiotherapy-induced type I IFN on TAMs in a transcriptomic MBM patient dataset. In mice, we describe a proinflammatory M1-like TAM phenotype induced by tumoral IFNβ and identify a myeloid type I IFN-response signature associated with a high M1/M2-like TAM ratio. Following irradiation, patients with MBM displaying a myeloid type I IFN-response signature showed increased overall survival, providing evidence that tumoral IFNβ supports an effective antitumor immune response by re-educating immune-regulatory TAM. These findings uncover type I IFN–inducing therapies as a potential macrophage-targeting therapeutic approach and provide a rationale for combining radiotherapy with concomitant immunotherapy to improve treatment response in patients with MBM.

Significance:
Our study shows that re-education of tumor-associated macrophages by tumoral IFNβ translates into improved clinical outcome in patients with melanoma brain metastases, providing pathomechanistic insights into synergistic type I interferon–inducing therapies with immunotherapies and warranting investigation of IFNβ as a predictive biomarker for combined radioimmunotherapy.
RNA Helicase DDX5 Maintains Cardiac Function by Regulating
CamkIIδ
Alternative Splicing
Authors: Jia Kangni , Cheng Haomai , Ma Wenqi , Zhuang Lingfang , Li Hao , Li Zhigang , Wang Ziyang , Sun Hang , Cui Yuke , Zhang Hang , Xie Hongyang , Yi Lei , Chen Zhiyong , Sano Motoaki , Fukuda Keiichi , Lu Lin , Pu Jun , Zhang Yan , Gao Ling , Zhang Ruiyan , Yan Xiaoxiang 
Published: July 2024

BACKGROUND:
Heart failure (HF) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. RNA-binding proteins are identified as regulators of cardiac disease; DDX5 (dead-box helicase 5) is a master regulator of many RNA processes, although its function in heart physiology remains unclear.

METHODS:

We assessed DDX5 expression in human failing hearts and a mouse HF model. To study the function of DDX5 in heart, we engineered cardiomyocyte-specific
Ddx5
knockout mice. We overexpressed DDX5 in cardiomyocytes using adeno-associated virus serotype 9 and performed transverse aortic constriction to establish the murine HF model. The mechanisms underlined were subsequently investigated using immunoprecipitation–mass spectrometry, RNA-sequencing, alternative splicing analysis, and RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing.

RESULTS:

We screened transcriptome databases of murine HF and human dilated cardiomyopathy samples and found that DDX5 was significantly downregulated in both. Cardiomyocyte-specific deletion of
Ddx5
resulted in HF with reduced cardiac function, an enlarged heart chamber, and increased fibrosis in mice. DDX5 overexpression improved cardiac function and protected against adverse cardiac remodeling in mice with transverse aortic constriction–induced HF. Furthermore, proteomics revealed that DDX5 is involved in RNA splicing in cardiomyocytes. We found that DDX5 regulated the aberrant splicing of Ca
2+
/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IIδ (
CamkIIδ
), thus preventing the production of CaMKIIδA, which phosphorylates L-type calcium channel by serine residues of Cacna1c, leading to impaired Ca
2+
homeostasis. In line with this, we found increased intracellular Ca
2+
transients and increased sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca
2+
content in DDX5-depleted cardiomyocytes. Using adeno-associated virus serotype 9 knockdown of CaMKIIδA partially rescued the cardiac dysfunction and HF in
Ddx5
knockout mice.

CONCLUSIONS:
These findings reveal a role for DDX5 in maintaining calcium homeostasis and cardiac function by regulating alternative splicing in cardiomyocytes, identifying the DDX5 as a potential target for therapeutic intervention in HF.