Engelantonsen0331

Soft ticks are neglected competent vectors of a wide range of pathogenic microorganisms, among which bacteria of the genera Rickettsia and Borrelia stand out. In Mexico, previous studies have shown the presence of a member of the Ornithodoros talaje complex in the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana Didelphimorphia Didelphidae Kerr) from southeastern Mexico. However, its specific identification has not been achieved. Two D. virginiana were treated in a private clinic during the period of April-May 2022. Tick larvae were manually removed, DNA extraction was performed, and some genes from various bacterial and parasitic pathogens were amplified and sequenced. A total of 96 larvae were recovered, which were morphologically identified as Ornithodoros puertoricensis (Ixodida Argasidae Fox); the 16 S sequences showed a similarity of 96.79%-99.51% with sequences of O. puertoricensis from Panama and Colombia. The presence of Rickettsia felis (Rickettsiales Rickettsiaceae Bouyer et al.) was detected in 15 specimens from one host. The soft tick O. puertoricensis is recorded for the first time as an ectoparasite of the Virginia opossum in America and represents the second report for this soft tick in Mexico since 1963. This represents the most northern record of this tick species in its geographic distribution and brings a new soft tick-Rickettsia association.

This study aimed to find out whether utilizing a shift schedule evaluation tool with ergonomics recommendations for working hours has favorable effects on the incidence of occupational injuries.

This 4-year prospective cohort study (2015-2018) consisted of a dynamic cohort of healthcare shift workers (N=29 237) from ten hospital districts and six cities in Finland. Working hour characteristics and occupational injuries were measured with daily registry data. Multilevel generalized linear model was used for the analyses, and the estimates were controlled for hierarchical structure of the data and confounders.

Ward heads of the cities used the shift schedule evaluation tool 3.2 times more often than ward heads of the hospital districts. Overall incidence of workplace and commuting injuries did not differ between users and non-users of the evaluation tool. The incidence of dislocations, sprains, and strains was lower in the users than non-users [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 0.88, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.78-0.99]. Approximately 13% of this association was mediated by increase in realized shift wishes and 10% by increase in single days off. In subgroup analyses, the incidence of workplace injury (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.69-0.99), and among types of injuries, the incidence of dislocations, sprains, and strains (OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.55-0.85) and falling, slipping, tripping, or overturning (OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.58-0.99) were lower in users than non-users among employees of the cities, but no association was found among employees of the hospital districts.

The use of ergonomics recommendations for working hours is associated with a reduced risk of occupational injuries.

The use of ergonomics recommendations for working hours is associated with a reduced risk of occupational injuries.Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the gold standard method to study brain anatomy in vivo. Using MRI, subtle alterations to white matter structures in the brain are observed prior to cognitive decline associated with the ageing process, and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. Detection of such alterations provides hope for early clinical diagnosis. While MRI is essential to detect subtle alterations to brain structure in vivo, the technique is less suited to study and image the distribution of biochemical markers within specific brain structures. Consequently, the chemical changes that drive, or are associated with MRI-detectable alterations to white matter are not well understood. Herein, we describe (to the best of our knowledge) the first application of a complementary imaging approach that incorporates in vivo MRI with ex vivo Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic imaging on the same brain tissue. The combined workflow is used to detect and associate markers of altered biochemistry (FTIR) with anatomical changes to brain white matter (MRI). We have applied this combination of techniques to the senescence accelerated murine prone strain 8 (SAMP8) mouse model (n = 6 animals in each group, analysed across two ageing time points, 6 and 12 months). The results have demonstrated alterations to lipid composition and markers of disturbed metabolism during ageing are associated with loss of white matter volume.Pherobrine and Burley are siphoviruses infecting Gordonia rubripertincta. Pherobrine has a 60,305-bp genome with 89 predicted protein-coding genes, and Burley has a 60,111-bp genome with 90 predicted protein-coding genes. Both phages are assigned to cluster DJ, where they share 78% gene content similarity with each other.Illumina sequencing of a Prunus avium tree with X-disease symptoms was performed to obtain a draft genome of "Candidatus Phytoplasma pruni." The genome consists of 14 contigs covering 588,767 bp. This is the first metagenome to be sequenced from the current X-disease epidemic in stone fruit in the Pacific Northwest.Initial responses to tuberculosis treatment are poor predictors of final therapeutic outcomes in drug-susceptible disease, suggesting that treatment success depends on features that are hidden within a small minority of the overall infecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis population. We developed a multitranswell robotic system to perform numerous parallel cultures of genetically barcoded M. tuberculosis exposed to steady-state concentrations of rifampicin to uncover these difficult-to-eliminate minority populations. We found that tolerance emerged repeatedly from at least two subpopulations of barcoded cells, namely, one that could not grow on solid agar media and a second that could form colonies, but whose kill curves diverged from the general bacterial population within 4 and 16 days of drug exposure, respectively. These tolerant subpopulations reproducibly passed through a phase characterized by multiple unfixed resistance mutations followed by emergent drug resistance in some cultures. Barcodes associated wbeen eradicated. Using a novel steady-state antibiotic exposure system combined with chromosomal barcoding, we identified small hidden Mycobacterium tuberculosis subpopulations that repeatedly enter a state of drug tolerance with a predisposition to develop fixed drug resistance after first developing a cloud of unfixed resistance mutations. The existence of these difficult-to-eradicate subpopulations may explain the need for extended treatment regimen for tuberculosis. Their identification provides opportunities to test genetic and therapeutic approaches that may result in shorter and more effective TB treatments.Pectobacterium carotovorum is an economically important phytopathogen and has been identified as the major causative agent of bacterial soft rot in carrots. Control of this phytopathogen is vital to minimizing carrot harvest losses. As fully efficient control measures to successfully avoid the disease are unavailable, the phage-mediated biocontrol of the pathogen has recently gained scientific attention. In this study, we present a comprehensive characterization of the P. carotovorum phage vB_PcaM_P7_Pc (abbreviated as P7_Pc) that was isolated from infected carrot samples with characteristic soft rot symptoms, which were obtained from storage facilities at market places in Gampaha District, Sri Lanka. P7_Pc is a myovirus, and it exhibits growth characteristics of an exclusively lytic life cycle. It showed visible lysis against four of the tested P. carotovorum strains and one Pectobacterium aroidearum strain. This phage also showed a longer latent period (125 min) than other related phages; however, this did ly characterize and resolve the phylogenetic placement of the P. carotovorum phage vB_PcaM_P7_Pc by using its biological and genomic properties. Phage P7_Pc has a myovirus morphotype with an exclusively lytic life cycle, and the absence of genes related to lysogeny, toxin production, and antibiotic resistance in its genome confirmed its suitability to be used in environmental applications. Furthermore, P7_Pc is classified under the genus Certrevirus, making it the first reported phage of the genus of the host species, P. carotovorum.Human papillomavirus (HPV) E7 proteins bind to host cell proteins to facilitate virus replication. Interactions between HPV E7 and host cell proteins can also drive cancer progression. We hypothesize that HPV E7-host protein interactions specific for high-risk E7 contribute to the carcinogenic activity of high-risk HPV. The cellular protein ZER1 interacts with the E7 protein from HPV16, the genotype most frequently associated with human cancers. The HPV16 E7-ZER1 interaction is unique among HPV E7 tested to date. Other E7 proteins, even from closely related HPV genotypes, do not bind ZER1, which is a substrate specificity factor for a CUL2-RING ubiquitin ligase. In the present study, we investigated the contribution of ZER1 to the carcinogenic activity of HPV16 E7. First, we mapped the ZER1 binding site to specific residues on the C terminus of HPV16 E7. We showed that the mutant HPV16 E7 that cannot bind ZER1 is impaired in the ability to promote the growth of primary keratinocytes. We found that ZER1 and CUc activity of HPV E7. learn more Here, we characterized the interaction between HPV16 E7 and the host cell protein ZER1, testing whether this genotype-specific interaction could enable some of the carcinogenic activity of HPV16 E7. We found that ZER1 binding contributes to the growth-promoting activity of HPV16 E7 and to the growth of HPV-positive cervical cancer cells. We propose that ZER1 makes an important contribution to HPV-mediated carcinogenesis.Shigella flexneri uses a type 3 secretion system (T3SS) apparatus to inject virulence effector proteins into the host cell cytosol. Upon host cell contact, MxiE, an S. flexneri AraC-like transcriptional regulator, is required for the expression of a subset of T3SS effector genes encoded on the large virulence plasmid. Here, we defined the MxiE regulon using RNA-seq. We identified virulence plasmid- and chromosome-encoded genes that are activated in response to type 3 secretion in a MxiE-dependent manner. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that similar to previously known MxiE-dependent genes, chromosome-encoded genes yccE and yfdF contain a regulatory element known as the MxiE box, which is required for their MxiE-dependent expression. The significant AT enrichment of MxiE-dependent genes suggested the involvement of H-NS. Using a dominant negative H-NS system, we demonstrate that H-NS silences the expression of MxiE-dependent genes located on the virulence plasmid (ipaH7.8 and ospC1) and the chromosome (yccE annce factor VirB, which dislodges H-NS upon binding to specific motifs upstream of virulence genes, including those encoding the T3SS. In this study, we provide genetic evidence supporting the notion that, in addition to VirB, the AraC family member MxiE also contributes to releasing H-NS-mediated silencing in S. flexneri.