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Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto is the causative agent of Lyme disease, the most commonly reported vectorborne disease in North America (1). In Pennsylvania, which is first in the United States [...]

The Asian longhorned tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis, an invasive species associated with human pathogens, has spread rapidly across the eastern USA. Questing H. longicornis ticks recovered from active surveillance conducted from 1 May to 6 September, 2019 throughout Pennsylvania were tested for rickettsial pathogens. Of 265 ticks tested by PCR for pathogens, 4 (1.5%) were positive for Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA gene confirmed two positives as A. phagocytophilum–human agent variant. This is the first reported detection of A. phagocytophilum–human pathogenic strain DNA in exotic H. longicornis collected in the USA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is an abstract from the Journal of Clinical & Translational Science. It includes three separate studies. The first study aims to identify candidate variants that cause sudden arrhythmic death (AN-SAD) in racehorses. Whole genome sequencing was performed on AN-SAD cases and controls, and variants were selected based on case-control analysis. The second study investigates the effects of ketamine on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in the corticoaccumbens circuit of rats. Results show that repeated ketamine administration increases BDNF levels in the nucleus accumbens. The third study explores the role of bHLHe40 in systemic sclerosis-associated pulmonary fibrosis. It is found that bHLHe40, TLL1, and LOX-PP may serve as targets for therapeutic intervention in stopping the progression of pulmonary fibrosis. [Extracted from the article]

Wildlife reintroductions to peopled landscapes pose socio-ecological opportunities and risks, and a responsibility to people as well as wildlife. Human–wildlife conflicts can escalate rapidly where anthropogenic foods and feeding cause wildlife to congregate and damage property. Those conflicts polarise attitudes to the wildlife and may cascade into conflicts between people over wildlife. The native parrot, kākā (Nestor meridionalis), was reintroduced to Wellington City in 2002 and we suspect that it initiated a classical human–wildlife conflict cascade. We tested for feeding-induced damage, and different attitude scores amongst neighbours using a postal household survey. We received 313 completed surveys, a 55.9% response rate, across eight suburbs. Minor to severe damage, costing up to NZ$3000 to repair, was reported to trees, buildings, and outdoor furniture. Seventeen respondents reported feeding kākā, mostly fruit and vegetables, but also sugar water, bread, and nuts and seeds, and we received surveys from 33 of their non-feeding neighbours. Feeding significantly increased reports of kākā, and kākā abundance was positively associated with kākā damage. Neighbourhoods closer to Zealandia (the wildlife sanctuary where kākā are fed) and the neighbours of people who fed kākā were statistically more likely to incur property damage than more distant suburbs and residents. Neighbours' attitudinal scores about kākā and native birds were significantly negatively associated with greater kākā damage. The reintroduction of kākā has initiated a feeding-induced wildlife–human conflict. We discuss what can be learned from the experience with kākā in Wellington City for urban wildlife conservation in the future. The reintroduction and feeding of kākā (Nestor meridionalis) in Wellington City, New Zealand, initiated a human–wildlife conflict. Feeding increases damage by kākā and caused attitudes to the birds amongst neighbours to diverge. The human dimensions of wildlife reintroductions, especially to cities, require greater pre-emptive consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphism of the human serotonin 5-HT2C receptor (5-HT2CR) gene that converts a cysteine to a serine at amino acid codon 23 (Cys23Ser) appears to impact 5-HT2CR pharmacology at a cellular and systems level. We hypothesized that the Cys23Ser alters 5-HT2CR intracellular signaling via changes in subcellular localization in vitro. Using cell lines stably expressing the wild-type Cys23 or the Ser23 variant, we show that 5-HT evokes intracellular calcium release with decreased potency and peak response in the Ser23 versus the Cys23 cell lines. Biochemical analyses demonstrated lower Ser23 5-HT2CR plasma membrane localization versus the Cys23 5-HT2CR. Subcellular localization studies demonstrated O-linked glycosylation of the Ser23 variant, but not the wild-type Cys23, may be a post-translational mechanism which alters its localization within the Golgi apparatus. Further, both the Cys23 and Ser23 5-HT2CR are present in the recycling pathway with the Ser23 variant having decreased colocalization with the early endosome versus the Cys23 allele. Agonism of the 5-HT2CR causes the Ser23 variant to exit the recycling pathway with no effect on the Cys23 allele. Taken together, the Ser23 variant exhibits a distinct pharmacological and subcellular localization profile versus the wild-type Cys23 allele, which could impact aspects of receptor pharmacology in individuals expressing the Cys23Ser SNP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impulsivity is a multifaceted behavioral manifestation with implications in several neuropsychiatric disorders. Glutamate neurotransmission through the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), an important brain region in decision-making and goal-directed behaviors, plays a key role in motor impulsivity. We discovered that inherent motor impulsivity predicted responsiveness to D-cycloserine (DCS), a partial NMDAR agonist, which prompted the hypothesis that inherent motor impulsivity is associated with the pattern of expression of cortical NMDAR subunits (GluN1, GluN2A, GluN2B), specifically the protein levels and synaptosomal trafficking of the NMDAR subunits. Outbred male Sprague-Dawley rats were identified as high (HI) or low (LI) impulsive using the one-choice serial reaction time task. Following phenotypic identification, mPFC synaptosomal protein was extracted from HI and LI rats to assess the expression pattern of the NMDAR subunits. Synaptosomal trafficking and stabilization for the GluN2 subunits were investigated by co-immunoprecipitation for postsynaptic density 95 (PSD95) and synapse associated protein 102 (SAP102). HI rats had lower mPFC GluN1 and GluN2A, but higher GluN2B and pGluN2B synaptosomal protein expression versus LI rats. Further, higher GluN2B:PSD95 and GluN2B:SAP102 protein:protein interactions were detected in HI versus LI rats. Thus, the mPFC NMDAR subunit expression pattern and/or synaptosomal trafficking associates with high inherent motor impulsivity. Increased understanding of the complex regulation of NMDAR balance within the mPFC as it relates to inherent motor impulsivity may lead to a better understanding of risk factors for impulse-control disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Borrelia miyamotoi disease is an emerging tick-borne human illness in the United States caused by Borrelia miyamotoi (Spirochaetales: Spirochaetaceae) bacterium. With Pennsylvania reporting thousands of tick-borne disease cases annually, determining the minimum infection rate (MIR) of B. miyamotoi in Ixodes scapularis (Say, Acari: Ixodidae) adults within Pennsylvania is of utmost importance. Active surveillance was performed from October 2019 to April 2020 to collect a minimum of 50 I. scapularis ticks from every county within Pennsylvania and then screened for B. miyamotoi via qPCR. Ticks were collected from all 67 counties with the majority of those being adult I. scapularis. Additional ticks collected were Dermacentor albipictus (Packard, Acari: Ixodidae), Haemaphysalis longicornis (Neumann, Acari: Ixodidae), and immature I. scapularis. Adult I. scapularis were pooled and tested for B. miyamotoi. MIR for positive B. miyamotoi pools and density of infected adult I. scapularis varied by county, with positive pools from 38 Pennsylvania counties. This is the first statewide evaluation of B. miyamotoi in Pennsylvania in questing adult I. scapularis. These prevalence and distribution data will aid health care practitioners within the state of Pennsylvania and the northeast United States to understand potential risk and bring awareness to the lesser known human Borrelia illness, Borrelia miyamotoi disease., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)