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The tail of replication-dependent histone H3.1 varies from that of replication-independent H3.3 at the amino acid located at position 31 in plants and animals, but no function has been assigned to this residue to demonstrate a unique and conserved role for H3.1 during replication. We found that TONSOKU (TSK/TONSL), which rescues broken replication forks, specifically interacts with H3.1 via recognition of alanine 31 by its tetratricopeptide repeat domain. Our results indicate that genomic instability in the absence of ATXR5/ATXR6-catalyzed histone H3 lysine 27 monomethylation in plants depends on H3.1, TSK, and DNA polymerase theta (Pol θ). This work reveals an H3.1-specific function during replication and a common strategy used in multicellular eukaryotes for regulating post-replicative chromatin maturation and TSK, which relies on histone monomethyltransferases and reading of the H3.1 variant.

Aims: Rates of obesity have reached epidemic proportions, especially among people with psychiatric disorders. While the effects of obesity on the brain are of major interest in medicine, they remain markedly under-researched in psychiatry. Methods: We obtained body mass index (BMI) and magnetic resonance imaging-derived regional cortical thickness, surface area from 836 bipolar disorders (BD) and 1600 control individuals from 14 sites within the ENIGMA-BD Working Group. We identified regionally specific profiles of cortical thickness using K-means clustering and studied clinical characteristics associated with individual cortical profiles. Results: We detected two clusters based on similarities among participants in cortical thickness. The lower thickness cluster (46.8% of the sample) showed thinner cortex, especially in the frontal and temporal lobes and was associated with diagnosis of BD, higher BMI, and older age. BD individuals in the low thickness cluster were more likely to have the diagnosis of bipolar disorder I and less likely to be treated with lithium. In contrast, clustering based on similarities in the cortical surface area was unrelated to BD or BMI and only tracked age and sex. Conclusions: We provide evidence that both BD and obesity are associated with similar alterations in cortical thickness, but not surface area. The fact that obesity increased the chance of having low cortical thickness could explain differences in cortical measures among people with BD. The thinner cortex in individuals with higher BMI, which was additive and similar to the BD-associated alterations, may suggest that treating obesity could lower the extent of cortical thinning in BD.

Rapid synthesis of nanomaterials in scalable quantities is critical for accelerating the discovery and commercial translation of nanoscale-based technologies. The synthesis of metal nanogold and silver in volumes larger than 100 mL is not automatized and might require of the use of harsh conditions that in most cases is detrimental for the production of nanoparticles with reproducible size distributions. In this work, we present the development and optimization of an open-access low-cost NanoParticle Flow Synthesis System (NPFloSS) that allows for the rapid preparation of volumes of up to 1 L of gold and silver nanoparticle aqueous solutions.

We report the development, as well as the

Summary Biofilm formation in living organisms is associated to tissue and implant infections, and it has also been linked to the contribution of antibiotic resistance. Thus, understanding biofilm development and being able to mimic such processes is vital for the successful development of antibiofilm treatments and therapies. Several decades of research have contributed to building the foundation for developing in vitro and in vivo biofilm models. However, no such thing as an “all fit” in vitro or in vivo biofilm models is currently available. In this review, in addition to presenting an updated overview of biofilm formation, we critically revise recent approaches for the improvement of in vitro and in vivo biofilm models.

Rugby union is a team-based, high-impact ball sport with various training loads at different levels which may predispose players to increased but varied illness rates. The aim of the study was to characterise the incidence and duration of upper respiratory illness in school boy (three tiers), amateur, and professional rugby players to assess the typical illness rates across different levels. Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire twice a week for the duration of the active playing season investigating level of activity, well-being, and respiratory-related symptoms. Upper respiratory illness incidence per 1000 non-sick days (± SD) for the three tiers of school boy (Under 14 s, n = 9; 2nd XV, n = 15; 1st XV, n = 24), amateur (n = 18), and professional (n = 24) teams was 11.1 ± 9.7, 11.0 ± 17.8, 22.4 ± 30.9, 12.2 ± 21.8, and 12.4 ± 16.8, respectively. In addition, the duration of illness was 62.3 ± 116.1, 59.6 ± 183.2, 552.1 ± 1138.8, 64.3 ± 173.9, and 32.6 ± 59.7 days per 1000 non-sick days, respectively. This is the first study reporting the respiratory illness rates in different levels of rugby. Overall, the highest incidence observed was in the top echelon of school boy rugby, and this study provides a platform for further robust observational and interventional investigation at this level and others.