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Viruses have brought humanity many challenges: respiratory infection, cancer, neurological impairment and immunosuppression to name a few. Virology research over the last 60+ years has responded to reduce this disease burden with vaccines and antivirals. Despite this long history, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented attention to the field of virology. Some of this attention is focused on concern about the safe conduct of research with human pathogens. A small but vocal group of individuals has seized upon these concerns - conflating legitimate questions about safely conducting virus-related research with uncertainties over the origins of SARS-CoV-2. The result has fueled public confusion and, in many instances, ill-informed condemnation of virology. With this article, we seek to promote a return to rational discourse. We explain the use of gain-of-function approaches in science, discuss the possible origins of SARS-CoV-2 and outline current regulatory structures that provide oversight for virological research in the United States. By offering our expertise, we - a broad group of working virologists - seek to aid policy makers in navigating these controversial issues. Balanced, evidence-based discourse is essential to addressing public concern while maintaining and expanding much-needed research in virology.

Curriculum guidelines for virology are needed to best guide student learning due to the continuous and ever-increasing volume of virology information, the need to ensure that undergraduate and graduate students have a foundational understanding of key virology concepts, and the importance in being able to communicate that understanding to both other virologists and nonvirologists. Such guidelines, developed by virology educators and the American Society for Virology Education and Career Development Committee, are described herein.

The exploitation of biological macromolecules, such as nucleic acids, for the fabrication of advanced materials is a promising area of research. Although a greater variety of structural and functional uses can be envisioned for protein-based materials, systematic approaches for their construction have yet to emerge. Consistent with theoretical models of polymer macrocyclization, we have demonstrated that, in the presence of dimeric methotrexate (bisMTX), wild-type Escherichia coli dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) molecules tethered together by a flexible peptide linker (ecDHFR(2)) are capable of spontaneously forming highly stable cyclic structures with diameters ranging from 8 to 20 nm. The nanoring size is dependent on the length and composition of the peptide linker, on the affinity and conformational state of the dimerizer, and on induced protein-protein interactions. Delineation of these and other rules for the control of protein oligomer assembly by chemical induction provides an avenue to the future design of protein-based materials and nanostructures.

Synthesis of cadmium sulfide (CdS) semiconductor nanoparticles within a prokaryotic organism is reported for the first time by Sweeney et al. This paper demonstrates the utility of microorganisms to perform chemistries outside the scope of their "normal" metabolism and offers an environmentally benign synthesis of CdS nanoparticles.

This study explores mental health care treatment among primary care nurse practitioners. Forty-two nurse practitioners from a variety of specialty practice areas responded to a questionnaire focusing on mental health care management in their practice setting. Results showed that 95% of the nurse practitioners encountered clients with mental illness in their practices. The most common psychiatric disorders seen among the nurse practitioners were depression and anxiety disorders. Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder was the most frequently encountered mental illness among the pediatric nurse practitioners. Bipolar disorder and schizophrenia were also encountered by nurse practitioners in a variety of settings, though with less frequency. Seventy-six percent of the nurse practitioners reported prescribing psychotropic medications. Details of the nurse practitioners' prescriptive patterns are described. Recommendations for further research are discussed, and the need for continuing education in psychopharmacology among primary care nurse practitioners is highlighted.