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The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated rapid expansion of telehealth as part of healthcare delivery. This study compared HIV-related no-shows by visit type (in-person; video; telephone) during the COVID-19 pandemic (April 2020-September 2021) from the Data for Care Alabama project. Using all primary care provider visits, each visit's outcome was categorized as no-show or arrived. A logistic regression model using generalized estimating equations accounting for repeat measures in individuals and within sites calculated odds ratios (OR) and their accompanying 95% confidence interval (CI) for no-shows by visit modality. The multivariable models adjusted for sociodemographic factors. In-person versus telephone visits [OR (95% CI) 1.64 (1.48-1.82)] and in-person versus video visits [OR (95% CI) 1.53 (1.25-1.85)] had higher odds of being a no-show. In-person versus telephone and video no-shows were significantly higher. This may suggest success of telehealth visits as a method for HIV care delivery even beyond COVID-19., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Introduction: Consumption of green kiwifruit is known to relieve constipation. Previous studies have also reported improvements in gastrointestinal (GI) comfort. We investigated the effect of consuming green kiwifruit on GI function and comfort., Methods: Participants included healthy controls (n = 63), patients with functional constipation (FC, n = 60), and patients with constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-C, n = 61) randomly assigned to consume 2 green kiwifruits or psyllium (7.5 g) per day for 4 weeks, followed by a 4-week washout, and then the other treatment for 4 weeks. The primary outcome was the number of complete spontaneous bowel movements (CSBM) per week. Secondary outcomes included GI comfort which was measured using the GI symptom rating scale, a validated instrument. Data (intent-to-treat) were analyzed as difference from baseline using repeated measures analysis of variance suitable for AB/BA crossover design., Results: Consumption of green kiwifruit was associated with a clinically relevant increase of ≥ 1.5 CSBM per week (FC; 1.53, P < 0.0001, IBS-C; 1.73, P = 0.0003) and significantly improved measures of GI comfort (GI symptom rating scale total score) in constipated participants (FC, P < 0.0001; IBS-C, P < 0.0001). No significant adverse events were observed., Discussion: This study provides original evidence that the consumption of a fresh whole fruit has demonstrated clinically relevant increases in CSBM and improved measures of GI comfort in constipated populations. Green kiwifruits are a suitable dietary treatment for relief of constipation and associated GI comfort., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of The American College of Gastroenterology.)

We compared retention in care outcomes between a pre-COVID-19 (Apr19-Mar20) and an early-COVID-19 (Apr20-Mar21) period to determine whether the pandemic had a significant impact on these outcomes and assessed the role of patient sociodemographics in both periods in individuals enrolled in the Data for Care Alabama project (n = 6461). Using scheduled HIV primary care provider visits, we calculated a kept-visit measure and a missed-visit measure and compared them among the pre-COVID-19 and early-COVID-19 periods. We used logistic regression models to calculated odds ratios (OR) and accompanying 95% confidence intervals (CI). Overall, individuals had lowers odds of high visit constancy [OR (95% CI): 0.85 (0.79, 0.92)] and higher odds of no-shows [OR (95% CI): 1.27 (1.19, 1.35)] during the early-COVID-19 period. Compared to white patients, Black patients were more likely to miss an appointment and transgender people versus cisgender women had lower visit constancy in the early-COVID-19 period., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Fecal egg count (FEC) has been widely used as an indicator of host resistance to gastrointestinal parasites in sheep and has been shown to be a heritable trait. Two other possible indicators of parasites, dag score (DS; accumulated fecal material) and fecal consistency score (FCS), were investigated in this study, along with BW. All four traits were studied to see how heritability and genetic correlations varied with age from weaning (4 mo) to hogget age (approximately 400 d). More than 1,100 lambs, the offspring of 37 rams, were recorded eight times between weaning (3 to 5 mo of age) and hogget age (13 to 18 mo of age) on two farms. Sire models were fitted to the data from each trait at each recording and in a repeatability model involving the whole data set. Overall, the heritabilities were 0.28 [+ or -] 0.072 (FEC), 0.11 [+ or -] 0.036 (DS), 0.12 [+ or -] 0.036 (FCS), and 0.23 [+ or -] 0.070 (BW). By fitting random regression models to the time-series data, it was possible to see how these heritability values varied as the lambs aged, from weaning to hogget age. The heritability of FEC rose from 0.2 at weaning to 0.65 at 400 d. Dag score had a higher heritability (0.25) in the middle of the age range and a low value at weaning ( Key Words: Body Weight, Fecal Egg Count, Gastrointestinal Parasites, Genetic Parameters, Random Regression, Sheep

Background: According to the American Association of Medical Colleges, women comprise 26% of full professors and 19% of medical school department chairs. African American and Latino faculty comprise 4.6% of full professors and 6.9% of department chairs., Objective: Because of the lack of representation of women and racial/ethnic minority faculty at the highest levels of academic medicine, this study examines the perceptions of barriers to advancement by men and women academic medical school faculty of differing races and ethnicities to explore potential differences in perceptions by demographic group., Design: Semi-structured one-on-one interviews were conducted between July and September 2017., Participants: In order to give all faculty a chance to participate, faculty of all ranks and specialties were recruited from one southeastern medical school to participate in the study., Approach: Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed by 3 members of the research team using an inductive approach to thematic analysis. Participants were organized into 4 groups for analysis-underrepresented in medicine (URiM) women, majority women, URiM men, majority men., Key Results: Sixty-four faculty consented to participate in the study (56.2% women, 34.4% URiM). Subthemes were grouped under three main themes: Perceptions of Barriers to Advancement of Women Faculty, Perceptions of Barriers to Advancement of African American and Latino Faculty, and Perceptions of the Institutional Climate for Diversity. Majority men tended to voice distinctly different perspectives than the other three demographic groups, with the most notable differences between majority men and URiM women. Majority  men tended to suggest that the advancement of women and URiM faculty was acceptable or getting better, the lack of URiM faculty in leadership was due mainly to pipeline issues, and women choose not to advance to leadership positions., Conclusion: We found that participant gender and race/ethnicity shaped perspectives of medical school faculty advancement in distinct ways., (© 2021. Society of General Internal Medicine.)

Objective: The World Health Organization recommends disclosing HIV-status between 6 and 12 years; American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children are informed at "school age." Neither suggests an optimal age when children should learn of their status to improve viral load suppression. Considering that virally suppressed people do not transmit HIV and that interrupting the transmission cycle is critical to ending the HIV epidemic, our objective is to examine the relationship between age of disclosure and viral load suppression by evaluating data from a pediatric HIV clinic in the southern United States. Records from perinatal infected patients seen between 2008 and 2018 were analyzed (N = 61)., Results: Longitudinal suppression was low across all groups when benchmarked against the UNAIDS 90% global target; black patients were less likely to achieve suppression compared to white patients (41% vs. 75%, p = 0.04). Adopted children were more likely to achieve suppression than children living with biological family (71% vs. 44%, p < 0.05). Children who learned of their status between 10 and 12 had the highest rate of suppression (65%) compared to peers who learned of their status younger (56%) or older (38%). Our preliminary study is designed to spark research on refining the current recommendations on HIV-status disclosure to perinatal infected children.

Nitric oxide (NO) is an essential molecule in biomedicine, recognized for its antibacterial properties, neuronal modulation, and use in inhalation therapies. The effectiveness of NO-based treatments relies on precise control of NO concentrations tailored to specific therapeutic needs. Electrochemical generation of NO (E-NOgen) via nitrite (NO 2 - ) reduction offers a scalable and efficient route for controlled NO production, while also addressing environmental concerns by reducing NO 2 - pollution and maintaining nitrogen cycle balance. Recent developments in catalysts and E-NOgen devices have propelled NO 2 - conversion, enabling on-demand NO production. This review provides an overview of NO 2 - reduction pathways, with a focus on cutting-edge Fe/Cu-based E-NOgen catalysts, and explores the development of E-NOgen devices for biomedical use. Challenges and future directions for advancing E-NOgen technologies are also discussed., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

The electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction (NO 3 RR), which converts harmful nitrates into valuable ammonia (NH 3 ) with zero carbon emission, is one of the most promising alternatives to the Haber-Bosch process. However, the NO 3 RR process is complex and involves multiple proton-coupled electron transfers that generate intermediates or byproducts, such as NO 2 - , resulting in low ammonia yields and faradaic efficiency (FE). Herein, by constructing a FeCu bimetallic catalyst (FeCu-NC), the hydrogenation position of *NO 3 is switched at the FeCu dual-atom site, preventing the desorption of *NO 2 intermediate. Furthermore, electron transfer from Cu to Fe sites mimics the electron flow direction in natural nitrite reductase enzymes and accelerates the reduction of *NO 2 to NH 3 , achieving efficient conversion of NO 3 - to NH 3 . A 24-hour electrocatalytic experiment with FeCu-NC demonstrates negligible NO 2 - formation throughout the NO 3 RR process, with an ammonia production rate of 6.13 mg h -1  mg cat -1 and an impressive FE of 95%, which are remarkably superior in comparison to most of the NO 3 RR electrocatalysts. This work opens new avenues for the fundamental understanding of catalytic mechanisms and the development of next-generation catalysts for sustainable ammonia production., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

HIV-positive people are at increased risk for malignancies associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, including oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). The purpose of this study was to determine whether cancer treatment disparities exist between HIV-positive and HIV-negative people with OPSCC. We conducted a retrospective cohort study comparing OPSCC treatment adequacy and treatment outcomes in HIV-positive and HIV-negative people in the post-antiretroviral therapy era. Treatment adequacy was determined by measuring two primary endpoints associated with OPSCC survival: time to therapy and total radiation dose. Treatment outcomes were assessed by measuring disease-free and overall survival. We identified a total of 37 HIV-positive and 149 HIV-negative people with OPSCC. HIV-positive people experienced a median delay of 10 days from time of OPSCC diagnosis to start of therapy compared with HIV-negative people [hazard ratio (HR) 0.61, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.38-0.98]. Total post-radiation dose in HIV-positive people was lower than that in HIV-negative people [58.5 Gray (Gy) versus 64.4 Gy, p  = .04]. HIV-positive people also experienced greater hazards for disease recurrence (HR 3.43, 95% CI 1.39-8.46) and death (HR 4.21, 95% CI 1.29-13.80) compared with HIV-negative people. In conclusion, we detected a clinically important delay in time to therapy as well as worse disease-free and overall survival in HIV-positive people with OPSCC compared with their HIV-negative counterparts. These findings are relevant to understanding how HIV-positive people are diagnosed and undergo therapy for HPV-associated malignancies and highlight the need to address cancer treatment disparities in this group.

Increasing water demand and decreasing freshwater availability in an area can cause water scarcity leading to damage to human health, ecosystem quality, and natural resources. Many countries around the world, including Thailand, have recognized the importance of this problem. The available water remaining (AWARE) characterization model provides water scarcity footprint characterization factors (WSF CFs) for assessing the WSF of products. AWARE CFs were prepared from WaterGAP model's data and are available in watershed and country levels. They were not provided for specific areas and could not accurately explain water scarcity situations in certain regions, potentially leading to inappropriate water management. This work calculates the annual and monthly local CFs from local data in the Chao Phraya watershed in Thailand. The monthly local CFs with local environmental water requirement (EWR) calculations ranged from 0.10 to 100. The mean difference between AWARE CFs and local CFs was statistically significant. The most sensitive parameters for local CFs in the dry season were water availability (WA) and agricultural water consumption and that in the wet season was WA. The weighting of AWARE CFs by each type of water consumption and an aggregate of AWARE CFs for product production has been recommended for WSF assessment. The AWARE methodology was modified to assess the individual water scarcity of each water user based on the order of priority. For the Chao Phraya watershed, the ranges of the monthly local individual CFs using local EWR calculations of domestic, environment, livestock, agriculture, and industry were 0.10-0.33, 0.10-0.37, 0.10-0.37, 0.10-100, and 0.10-100, respectively. This assessment of individual water scarcity is helpful for prioritizing the level and timing of water use to minimize their impacts on critical water scarcity., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: This article describes Mayors Mentoring Mayors (3M), an initiative of the Arkansas Coalition for Obesity Prevention (ArCOP), which expanded to five states to become the signature community initiative of the Mid-South Transdisciplinary Collaborative Center (Mid-South TCC) for Health Disparities Research., Methods: The 3M program is an extension of the Growing Healthy Communities (GHC) program, which sought to build capacity within communities to reduce obesity by implementing policy, system and environmental (PSE) changes that support healthy living. GHC where the mayor was involved had the most significant changes toward better health. These mayors were recruited to share their successes, lessons learned, and best practices with their colleagues through a series of Lunch & Learns. Following the GHC and 3M models, a multi-state approach to expand 3M to five additional states was developed. ArCOP partnered with the Mid-South TCC to recruit mayors in the five states., Results: Five Lunch & Learn events were held across Arkansas between March and May 2015, with a total of 98 participants (40 mayors, 37 community leaders, 21 guests). Each regional Lunch & Learn had 1-2 host mayor(s) in attendance, with a total of 9 host mayors. For the 3M regional expansion project, eight GHC Recognition Applications from five states were submitted. Five communities, designated as Emerging, were funded to implement GHC projects., Conclusion: ArCOP successfully engaged mayors, elected officials, and stakeholders who can influence policy across Arkansas as well as in an additional five states in the Mid-South TCC region to implement obesity PSE prevention strategies., Competing Interests: Competing Interests: None declared.

Objective: The purpose of this article is to describe the process of conducting an assessment of neighborhood perceptions and cohesion by a community coalition-academic team created in the context of community-based participatory research (CBPR), to guide the design of locally relevant health initiatives., Methods: Guided by CBPR principles, a collaborative partnership was established between an academic center and a local, urban, underserved neighborhood in Birmingham, Alabama to identify and address community concerns and priorities. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in September 2016 among community residents (N=90) to examine perceptions of neighborhood characteristics, including social cohesion and neighborhood problems., Results: The major concerns voiced by the coalition were violence and lack of neighborhood cohesion and safety. The community survey verified the concerns of the coalition, with the majority of participants mentioning increasing safety and stopping the violence as the things to change about the community and the greatest hope for the community. Furthermore, results indicated residents had a moderate level of perceived social cohesion (mean = 2.87 [.67])., Conclusions: The Mid-South TCC Academic and Community Engagement (ACE) Core successfully partnered with community members and stakeholders to establish a coalition whose concerns and vision for the community matched the concerns of residents of the community. Collecting data from different groups strengthened the interpretation of the findings and allowed for a rich understanding of neighborhood concerns., Competing Interests: Competing Interests: None declared.

This study investigated the impact of ACTAZIN™ green (2400 and 600 mg) and Livaux™ (2400 mg) gold kiwifruit supplements on faecal microbial composition and metabolites in healthy and functionally constipated (FC) participants. The participants were recruited into the healthy group ( n 20; one of whom did not complete the study) and the FC group ( n 9), each of whom consumed all the treatments and a placebo (isomalt) for 4 weeks in a randomised cross-over design interspersed with 2-week washout periods. Modification of faecal microbiota composition and metabolism was determined by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and GC, and colonic pH was calculated using SmartPill ® wireless motility capsules. A total of thirty-two taxa were measured at greater than 1 % abundance in at least one sample, ten of which differed significantly between the baseline healthy and FC groups. Specifically, Bacteroidales and Roseburia spp. were significantly more abundant ( P < 0·05) in the healthy group and taxa including Ruminococcaceae, Dorea spp. and Akkermansia spp. were significantly more abundant ( P < 0·05) in the FC group. In the FC group, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii abundance significantly increased ( P = 0·024) from 3·4 to 7·0 % following Livaux™ supplementation, with eight of the nine participants showing a net increase. Lower proportions of F. prausnitzii are often associated with gastrointestinal disorders. The discovery that Livaux™ supplementation increased F. prausnitzii abundance offers a potential strategy for improving gut microbiota composition, as F. prausnitzii is a butyrate producer and has also been shown to exert anti-inflammatory effects in many studies.

'Hayward' kiwifruit anecdotally are associated with improved gastrointestinal comfort following the consumption of high protein meals, possibly because of the presence of a protease enzyme, actinidin. The study aimed to use SmartPill™ technology to investigate the acute effect of kiwifruit with actinidin ( Actinidia chinensis var. deliciosa 'Hayward') and kiwifruit without actinidin ( A. chinensis var. chinensis 'Hort16A') on digestion of a large protein meal. Ten healthy male subjects were recruited. The participants attended the clinic three times, having fasted overnight. They consumed a test meal consisting of 400 g lean steak and two 'Hort16A' or two 'Hayward kiwifruit'. Subjects completed visual analogue scales (VAS) by rating feelings of hunger, satisfaction, fullness, and comfort and swallowed a SmartPill™ before completing further VAS scales. After 5 h, participants consumed an ad libitum lunch to assess satiety. SmartPill™ transponders were worn for five days. There were no significant differences in gastric emptying time, small bowel, or colonic transit time between the two kiwifruit arms of the study measured by SmartPill™. Similarly, no significant differences were observed in VAS satiety measures or energy consumption at the ad libitum meal. However, the measurement of overall gastric comfort tended to be lower, and bloating was significantly reduced following the consumption of the steak meal with 'Hayward' kiwifruit ( p < 0.028)., Conclusions: The SmartPill™ is marketed as a diagnostic tool for patients presenting with gastrointestinal disorders and is usually used with a standard 'SmartBar'. This small pilot study suggests that it is less likely to measure gastric emptying effectively following a high protein meal, as it may be delayed because of the meal's physical consistency. However, green kiwifruit, containing actinidin, may reduce bloating and other measures of gastric discomfort in healthy males. Possible future studies could use repeated measures with more readily digested protein and larger numbers of participants., Competing Interests: Juliet Ansell works for Zespri International Limited and was involved in the design and interpretation of data and the review of the manuscript. Lynley Drummond has served on advisory boards and has been paid to undertake the present work on behalf of Zespri International Ltd.

Selection and breeding strategies to improve resistance to enteropathies are essential to reaching the sustainability of the rabbit production systems. However, disease heterogeneity (having only as major visible symptom diarrhoea) and low disease heritability are two barriers for the implementation of these strategies. Diarrhoea condition can affect rabbits at different life stages, starting from the suckling period, with large negative economic impacts. In this study, from a commercial population of suckling rabbits (derived from 133 litters) that experienced an outbreak of enteropathy, we first selected a few animals that died with severe symptoms of diarrhoea and characterized their microbiota, using 16S rRNA gene sequencing data. Clostridium genus was consistently present in all affected specimens. In addition, with the aim to identify genetic markers in the rabbit genome that could be used as selection tools, we performed genome-wide association studies for symptoms of diarrhoea in the same commercial rabbit population. These studies were also complemented with F ST analyses between the same groups of rabbits. A total of 332 suckling rabbits (151 with severe symptoms of diarrhoea, 42 with mild symptoms and 129 without any symptoms till the weaning period), derived from 45 different litters (a subset of the 133 litters) were genotyped with the Affymetrix Axiom OrcunSNP Array. In both genomic approaches, rabbits within litters were paired to constitute two groups (susceptible and resistant, including the mildly affected in one or the other group) and run case and control genome-wide association analyses. Genomic heritability estimated in the designed experimental structure integrated in a commercial breeding scheme was 0.19-0.21 (s.e. 0.09-0.10). A total of eight genomic regions on rabbit chromosome 2 (OCU2), OCU3, OCU7, OCU12, OCU13, OCU16 and in an unassembled scaffold had significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and/or markers that trespassed the F ST percentile distribution. Among these regions, three main peaks of SNPs were identified on OCU12, OCU13 and OCU16. The QTL region on OCU13 encompasses several genes that encode members of a family of immunoglobulin Fc receptors (FCER1G, FCRLA, FCRLB and FCGR2A) involved in the immune innate system, which might be important candidate genes for this pathogenic condition. The results obtained in this study demonstrated that resistance to an enteropathy occurring in suckling rabbits is in part genetically determined and can be dissected at the genomic level, providing DNA markers that could be used in breeding programmes to increase resistance to enteropathies in meat rabbits., (© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Practical values to guide food choices for control of postprandial glycaemia need to refer to entire foods in amounts customarily consumed. We tested an in vitro method for determining the relative glycaemic impact (RGI) of customarily consumed portions of foods. Sugars released during in vitro pancreatic digestion of eighty-three foods were measured as glucose equivalents (GE) per gram of food, adjusted by the glycaemic indexes of the sugars to obtain glycaemic GE (GGE) per gram and multiplied by food portion weight to obtain the GGE contribution of the food portion, its RGI. The results were compared with clinical GGE values from subjects who consumed the same food amounts. In vitro and in vivo GGE values were significantly correlated, but the slope of the regression equation was significantly less than one, meaning in vitro GGE values overestimated in vivo GGE values. Bland-Altman method comparison showed the in vitro-in vivo disparity to increase as mean GGE increased, suggesting the need to allow for different rates of homeostatic blood glucose disposal (GD) due to different GGE doses in the customarily consumed food portions. After GD correction, Bland-Altman method comparison showed that the bias in predicting in vivo GGE values from in vitro GGE values was almost completely removed (y = 0.071x - 0.89; R2 0.01). We conclude that in vitro food values for use in managing the glycaemic impact of customarily consumed food quantities require correction for blood GD that is dependent on the GGE content of the food portions involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Co-infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) significantly increases the incidence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and HPV-related cancers among men who have sex with men (MSM). Conversely, HPV infection can also influence HIV acquisition rates. HIV-induced immune suppression may affect chromosomal stability, gene expression, protein function and other molecular components in MSM with HPV-related cancers. Additionally, HIV infection also alters cellular mechanisms by compromising immune responses and epithelial integrity. In this review, we reviewed the influence of HIV on specific HPV-related cancers in MSM, including oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, penile cancer, and anal cancer. We integrated epidemiological data from the past five years and discussed diagnosis and treatment strategies. Overall, our review offers crucial insights into the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms of these co-infection MSM patients. Our review aims to assist future research in developing effective treatment strategies for MSM with HIV/HPV co-infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tissue-specific T cell immune responses play a critical role in maintaining organ health but can also drive immune pathology during both autoimmunity and alloimmunity. The mechanisms controlling intratissue T cell programming remain unclear. Here, we leveraged a nonhuman primate model of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation to probe the biological underpinnings of tissue-specific alloimmune disease using a comprehensive systems immunology approach including multiparameter flow cytometry, population-based transcriptional profiling, and multiplexed single-cell RNA sequencing and TCR sequencing. Transcriptional profiling revealed substantial biological differences between T cells infiltrating the lung and liver during aGVHD. These included enrichment for transcriptional pathways controlling extracellular matrix remodeling and chemotaxis in the lung and enrichment for transcriptional pathways linked to nucleic acid metabolism and proliferation in the liver. Single-cell RNA sequencing and TCR sequencing substantiated divergent organ-specific transcriptional programing of tissue-infiltrating T cells, which was linked to clonal expansion, with expanded clones progressively enriched for C-X3-C motif chemokine receptor 1 (CX3CR1)–expressing CD8 effector T cells in the lung and eomesodermin (EOMES)–expressing CD8 effector-memory T cells in the liver. This divergent evolution of T cells was maintained even for T cells sharing the same TCRs, indicating its independence from antigen specificity. Together, these results provide insights into the role that tissue microenvironment–derived signals play in local T cell transcriptional programming during alloimmune-mediated clonal expansion and suggest potential opportunities to develop tissue-specific therapeutics to curtail pathogenic immunity after transplant. Editor's summary: Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) driven by T cells after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HCT) can occur in several different organs and tissues. Here, Omdahl et al. sought to understand how post-HCT T cell responses are shaped in two commonly affected organs, the lungs and the liver, using a cohort of nonhuman primates that underwent allogeneic HCT. The authors found that T cells from the different tissues acquired distinct transcriptional programs and phenotypes. This was true even for T cells carrying the same T cell receptor, hinting that the environment was the driver of the divergent phenotypes. These data suggest that T cell–targeting treatments for aGVHD could be tailored on the basis of the affected organs. —Courtney Malo [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: While considerable research in language production has focused on incremental processing during conceptual and grammatical encoding, prosodic encoding remains less investigated. This study examines whether focus and accentuation processing in speech production follows linear or hierarchical incrementality. Methods: We employed visual world eye-tracking to investigate how focus and accentuation are processed during sentence production. Participants were asked to complete a scenario description task where they were prompted to use a predetermined sentence structure to accurately convey the scenario, thereby spontaneously accentuate the corresponding entity. We manipulated the positions of focus with accentuation (initial vs. medial) by changing the scenarios. The initial and medial positions correspond to the first and second nouns in sentences like "N1 is above N2, not N3." Results: Our findings revealed that speech latencies were significantly shorter in the sentences with initial focus accentuation than those with medial focus accentuation. Furthermore, eye-tracking data demonstrated that speakers quickly displayed a preference for fixating on initial information after scenarios onset. Crucially, the time-course analysis revealed that the onset of the initial focus accentuation effect (around 460 ms) preceded that of the medial focus accentuation effect (around 920 ms). Discussion: These results support that focus and accentuation processing during speech production prior to articulation follows linear incrementality rather than hierarchical incrementality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A compound fruit drink (CFD) is a functional beverage containing fruits, Chinese herbal medicine, and prebiotic fructose. Previous studies have shown the effect of a CFD on alleviating constipation and its impact on gut microbiota. However, a comprehensive analysis has not been reported in regard to the serum metabolism of CFDs. This study established a mouse constipation model, using loperamide hydrochloride. Herein, based on UHPLC–QTOF/MS analysis, 93 differential metabolites (mainly including phosphoglycerides and amino acid derivatives) among the groups of mice were identified. After CFD treatment, the content of phosphatidylethanolamine, amino acid derivatives (including N-Acetyl-L-aspartate, L-Norleucine, and cis-4-Hydroxy-D-proline), and fumarate increased, while that of esters decreased. Pathway enrichment analysis revealed that the CFD mitigated constipation by modulating nine metabolic pathways, which encompass glycerophospholipid metabolism, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, pyruvate metabolism, and tyrosine metabolism. Notably, the glycerophospholipid metabolic pathway was identified as the most pertinent. Collectively, the results provide new ideas for developing functional foods that nourish the intestines and relieve constipation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria presents a significant global health threat. Liposomal antibiotics have shown a potential to improve antibiotic delivery and efficacy. This study aimed to develop liposomes encapsulating tobramycin (TOB) and methylglyoxal (MGO) to enhance TOB activity while reducing bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation. Methods: Clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae were characterized using whole-genome sequencing. Liposomes (Lip-MGO-TOB) were formulated using Manuka honey as a surfactant and loaded with MGO and TOB. Antibacterial activity, biofilm formation, and bacterial cell adhesion assays were performed to compare the efficacy of Lip-MGO-TOB against free TOB. Liposome characterization included analyses of morphology, zeta potential, TOB encapsulation efficiency, and stability under various biological conditions. Results: The Lip-MGO-TOB formulation, at a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 32 µg/mL, reduced the biofilm formation of the P. aeruginosa isolate (PA85) by 68%. Conversely, free TOB, at a MIC of 64 µg/mL, achieved only a 21% reduction. For the K. pneumoniae isolate (KP57), Lip-MGO-TOB inhibited bacterial adhesion to A549 cells at a lower concentration (256 µg/mL) compared to free TOB (512 µg/mL). Lip-MGO-TOB demonstrated sustained drug release over 24 h under tested conditions and retained over 99% of TOB. Conclusions: The Lip-MGO-TOB formulation significantly enhanced TOB activity against resistant bacteria compared to free TOB. Additionally, it provided a stable drug delivery system with controlled drug release. Liposomal TOB represents a promising advancement in combating antibiotic resistance by improving the efficacy and delivery of conventional antibiotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reduction of nitrogen oxides (NOx), which is mainly mediated by metalloenzymes and metal complexes, is a critical process in the nitrogen cycle and environmental remediation. This Frontier article highlights the importance of density functional theory (DFT) calculations to gain mechanistic insights into nitrite (NO2−) and nitric oxide (NO) reduction reactions facilitated by copper complexes by focusing on two key processes: the reduction of NO2− to NO by a monocopper complex, with special emphasis on the concerted proton–electron transfer, and the reduction of NO to N2O by a dicopper complex, which involves N–N bond formation, N2O2 isomerization, and N–O bond cleavage. These findings underscore the utility of DFT calculations in unraveling complicated reaction mechanisms and offer a foundation for future research aimed at improving the reactivity of transition metal complexes in NOx reduction reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gut microbiome dysbiosis is associated with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), and its modulation represents a promising approach for enhancing glycemic control. In this study, we aimed to discover specific alterations in the gut microbiome through lifestyle management. We performed metagenome sequencing on fecal samples and measured short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) in plasma samples from 27 well-controlled GDM pregnancies before and after glycemic control. At the same time, 38 normal glucose tolerance (NGT) samples served as controls. Additionally, we employed two-sample Mendelian Randomization (MR) to validate our findings against Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) database. Our dynamic analysis revealed Bifidobacterium genus increased in GDM patients after intervention. The MR analysis confirmed that the family of Bifidobacteriaceae (OR 0.929, 95% CI, 0.886–0.975; P = 0.003) was the only negatively associated family with GDM. Further analysis indicated the increased abundance of Bifidobacterium species were negatively correlated with glycemic traits (Spearman rho mean − 0.32 ± 0.34) but positively correlated with plasma SCFA levels (Spearman rho mean 0.24 ± 0.19). Functional analysis revealed that the quorum-sensing pathway had the strongest effect on the ability of Bifidobacterium to promote glucose homeostasis (Spearman rho = -0.34), suggesting its role in regulating intestinal microbiota. Finally, the multivariable MR analysis demonstrated that two pathways, COLANSYN PWY and PWY 7323, responsible for cell surface compound synthesis in gram-negative bacteria, mediated 14.83% (P = 0.017) and 16.64% (P = 0.049) of the protective effects of Bifidobacteriaceae against GDM, respectively. In summary, Bifidobacterium is an effective gut microbiota regulator for GDM-related glucose homeostasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2023, the Australian Government issued ∼250,000 soil carbon credits following a measurement period characterised by high rainfall (Decile 10). The inferred soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration rates during this period, ranging from ∼2 to 8 t C ha−¹ yr−¹, significantly exceed rates reported in Australian scientific studies (∼0.1 to 1.2 t C ha−¹ yr−¹). Our analysis, incorporating SOC and biomass measurements alongside remote sensing of NDVI, reveals that these SOC gains were largely attributable to above-average rainfall rather than project interventions. Moreover, these gains were not sustained when rainfall returned to average levels, raising concerns about the durability of credited sequestration and its additionality beyond natural climatic variability. Our findings demonstrate that current safeguards within the Soil Carbon Method—such as withholding 25% of credits during the first measurement period—are likely insufficient to account for climatic variability. To strengthen the integrity of the carbon crediting system, we recommend extending the minimum measurement period for credit issuance to at least five years. Additionally, governments should establish science-based 'reasonable bounds' for expected long-term SOC gains from management practices to sense-check reported outcomes. These measures will ensure that credited SOC sequestration is more closely tied to management-driven outcomes rather than short-term climate-driven fluctuations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Vegetarian diets have been suggested as one way to reduce the carbon footprint of individuals, when compared to standard Western diets, given the latter's inclusion of high-carbon footprint animal foods. However, it is unclear if, within usually consumed meals, the average vegetarian meals have a significantly lower carbon footprint than non-vegetarian meals. Often consumed meals were designated as "common" in this research and obtained from real consumers' food diaries. The purpose of this research is to find out if, in Portugal, common vegetarian meals have a lower carbon footprint than common non-vegetarian meals; and, to communicate the results in a format that might lead consumers in Portugal to reduce this food carbon footprint of theirs. Methods: We conducted a novel analysis for Portugal, namely due to three factors: (1) its focus on meals, rather than ingredients; (2) the inclusion of national food consumption, rather than food production; and (3) presenting the results in a traffic light system. It was also tested how non-vegetarian meals' carbon footprint would change if animal protein was replaced by plant protein. Results: The carbon footprint of common non-vegetarian meals in Portugal is 5.5 times higher than that of common vegetarian meals in Portugal. There is a wide range of carbon footprint values for vegetarian meals in Portugal, specifically, the 5th percentile is 8.5 times smaller than the 95th percentile. Moreover, the common non-vegetarian meals in Portugal when "made" vegetarian have a carbon footprint about 6.4 times lower than the common non-vegetarian meals in Portugal. Conclusions: There are known limitations in this research, besides the unknown ones, such as using only one environmental impact indicator, namely the carbon footprint (rather than the ecological footprint, other, or even none of these); the limited breadth of studies selected, to obtain the food items' carbon footprint (reviews, meta-studies, and local studies); and the narrow LCA boundaries and characteristics included in those and subsequent analysis (of the food items' bioavailability and nutritional functional unit, among others). However, within the scope of this research, the three general hypotheses of this research have been confirmed. It can be concluded that vegetarian food is a potential solution for food's environmental sustainability in Portugal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multicentre redox metalloproteins undergo conformational changes on electrochemical surfaces, or on enzyme substrate binding. The two‐centre copper enzymes, laccase (Type I and TypeII/III Cu) and nitrite reductase (CuNIR) (Type I and Type II Cu) are examples. With some exceptions, these enzymes show no non‐turnover voltammetry on Au(111)‐surfaces modified by thiol based self‐assembled molecular monolayers, but dioxygen or nitrite substrate triggers strong electrocatalytic signals. Scanning tunnelling microscopy also shows high conductivity only when dioxygen or nitrite is present. Atomic force microscopy shows constant CuNIR height but pronounced structural expansion in the electrocatalytic range on nitrite binding. We have recently offered a rationale, based on ab initio quantum chemical studies of water/nitrite substitution in a 740‐atom CuNIR fragment. Presently we provide much more detailed structural assignment mapped to single‐residue resolution. NO2−‐binding induces both a 2 Å Cu−Cu distance increase, and pronounced frontier orbital delocalization strongly facilitating ET between the Cu regions. The conformational changes transmit from the catalytic Type II centre to the electron inlet Type I centre, via the His129‐Cys130 ligands, and via Type I–Cys130 or Type I‐His129 ending at Type II Asp92. The ET patterns are reflected in different atomic Mulliken charges in the water and nitrite CuNIR fragment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective : The dynamics of postprandial glycemic response are crucial for human health, while there is currently a lack of efficient models that can capture its fine features. Methods : To address this gap, a physiologically relevant model based on consecutive reaction kinetics (CRK) was developed in this study to describe human postprandial glycemic response dynamics. Results: The model yielded robust fittings for both simulated and experimental glycemic data (comprising 134 datasets), and demonstrated flexibility in capturing the fine features of glycemic responses to a wide range of real foods, such as blood glucose rising and dropping rates. Conclusion: The CRK model developed in this study should be applied in the future together with food and personal information to better understand the determinants of the variance of human postprandial glycemic response dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]