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Climate change is killing off bumblebees in Europe and North America

Climate change has significantly increased the likelihood of bumblebees being driven to extinction in certain regions across North America and Europe




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Monkeys made their way from Africa to South America at least twice

Two lineages of ancient monkey migrated from Africa to South America more than 30 million years ago. But we’re not sure which ones got there first




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Baking without eggs: How to use aquafaba to make meringues

You don't need eggs to make meringues, pancakes and a host of other baked goods. If you know the science behind it, there are ingredients such as aquafaba that can do the same job




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We can't rely on rampant consumerism to get us out of this mess

Hyperconsumption adds to environmental destruction that brings people into contact with animal viruses that can spark pandemics. We have to avoid the temptation to rely on it to get us out, writes Graham Lawton




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The most expensive education in America - Felix TV

The Poway school district in San Diego County, Calif., is investing $105 million in education. But the final cost will actually be much more.




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We’d be better off without American Airlines - Felix TV

Loose seats. Disrupted flights. Damning headlines. It’s been a terrible week for American Airlines. Reuters’ blogger Felix Salmon explains why flying American and other big carriers has become such a drag. (October 4, 2012)




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On this day: Born May 10, 1995: Missy Franklin, American swimmer

A "star in the making" were the prophetic words of an announcer who had just witnessed 16-year-old Missy Franklin slice up the competition at swimming's 2011 world championships.




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We can't rely on rampant consumerism to get us out of this mess

Hyperconsumption adds to environmental destruction that brings people into contact with animal viruses that can spark pandemics. We have to avoid the temptation to rely on it to get us out, writes Graham Lawton




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Transatlantic slavery introduced infectious diseases to the Americas

The remains of three slaves found in Mexico contain the earliest signs of the hepatitis B virus and yaws bacteria in the Americas, suggesting transatlantic slavery introduced these diseases




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3.2 million more Americans seek jobless benefits

Millions more Americans sought unemployment benefits last week, suggesting layoffs broadened from consumer-facing industries to other segments of the economy and could remain elevated even as many parts of the country start to reopen. This report produced by Yahaira Jacquez.




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3.2 million more Americans seek jobless benefits

Millions more Americans sought unemployment benefits last week, suggesting layoffs broadened from consumer-facing industries to other segments of the economy and could remain elevated even as many parts of the country start to reopen. This report produced by Yahaira Jacquez.




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More Than 4 in 10 Americans Are Now Obese: CDC

Title: More Than 4 in 10 Americans Are Now Obese: CDC
Category: Health News
Created: 2/27/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 2/27/2020 12:00:00 AM




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Americans Less Healthy Than the British

Title: Americans Less Healthy Than the British
Category: Health News
Created: 5/3/2006 8:22:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/3/2006 8:22:05 AM




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Americans Still Split Over New Health Reform Law

Title: Americans Still Split Over New Health Reform Law
Category: Health News
Created: 4/30/2010 8:10:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/30/2010 12:00:00 AM




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Record Number of Americans Got Flu Shots, CDC Says

Title: Record Number of Americans Got Flu Shots, CDC Says
Category: Health News
Created: 4/29/2010 4:10:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 4/30/2010 12:00:00 AM




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Canadians Leading Longer, Healthier Lives Than Americans

Title: Canadians Leading Longer, Healthier Lives Than Americans
Category: Health News
Created: 4/29/2010 12:10:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 4/30/2010 12:00:00 AM




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Death Rate Declines for Americans With Hypertension

Title: Death Rate Declines for Americans With Hypertension
Category: Health News
Created: 4/26/2011 1:54:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 4/27/2011 12:00:00 AM




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Allergies: As American as Apple Pie?

Title: Allergies: As American as Apple Pie?
Category: Health News
Created: 4/29/2013 4:35:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 4/30/2013 12:00:00 AM




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Steep Rise in Suicides Among Middle-Aged Americans, CDC Says

Title: Steep Rise in Suicides Among Middle-Aged Americans, CDC Says
Category: Health News
Created: 5/2/2013 12:35:00 PM
Last Editorial Review: 5/3/2013 12:00:00 AM




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4 in 10 Americans Breathe Unhealthy Air: Report

Title: 4 in 10 Americans Breathe Unhealthy Air: Report
Category: Health News
Created: 4/29/2015 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/30/2015 12:00:00 AM




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Most Americans Turn to Prayer for Healing, Survey Finds

Title: Most Americans Turn to Prayer for Healing, Survey Finds
Category: Health News
Created: 4/22/2016 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/25/2016 12:00:00 AM




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Americans Getting Adequate Water Daily, CDC Finds

Title: Americans Getting Adequate Water Daily, CDC Finds
Category: Health News
Created: 4/26/2016 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/27/2016 12:00:00 AM




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1 in 3 Americans May Have Had Warning Stroke Without Knowing It

Title: 1 in 3 Americans May Have Had Warning Stroke Without Knowing It
Category: Health News
Created: 5/1/2017 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/2/2017 12:00:00 AM




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Life Expectancy Goes Up for Black Americans

Title: Life Expectancy Goes Up for Black Americans
Category: Health News
Created: 5/2/2017 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/3/2017 12:00:00 AM




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Americans Uneasy With Push to Repeal Obamacare: <i>HealthDay/Harris Poll</i>

Title: Americans Uneasy With Push to Repeal Obamacare: HealthDay/Harris Poll
Category: Health News
Created: 5/4/2017 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/4/2017 12:00:00 AM




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AHA News: Director John Singleton's Fatal Stroke Spotlights Black Americans' Hypertension Risk

Title: AHA News: Director John Singleton's Fatal Stroke Spotlights Black Americans' Hypertension Risk
Category: Health News
Created: 5/2/2019 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/2/2019 12:00:00 AM




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Most Americans Hit Hard by Medical Bills

Title: Most Americans Hit Hard by Medical Bills
Category: Health News
Created: 5/2/2019 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/2/2019 12:00:00 AM




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A Heart-Healthy Prescription for America's Food System

Title: A Heart-Healthy Prescription for America's Food System
Category: Health News
Created: 5/2/2019 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/3/2019 12:00:00 AM




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There Aren't Enough Coronavirus Test Kits to Safely Reopen America, Experts Warn

Title: There Aren't Enough Coronavirus Test Kits to Safely Reopen America, Experts Warn
Category: Health News
Created: 4/27/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/27/2020 12:00:00 AM




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Costs Would Keep 1 in 7 Americans From Seeking COVID-19 Treatment

Title: Costs Would Keep 1 in 7 Americans From Seeking COVID-19 Treatment
Category: Health News
Created: 4/28/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/29/2020 12:00:00 AM




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Pandemic Delaying Medical Care of Older Americans

Title: Pandemic Delaying Medical Care of Older Americans
Category: Health News
Created: 4/30/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/30/2020 12:00:00 AM




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Many Americans in the Dark About Eye Health

Title: Many Americans in the Dark About Eye Health
Category: Health News
Created: 1/26/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 1/27/2020 12:00:00 AM




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Rising Number of Older Americans at Risk of Vision Loss

Title: Rising Number of Older Americans at Risk of Vision Loss
Category: Health News
Created: 3/12/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 3/13/2020 12:00:00 AM




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During Droughts, Many Poor Americans Will Lack Clean Tap Water: Study

Title: During Droughts, Many Poor Americans Will Lack Clean Tap Water: Study
Category: Health News
Created: 4/30/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 5/1/2020 12:00:00 AM




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Americans' Cholesterol Levels Decline: Study

Title: Americans' Cholesterol Levels Decline: Study
Category: Health News
Created: 11/12/2019 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 11/13/2019 12:00:00 AM




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Fewer Americans Have High Cholesterol

Title: Fewer Americans Have High Cholesterol
Category: Health News
Created: 4/22/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 4/23/2020 12:00:00 AM




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AHA News: Being an African American 'Superwoman' Might Come With a Price

Title: AHA News: Being an African American 'Superwoman' Might Come With a Price
Category: Health News
Created: 2/11/2020 12:00:00 AM
Last Editorial Review: 2/12/2020 12:00:00 AM




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Report from the American Society for Microbiology COVID-19 International Summit, 23 March 2020: Value of Diagnostic Testing for SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19




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A Chimeric Japanese Encephalitis Vaccine Protects against Lethal Yellow Fever Virus Infection without Inducing Neutralizing Antibodies

ABSTRACT

Recent outbreaks of yellow fever virus (YFV) in West Africa and Brazil resulted in rapid depletion of global vaccine emergency stockpiles and raised concerns about being unprepared against future YFV epidemics. Here we report that a live attenuated virus similar to the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) vaccine JE-CVax/Imojev that consists of YFV-17D vaccine from which the structural (prM/E) genes have been replaced with those of the JEV SA14-14-2 vaccine strain confers full protection in mice against lethal YFV challenge. In contrast to the YFV-17D-mediated protection against YFV, this protection is not mediated by neutralizing antibodies but correlates with YFV-specific nonneutralizing antibodies and T cell responses against cell-associated YFV NS1 and other YFV nonstructural (NS) proteins. Our findings reveal the potential of YFV NS proteins to mediate protection and demonstrate that chimeric flavivirus vaccines, such as Imojev, could confer protection against two flaviviruses. This dual protection may have implications for the possible off-label use of JE-CVax in case of emergency and vaccine shortage during YFV outbreaks. In addition, populations in Asia that have been vaccinated with Imojev may already be protected against YFV should outbreaks ever occur on that continent, as several countries/regions in the Asia-Pacific are vulnerable to international spread of the YFV.

IMPORTANCE Efficient and safe vaccines against yellow fever (e.g., YFV-17D) that provide long-lasting protection by rapidly inducing neutralizing antibody responses exist. However, the vaccine supply cannot cope with an increasing demand posed by urban outbreaks in recent years. Here we report that JE-CVax/Imojev, a YFV-17D-based chimeric Japanese encephalitis vaccine, also efficiently protects against YFV infection in mice. In case of shortage of the YFV vaccine during yellow fever outbreaks, (off-label) use of JE-CVax/Imojev may be considered. Moreover, wider use of JE-CVax/Imojev in Asia may lower the risk of the much-feared YFV spillover to the continent. More generally, chimeric vaccines that combine surface antigens and replication machineries of two distinct flaviviruses may be considered dual vaccines for the latter pathogen without induction of surface-specific antibodies. Following this rationale, novel flavivirus vaccines that do not hold a risk for antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) of infection (inherent to current dengue vaccines and dengue vaccine candidates) could be designed.




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Optimizing Resources in Childrens Surgical Care: An Update on the American College of Surgeons' Verification Program

Surgical procedures are performed in the United States in a wide variety of clinical settings and with variation in clinical outcomes. In May 2012, the Task Force for Children’s Surgical Care, an ad hoc multidisciplinary group comprising physicians representing specialties relevant to pediatric perioperative care, was convened to generate recommendations to optimize the delivery of children’s surgical care. This group generated a white paper detailing the consensus opinions of the involved experts. Following these initial recommendations, the American College of Surgeons (ACS), Children’s Hospital Association, and Task Force for Children’s Surgical Care, with input from all related perioperative specialties, developed and published specific and detailed resource and quality standards designed to improve children’s surgical care (https://www.facs.org/quality-programs/childrens-surgery/childrens-surgery-verification). In 2015, with the endorsement of the American Academy of Pediatrics (https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/135/6/e1538), the ACS established a pilot verification program. In January 2017, after completion of the pilot program, the ACS Children’s Surgery Verification Quality Improvement Program was officially launched. Verified sites are listed on the program Web site at https://www.facs.org/quality-programs/childrens-surgery/childrens-surgery-verification/centers, and more than 150 are interested in verification. This report provides an update on the ACS Children’s Surgery Verification Quality Improvement Program as it continues to evolve.




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Towards Innovative Design and Application of Recombinant Eimeria as a Vaccine Vector [Minireviews]

Efficient delivery of antigenic cargo to trigger protective immune responses is critical to the success of vaccination. Genetically engineered microorganisms, including virus, bacteria, and protozoa, can be modified to carry and deliver heterologous antigens to the host immune system. The biological vectors can induce a broad range of immune responses and enhance heterologous antigen-specific immunological outcomes. The protozoan genus Eimeria is widespread in domestic animals, causing serious coccidiosis. Eimeria parasites with strong immunogenicity are potent coccidiosis vaccine candidates and offer a valuable model of live vaccines against infectious diseases in animals. Eimeria parasites can also function as a vaccine vector. Herein, we review recent advances in design and application of recombinant Eimeria as a vaccine vector, which has been a topic of ongoing research in our laboratory. By recapitulating the establishment of an Eimeria transfection platform and its application, it will help lay the foundation for the future development of effective parasite-based vaccine delivery vectors and beyond.




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HIV-1-Specific Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells Fail To Recognize and Eliminate the Follicular Dendritic Cell HIV Reservoir In Vitro [Vaccines and Antiviral Agents]

The major obstacle to a cure for HIV infection is the persistence of replication-competent viral reservoirs during antiretroviral therapy. HIV-specific chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have been developed to target latently infected CD4+ T cells that express virus either spontaneously or after intentional latency reversal. Whether HIV-specific CAR-T cells can recognize and eliminate the follicular dendritic cell (FDC) reservoir of HIV-bound immune complexes (ICs) is unknown. We created HIV-specific CAR-T cells using human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and a CAR construct that enables the expression of CD4 (domains 1 and 2) and the carbohydrate recognition domain of mannose binding lectin (MBL) to target native HIV Env (CD4-MBL CAR). We assessed CAR-T cell cytotoxicity using a carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester (CFSE) release assay and evaluated CAR-T cell activation through interferon gamma (IFN-) production and CD107a membrane accumulation by flow cytometry. CD4-MBL CAR-T cells displayed potent lytic and functional responses to Env-expressing cell lines and HIV-infected CD4+ T cells but were ineffective at targeting FDC bearing HIV-ICs. CD4-MBL CAR-T cells were unresponsive to cell-free HIV or concentrated, immobilized HIV-ICs in cell-free experiments. Blocking intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) inhibited the cytolytic response of CD4-MBL CAR-T cells to Env-expressing cell lines and HIV-infected CD4+ T cells, suggesting that factors such as adhesion molecules are necessary for the stabilization of the CAR-Env interaction to elicit a cytotoxic response. Thus, CD4-MBL CAR-T cells are unable to eliminate the FDC-associated HIV reservoir, and alternative strategies to eradicate this reservoir must be sought.

IMPORTANCE Efforts to cure HIV infection have focused primarily on the elimination of latently infected CD4+ T cells. Few studies have addressed the unique reservoir of infectious HIV that exists on follicular dendritic cells (FDCs), persists in vivo during antiretroviral therapy, and likely contributes to viral rebound upon cessation of antiretroviral therapy. We assessed the efficacy of a novel HIV-specific chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell to target both HIV-infected CD4+ T cells and the FDC reservoir in vitro. Although CAR-T cells eliminated CD4+ T cells that express HIV, they did not respond to or eliminate FDC bound to HIV. These findings reveal a fundamental limitation to CAR-T cell therapy to eradicate HIV.




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Peer Reviewers for the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine in 2019




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The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine




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Journal of the American Society of Nephrology




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The streptococcal multidomain fibrillar adhesin CshA has an elongated polymeric architecture [Microbiology]

The cell surfaces of many bacteria carry filamentous polypeptides termed adhesins that enable binding to both biotic and abiotic surfaces. Surface adherence is facilitated by the exquisite selectivity of the adhesins for their cognate ligands or receptors and is a key step in niche or host colonization and pathogenicity. Streptococcus gordonii is a primary colonizer of the human oral cavity and an opportunistic pathogen, as well as a leading cause of infective endocarditis in humans. The fibrillar adhesin CshA is an important determinant of S. gordonii adherence, forming peritrichous fibrils on its surface that bind host cells and other microorganisms. CshA possesses a distinctive multidomain architecture comprising an N-terminal target-binding region fused to 17 repeat domains (RDs) that are each ∼100 amino acids long. Here, using structural and biophysical methods, we demonstrate that the intact CshA repeat region (CshA_RD1–17, domains 1–17) forms an extended polymeric monomer in solution. We recombinantly produced a subset of CshA RDs and found that they differ in stability and unfolding behavior. The NMR structure of CshA_RD13 revealed a hitherto unreported all β-fold, flanked by disordered interdomain linkers. These findings, in tandem with complementary hydrodynamic studies of CshA_RD1–17, indicate that this polypeptide possesses a highly unusual dynamic transitory structure characterized by alternating regions of order and disorder. This architecture provides flexibility for the adhesive tip of the CshA fibril to maintain bacterial attachment that withstands shear forces within the human host. It may also help mitigate deleterious folding events between neighboring RDs that share significant structural identity without compromising mechanical stability.




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Pro-515 of the dynamin-like GTPase MxB contributes to HIV-1 inhibition by regulating MxB oligomerization and binding to HIV-1 capsid [Microbiology]

Interferon-regulated myxovirus resistance protein B (MxB) is an interferon-induced GTPase belonging to the dynamin superfamily. It inhibits infection with a wide range of different viruses, including HIV-1, by impairing viral DNA entry into the nucleus. Unlike the related antiviral GTPase MxA, MxB possesses an N-terminal region that contains a nuclear localization signal and is crucial for inhibiting HIV-1. Because MxB previously has been shown to reside in both the nuclear envelope and the cytoplasm, here we used bioinformatics and biochemical approaches to identify a nuclear export signal (NES) responsible for MxB's cytoplasmic location. Using the online computational tool LocNES (Locating Nuclear Export Signals or NESs), we identified five putative NES candidates in MxB and investigated whether their deletion caused nuclear localization of MxB. Our results revealed that none of the five deletion variants relocates to the nucleus, suggesting that these five predicted NES sequences do not confer NES activity. Interestingly, deletion of one sequence, encompassing amino acids 505–527, abrogated the anti-HIV-1 activity of MxB. Further mutation experiments disclosed that amino acids 515–519, and Pro-515 in particular, regulate MxB oligomerization and its binding to HIV-1 capsid, thereby playing an important role in MxB-mediated restriction of HIV-1 infection. In summary, our results indicate that none of the five predicted NES sequences in MxB appears to be required for its nuclear export. Our findings also reveal several residues in MxB, including Pro-515, critical for its oligomerization and anti-HIV-1 function.




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Stability analyses of large waste dumps via 3D numerical modelling considering cracks and earthquake loading: a case study of Zhujiabaobao waste dump

This paper uses a 3D model for stability assessment of Zhujiabaobao waste dump with ground cracks. The study data were gathered via reconnaissance, geomorphological analysis and laboratory experiment. A 3D finite extended element method model that can consider cracks was then used to calculate the factor of safety (FOS) of the waste dump via the strength reduction technique. The simulation shows the dump to have an FOS of 1.22 and both the position and depth of penetration of cracks in the waste dump have a crucial impact on the stability of the slope. Because the study area is located in a seismically active area, simulation and analysis of the dynamic response of the waste dump under different magnitudes of seismic waves (peak acceleration is 0.05, 0.15, 0.25 and 0.45g) were performed via an explicit dynamic model. The simulation shows that high steps in the slope are particularly responsive to earthquakes. The approach used here for analysing stability under static and dynamic loads is useful for hazard prevention and mitigation.




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2020 American Society for Microbiology Awards Program Honorees in Clinical Microbiology [Editorial]




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Distinct Regulation of {sigma}1 Receptor Multimerization by Its Agonists and Antagonists in Transfected Cells and Rat Liver Membranes [Cellular and Molecular]

Extensive studies have shown that the 1 receptor (1R) interacts with and modulates the activity of multiple proteins with important biological functions. Recent crystal structures of 1R as a homotrimer differ from a dimer-tetramer model postulated earlier. It remains inconclusive whether ligand binding regulates 1R oligomerization. Here, novel nondenaturing gel methods and mutational analysis were used to examine 1R oligomerization. In transfected cells, 1R exhibited as multimers, dimers, and monomers. Overall, 1R agonists decreased, whereas 1R antagonists increased 1R multimers, suggesting that agonists and antagonists differentially affect the stability of 1R multimers. Endogenous 1R in rat liver membranes also showed similar regulation of oligomerization as in cells. Mutations at key residues lining the trimerization interface (Arg119, Asp195, Phe191, Trp136, and Gly91) abolished multimerization without disrupting dimerization. Intriguingly, truncation of the N terminus reduced 1R to apparent monomer. These results demonstrate that multiple domains play crucial roles in coordinating high-order quaternary organization of 1R. The E102Q 1R mutant implicated in juvenile amyotrophic lateral sclerosis formed dimers only, suggesting that dysregulation of 1R multimeric assembly may impair its function. Interestingly, oligomerization of 1R was pH-dependent and correlated with changes in [3H](+)-pentazocine binding affinity and Bmax. Combined with mutational analysis, it is reasoned that 1R multimers possess high-affinity and high-capacity [3H](+)-pentazocine binding, whereas monomers likely lack binding. These results suggest that 1R may exist in interconvertible oligomeric states in a dynamic equilibrium. Further exploration of ligand-regulated 1R multimerization may provide novel approaches to modulate the function of 1R and its interacting proteins.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT

The 1 receptor (1R) modulates the activities of various partner proteins. Recently, crystal structures of 1R were elucidated as homotrimers. This study used novel nondenaturing gel methods to examine 1R oligomerization in transfected cells and rat liver membranes. Overall, agonist binding decreased, whereas antagonist binding increased 1R multimers, which comprised trimers and larger units. 1R multimers were shown to bind [3H](+)-pentazocine with high affinity and high capacity. Furthermore, mutational analysis revealed a crucial role of its N-terminal domain in 1R multimerization.