Walls talk: Microbial biogeography of homes spanning urbanization.

Westernization has propelled changes in urbanization and architecture, altering our exposure to the outdoor environment from that experienced during most of human evolution. These changes might affect the developmental exposure of infants to bacteria, immune development, and human microbiome diversity. Contemporary urban humans spend most of their time indoors, and little is known about the microbes associated with different designs of the built environment and their interaction with the human immune system. This study addresses the associations between architectural design and the microbial biogeography of households across a gradient of urbanization in South America. Urbanization was associated with households' increased isolation from outdoor environments, with additional indoor space isolation by walls. Microbes from house walls and floors segregate by location, and urban indoor walls contain human bacterial markers of space use. Urbanized spaces uniquely increase the content of human-associated microbes-which could increase transmission of potential pathogens-and decrease exposure to the environmental microbes with which humans have coevolved

Use of deoxycorticosterone pivalate by veterinarians: A western european survey

open9siThis research was supported by FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia IP, grant UIDB/00276/2020This study aims to gather knowledge about the use of deoxycorticosterone pivalate (DOCP) by Western European Veterinarians (WEV) in dogs with typical hypoadrenocorticism. An observa-tional cross-sectional study was conducted using an online survey, translated into four languages and disseminated to veterinary affiliates and mailing lists in six countries of Western Continental Europe. Respondents were tasked to share their therapeutic approach to hypoadrenocorticism, whether they preferred DOCP or fludrocortisone and the specific practical use of DOCP. One-hundred and eighty-four responses were included. Of these, 79.9% indicated that they preferred prescribing DOCP over fludrocortisone as a first-line treatment for mineralocorticoid supplementation. A total of 154 respondents had used DOCP at least once. Eighty percent of those who reported their initial dosage prescribed 2.2 mg/kg. After starting DOCP, 68.2% of the respondents assess electrolytes 10 and 25 days after administration following manufacturer instructions. In stable dogs, electrolytes are monitored quarterly, monthly, semi-annually, and annually by 44.2%, 34.4%, 16.9%, and 4.6% of respondents respectively. When treatment adjustment is required, 53% prefer to reduce dosage while 47% increase the interval between doses. Overall, DOCP is the preferred mineralocorticoid supple-mentation among WEV. Reported variability underlies the need to investigate the best strategies for DOCP use and therapeutic adjustments.openRebocho R.; Dominguez-Ruiz M.; Englar R.E.; Arenas C.; Perez-Alenza M.D.; Corsini A.; Fracassi F.; Bennaim M.; Leal R.O.Rebocho R.; Dominguez-Ruiz M.; Englar R.E.; Arenas C.; Perez-Alenza M.D.; Corsini A.; Fracassi F.; Bennaim M.; Leal R.O

The omega rho pi coupling in the VMD model revisited

We determine the value of the \omega -\rho- \pi mesons coupling (g_{\omega\rho\pi}), in the context of the vector meson dominance model, from radiative decays, the \omega \rightarrow 3\pi decay width and the e^+e^- \rightarrow 3\pi cross section. For the last two observables we consider the effect of either a heavier resonance (\rho'(1450)) or a contact term. A weighted average of the results from the set of observables yields g_{\omega\rho\pi} =14.7 \pm 0.1 GeV^{-1} in absence of those contributions, and g_{\omega\rho\pi} =11.9 \pm 0.2 GeV^{-1} or g_{\omega\rho\pi} =11.7 \pm 0.1 GeV^{-1} when including the \rho' or contact term respectively. The inclusion of these additional terms makes the estimates from the different observables to lay in a more reduced range. Improved measurements of these observables and the \rho'(1450) meson parameters are needed to give a definite answer on the pertinence of the inclusion of this last one in the considered processes.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures. Extended analysis including SND and CMD2 data. References added. Matches published versio

Decay constants of P and D-wave heavy-light mesons

We investigate decay constants of P and D-wave heavy-light mesons within the mock-meson approach. Numerical estimates are obtained using the relativistic quark model. We also comment on recent calculations of heavy-light pseudo-scalar and vector decay constants.Comment: REVTeX, 22 pages, uses epsf macro, 8 postscript figures include

Tidally-induced thermonuclear Supernovae

We discuss the results of 3D simulations of tidal disruptions of white dwarfs by moderate-mass black holes as they may exist in the cores of globular clusters or dwarf galaxies. Our simulations follow self-consistently the hydrodynamic and nuclear evolution from the initial parabolic orbit over the disruption to the build-up of an accretion disk around the black hole. For strong enough encounters (pericentre distances smaller than about 1/3 of the tidal radius) the tidal compression is reversed by a shock and finally results in a thermonuclear explosion. These explosions are not restricted to progenitor masses close to the Chandrasekhar limit, we find exploding examples throughout the whole white dwarf mass range. There is, however, a restriction on the masses of the involved black holes: black holes more massive than $2\times 10^5$ M$_\odot$ swallow a typical 0.6 M$_\odot$ dwarf before their tidal forces can overwhelm the star's self-gravity. Therefore, this mechanism is characteristic for black holes of moderate masses. The material that remains bound to the black hole settles into an accretion disk and produces an X-ray flare close to the Eddington limit of $L_{\rm Edd} \simeq 10^{41} {\rm erg/s} M_{\rm bh}/1000 M$_\odot$), typically lasting for a few months. The combination of a peculiar thermonuclear supernova together with an X-ray flare thus whistle-blows the existence of such moderate-mass black holes. The next generation of wide field space-based instruments should be able to detect such events.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, EuroWD0

Magnesium in Kidney Function and Disease—Implications for Aging and Sex—A Narrative Review

Magnesium (Mg) has a vital role in the human body, and the kidney is a key organ in the metabolism and excretion of this cation. The objective of this work is to compile the available evidence regarding the role that Mg plays in health and disease, with a special focus on the elderly population with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and the eventual sex differences. A narrative review was carried out by executing an exhaustive search in the PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane databases. Ten studies were found in which the role of Mg and sex was evaluated in elderly patients with CKD in the last 10 years (2012–2022). The progression of CKD leads to alterations in mineral metabolism, which worsen as the disease progresses. Mg can be used as a coadjuvant in the treatment of CKD patients to improve glomerular filtration, but its use in clinical applications needs to be further characterized. In conclusion, there’s a need for well-designed prospective clinical trials to advise and standardize Mg supplementation in daily clinical practice, taking age and sex into consideration

Structure and Function of a Mycobacterial NHEJ DNA Repair Polymerase

Non homologous end-joining (NHEJ)-mediated repair of DNA double-strand breaks in prokaryotes requires Ku and a specific multidomain DNA ligase (LigD). We present crystal structures of the primase/polymerisation domain (PolDom) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis LigD, alone and complexed with nucleotides. The PolDom structure combines the general fold of the archaeo-eukaryotic primase (AEP) superfamily with additional loops and domains that together form a deep cleft on the surface, likely used for DNA binding. Enzymatic analysis indicates that the PolDom of LigD, even in the absence of accessory domains and Ku proteins, has the potential to recognise DNA end-joining intermediates. Strikingly, one of the main signals for the specific and efficient binding of PolDom to DNA is the presence of a 5'-phosphate group, located at the single/double-stranded junction at both gapped and 3'-protruding DNA molecules. Although structurally unrelated, Pol lambda and Pol mu, the two eukaryotic DNA polymerases involved in NHEJ, are endowed with a similar capacity to bind a 5'-phosphate group. Other properties that are beneficial for NHEJ, such as the ability to generate template distortions and realignments of the primer, displayed by Pol lambda and Pol mu, are shared by the PolDom of bacterial LigD. In addition, PolDom can perform non-mutagenic translesion synthesis on termini containing modified bases. Significantly, ribonucleotide insertion appears to be a recurrent theme associated with NHEJ, maximised in this case by the deployment of a dedicated primase, although its in vivo relevance is unknown