Investigating the virulence of Treponema phagedenis strains isolated from digital dermatitis lesions in a murine abscess model

Digital Dermatitis (DD) is an ulcerative foot lesion in the heel bulbs of dairy cattle. DD is a polymicrobial disease with no precise etiology, although key pathogenic genera have been consistently found disproportional and abundant in diseased tissue as opposed to healthy skin. One such genera is Treponema, a member genus of the phylum Spirochaetes. Within Treponema, many different phylotypes are found in DD, however the species Treponema phagedenis is uniformly found in copious quantities and deep within the skin layers in the active, ulcerative stages of disease. The pathogenic mechanisms these bacteria use to persist in the skin and the role they play in the larger pathology of DD is widely unknown. To explore the pathogenesis and virulence of Treponema phagedenis, isolates of this species were investigated in a subcutaneous murine abscess model. For this purpose, mice were subcutaneously inoculated with T. phagedenis in two infection trials. In the first trial, a dosage study was conducted to elucidate the pathogenicity of strains across three different spirochete per inoculum (SPI) doses, based on abscess volumes. In the second trial, isolates were inoculated with the dose of 5 x 109 SPI selected based on trial 1 results, to determine the expression level of 11 putative virulence genes and gain insight into the virulence of strains. To do this, abscesses were harvested for RNA extraction followed by RT-qPCR. From the RT-qPCR assay, the relative fold change of these genes was surmised by comparing the expression levels of in vitro culture samples against in vivo murine samples. During this analysis, it was determined that genes encoding for two metal-ion import lipoproteins, were found highly upregulated during infection. In addition, two genes involved in the adherence of treponemes to the host were found moderately expressed versus the in vitro samples. Conversely, two genes involved in motility and chemotaxis were found to not be significantly upregulated or utilized during infection. This gene expression analysis highlights the preference in strategy for T. phagedenis to persist and adhere in the host rather than engage motility and disseminate

Plasticity of face processing in infancy

Experience plays a crucial role for the normal development of many perceptual and cognitive functions, such as speech perception. For example, between 6 and 10 months of age, the infant's ability to discriminate among native speech sounds improves, whereas the ability to discriminate among foreign speech sounds declines. However, a recent investigation suggests that some experience with nonnative languages from 9 months of age facilitates the maintenance of this ability at 12 months. Nelson has suggested that the systems underlying face processing may be similarly sculpted by experience with different kinds of faces. In the current investigation, we demonstrate that, in human infants between 6 and 9 months of age, exposure to nonnative faces, in this case, faces of Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus), facilitates the discrimination of monkey faces, an ability that is otherwise lost around 9 months of age. These data support, and further elucidate, the role of early experience in the development of face processing

Epithelial Predominant Wilms Tumor in an Adult Patient: Case Report and Literature Review

Although rare in adults, Wilms tumor is the most common pediatric renal tumor. Treatment typically involves radical nephrectomy followed by adjuvant chemotherapy or radiation, although outcomes differ between children and adults which may be due to challenges in accurately diagnosing these patients. In this article, we present a case report of an adult patient with Jeune syndrome and multiple urologic abnormalities who underwent radical nephrectomy for a large renal mass and was subsequently diagnosed with an epithelial predominant Wilms tumor. Epithelial predominant Wilms tumor may have distinct origins from other Wilms tumor histological subtypes and may incur better outcomes. Herein, we discuss the literature surrounding this rare entity as well as the anticipated treatment course

Inhibition of lipid oxidation increases glucose metabolism and enhances 2-deoxy-2-[¹⁸F]fluoro-D-glucose uptake in prostate cancer mouse xenografts

Includes bibliographic references.PURPOSE: Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most common cause of cancer-related death among men in the United States. Due to the lipid-driven metabolic phenotype of Pca, imaging with 2-deoxy-2-[¹⁸F]fluoro-D-glucose ([¹⁸F]FDG) is suboptimal, since tumors tend to have low avidity for glucose. PROCEDURES: We have used the fat oxidation inhibitor etomoxir (2-[6-(4-chlorophenoxy)-hexyl]oxirane-2-carboxylate) that targets carnitine-palmitoyl-transferase-1 (CPT-1) to increase glucose uptake in PCa cell lines. Small hairpin RNA specific for CPT1A was used to confirm the glycolytic switch induced by etomoxir in vitro. Systemic etomoxir treatment was used to enhance [¹⁸F]FDG-positron emission tomography ([¹⁸F]FDG-PET) imaging in PCa xenograft mouse models in 24 h. RESULTS: PCa cells significantly oxidize more of circulating fatty acids than benign cells via CPT-1 enzyme, and blocking this lipid oxidation resulted in activation of the Warburg effect and enhanced [¹⁸F]FDG signal in PCa mouse models. CONCLUSIONS: Inhibition of lipid oxidation plays a major role in elevating glucose metabolism of PCa cells, with potential for imaging enhancement that could also be extended to other cancers

Effect of Three Initial Implant Programs with a Common Terminal Revalor®- 200 on Feedlot Performance and Carcass Traits of Weaned Steers

A commercial feedlot study utilizing 1,350 calf- fed steers (initial BW = 623 lb; ±23 lb) compared three initial implant strategies: Revalor®- IS (day 1), Revalor®- IS (day 1) and Revalor®- 200 (day 67), or Revalor®- XS (day 1). Each initial implant strategy was followed by a terminal Revalor®- 200 implant (day 133) to determine effects on performance and carcass traits. No differences in final body weight, intake, gain, or feed conversion were observed on either a live, or carcass adjusted basis. Th ere were also no differences in hot carcass weight, USDA quality grade, or USDA yield grade. Results from this study suggest initial implant strategy has minimal impact on feedlot and carcass performance when following with a terminal Revalor®- 200 implant

Zero-G Operable Interplanetary Delivery Based Ergonomics Grabber (ZOIDBERG)

The collection and storage of float samples without cross contamination is one of many challenges facing the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The proposed tool will be able to retrieve rock samples with a series of sample collection clamshells attached to a rotating belt positioned on a shaft. There will be one clamshell per sample collection sight. The tool will meet all safety requirements and be able to retrieve the samples without compromising the integrity of the surrounding area. After thorough design review, a prototype will be tested at the Neutral Buoyance Lab (NBL) at NASA’s Johnson Spaceflight Center in Houston, TX the first week of June. Feedback from the test will provide a foundation for future improvements to the design and operation of the device. Prior and post testing to the NBL tests will be key for precise design, fabrication, and operation. In the future, NASA may be able to use this tool to collect rock samples during asteroid missions

Groundwater Laws and Regulations: A Preliminary Survey of Thirteen U.S. States (First Edition)

This report presents preliminary results of a study investigating the groundwater laws and regulations of thirteen U.S. states. The purpose of the project is eventually to compile and present the groundwater laws and regulations of every state in the United States that could then be used in a series of comparisons of groundwater governance principles, strategies, issues, and challenges. Professor Gabriel Eckstein at Texas A&M University School of Law and Professor Amy Hardberger at Saint Mary’s University Law School developed a matrix to ascertain chief components and characteristics of the groundwater legal regime of each state. Student researchers then used the matrix to respond to a standardized set of questions about the groundwater laws and regulations of a selection of states. Before continuing with assessments of the remaining states, Professors Eckstein and Hardberger present in this report the results developed thus far, and now seek feedback about the overall project, including its objectives, methodology, and preliminary results

Hard Two-Photon Contribution to Elastic Lepton-Proton Scattering: Determined by the OLYMPUS Experiment

The OLYMPUS collaboration reports on a precision measurement of the positron-proton to electron-proton elastic cross section ratio, $R_{2\gamma}$, a direct measure of the contribution of hard two-photon exchange to the elastic cross section. In the OLYMPUS measurement, 2.01~GeV electron and positron beams were directed through a hydrogen gas target internal to the DORIS storage ring at DESY. A toroidal magnetic spectrometer instrumented with drift chambers and time-of-flight scintillators detected elastically scattered leptons in coincidence with recoiling protons over a scattering angle range of $\approx 20\degree$ to $80\degree$. The relative luminosity between the two beam species was monitored using tracking telescopes of interleaved GEM and MWPC detectors at $12\degree$, as well as symmetric M{\o}ller/Bhabha calorimeters at $1.29\degree$. A total integrated luminosity of 4.5~fb$^{-1}$ was collected. In the extraction of $R_{2\gamma}$, radiative effects were taken into account using a Monte Carlo generator to simulate the convolutions of internal bremsstrahlung with experiment-specific conditions such as detector acceptance and reconstruction efficiency. The resulting values of $R_{2\gamma}$, presented here for a wide range of virtual photon polarization $0.456<\epsilon<0.978$, are smaller than some hadronic two-photon exchange calculations predict, but are in reasonable agreement with a subtracted dispersion model and a phenomenological fit to the form factor data.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, 2 table

Geophysical monitoring of simulated clandestine graves using electrical and ground-penetrating radar methods: 0-3 years after burial.

This study provides forensic search teams with systematic geophysical monitoring data over simulated clandestine graves for comparison to active cases. Simulated "wrapped" and "naked" burials were created. Multigeophysical surveys were collected over a 3-year monitoring period. Bulk ground resistivity, electrical resistivity imaging, multifrequency ground-penetrating radar (GPR), and grave and background "soil-water" conductivity data were collected. Resistivity surveys revealed the naked burial had consistently low-resistivity anomalies, whereas the wrapped burial had small, varying high-resistivity anomalies. GPR 110- to 900-MHz frequency surveys showed the wrapped burial could be detected throughout, with the "naked" burial mostly resolved. Two hundred and twenty-five megahertz frequency GPR data were optimal. "Soil-water" analyses showed rapidly increasing (year 1), slowly increasing (year 2), and decreasing (year 3) conductivity values. Results suggest resistivity and GPR surveys should be collected if target "wrapping" is unknown, with winter to spring surveys optimal. Resistivity surveys should be collected in clay-rich soils