Improved Coinfection with Amphotropic Pseudotyped Retroviral Vectors

Amphotropic pseudotyped retroviral vectors have typically been used to infect target cells without prior concentration. Although this can yield high rates of infection, higher rates may be needed where highly efficient coinfection of two or more vectors is needed. In this investigation we used amphotropic retroviral vectors produced by the Plat-A cell line and studied coinfection rates using green and red fluorescent proteins (EGFP and dsRed2). Target cells were primary human fibroblasts (PHF) and 3T3 cells. Unconcentrated vector preparations produced a coinfection rate of ∼4% (defined as cells that are both red and green as a percentage of all cells infected). Optimized spinoculation, comprising centrifugation at 1200 g for 2 hours at 15°C, increased the coinfection rate to ∼10%. Concentration by centrifugation at 10,000 g or by flocculation using Polybrene increased the coinfection rate to ∼25%. Combining the two processes, concentration by Polybrene flocculation and optimized spinoculation, increased the coinfection rate to 35% (3T3) or >50% (PHF). Improved coinfection should be valuable in protocols that require high transduction by combinations of two or more retroviral vectors

The Effects of Postural Education or Corrective Exercise on the Craniovertebral Angle in Young Adults with Forward Head Posture: A Randomized Controlled Trial

International Journal of Exercise Science 16(1): 954-973, 2023. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of three different intervention strategies, postural education (PE) and two corrective exercise programs (CEPs), on the craniovertebral angle (CVA) in young adults with forward head posture (FHP). A prospective four-arm parallel randomized controlled trial with repeated measures was performed. Seventy-nine healthy young adults (55 women, 24 men; mean age: 20.08 ± 2.19 years) with FHP were randomized into four groups: PE group, self-myofascial release + stretching group (SMRS), self-myofascial release + stretching + strengthening group (SMRSS), and a control group (CG). Participant CVA (°) was assessed before and after a 4-week intervention. Seventy-two participants completed the trial. Mean difference comparisons of within-group change in mean CVA revealed an increase in the PE (MD = 3.1, p \u3c .01), SMRS (MD = 3.8, p \u3c .01), and SMRSS (MD = 4.4, p \u3c .01) groups. Mean difference comparison of between-group change in mean CVA supported greater CVA change in the SMRS and SMRSS groups compared to the CG (F(3, 68) = 5.26, p \u3c .01, ƞ2 = .188). All three interventions appear to be effective techniques for improving FHP in young adults, however CEPs may provide superior outcomes than PE alone. A 4-week CEP consisting of self-myofascial release + stretching may yield similar CVA enhancements as a CEP consisting of self-myofascial release + stretching + strengthening. Study findings can assist fitness professionals in designing evidence-based FHP intervention programs for young adults

Evaluation of the Craniovertebral Angle in Standing versus Sitting Positions in Young Adults with and without Severe Forward Head Posture

International Journal of Exercise Science 17(1): 73-85, 2024. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of standing versus sitting body position on the craniovertebral angle (CVA) in young adults without pathology; and to investigate whether mean differences between positional CVA measures in subjects with severe forward head posture (FHP) are distinct from age-matched controls with normal head posture. Ninety-eight young adults (68 women, 30 men) without pathology (OVERALL; n = 98) volunteered for the study; those with CVA \u3e 53° were also included in a normal posture group (NORM; n = 14); those with CVA \u3c 45° were also included in a severe FHP group (SEV; n = 15). CVA assessments were conducted in standing and sitting. Mean difference comparison of change in mean CVA between conditions revealed significantly (p \u3c 0.05) higher CVA values in standing condition (OVERALL: 50.0 ± 5.2°; NORM: 56.6 ± 2.7°; SEV: 41.2 ± 3.2°) compared to sitting condition (OVERALL: 47.8 ± 5.7°; NORM: 55.9 ± 2.8°; SEV: 39.0 ± 4.0°). Mean difference comparison of between-group change in mean CVA between conditions revealed greater CVA change (p \u3c 0.05) in the SEV group (2.2 ± 2.1°) versus the NORM group (0.8 ± 1.2°). Sitting CVA values may be lower (indicating greater FHP) than standing CVA values in young adults. Differences between standing and sitting CVA measures may be greater in young adults with severe FHP compared to peers with normal head posture. Study findings support standing as a standardized body position for CVA assessment in young adults without pathology

Altered Macrophage Phenotype Transition Impairs Skeletal Muscle Regeneration

Monocyte/macrophage polarization in skeletal muscle regeneration is ill defined. We used CD11b-diphtheria toxin receptor transgenic mice to transiently deplete monocytes/macrophages at multiple stages before and after muscle injury induced by cardiotoxin. Fat accumulation within regenerated muscle was maximal when ablation occurred at the same time as cardiotoxin-induced injury. Early ablation (day 1 after cardiotoxin) resulted in the smallest regenerated myofiber size together with increased residual necrotic myofibers and fat accumulation. However, muscle regeneration after late (day 4) ablation was similar to controls. Levels of inflammatory cells in injured muscle following early ablation and associated with impaired muscle regeneration were determined by flow cytometry. Delayed, but exaggerated, monocyte [CD11b+(CD90/B220/CD49b/NK1.1/Ly6G)−(F4/80/I-Ab/CD11c)−Ly6C+/−] accumulation occurred; interestingly, Ly6C+ and Ly6C− monocytes were present concurrently in ablated animals and control mice. In addition to monocytes, proinflammatory, Ly6C+ macrophage accumulation following early ablation was delayed compared to controls. In both groups, CD11b+F4/80+ cells exhibited minimal expression of the M2 markers CD206 and CD301. Nevertheless, early ablation delayed and decreased the transient accumulation of CD11b+F4/80+Ly6C−CD301− macrophages; in control animals, the later tissue accumulation of these cells appeared to correspond to that of anti-inflammatory macrophages, determined by cytokine production and arginase activity. In summary, impairments in muscle regeneration were associated with exaggerated monocyte recruitment and reduced Ly6C− macrophages; the switch of macrophage/monocyte subsets is critical to muscle regeneration

Genetics Analysis Workshop 20: Methods and Strategies for the New Frontiers of Epigenetics and Pharmacogenomics

GAW20 provided a platform for developing and evaluating statistical methods to analyze human lipid-related phenotypes, DNA methylation, and single-nucleotide markers in a study involving a pharmaceutical intervention. In this article, we present an overview of the data sets and the contributions analyzing these data. The data, donated by the Genetics of Lipid Lowering Drugs and Diet Network (GOLDN) investigators, included data from 188 families (N = 1105) which included genome-wide DNA methylation data before and after a 3-week treatment with fenofibrate, single-nucleotide polymorphisms, metabolic syndrome components before and after treatment, and a variety of covariates. The contributions from individual research groups were extensively discussed prior, during, and after the Workshop in groups based on discussion themes, before being submitted for publication

Using plant volatile traps to develop phenology models for natural enemies: An example using Chrysopa nigricornis (Burmeister) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae)

A model predicting phenology of adult Chrysopa nigricornis (Burmeister) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) in orchards was developed from field (trapping) data supplemented with development data collected under laboratory conditions. Lower and upper thresholds of 10.1°C and 29.9°C, respectively, were estimated from published and unpublished laboratory observations, and were used to develop a phenology model. Season-long field data were collected using white delta traps that had been baited with squalene, a volatile shown previously to be highly attractive to C. nigricornis. The model was developed from data collected in three Washington apple orchards, and was validated using independent data sets collected from apple, sweet cherry, pear, and walnut orchards over a 2–4year period across a much wider geographic region. We found that the mean absolute deviation across all crops and years was 39.7±1.2day-degrees (DD), or 4.4±0.14days. Populations of C. nigricornis from walnut orchards in California emerged 105DD later than those in Oregon and Washington, thus requiring correction of average time of first trap catch in California to synchronize models. The ability to use a single model across multiple crops, different prey species and abundances, and different pesticide regimes demonstrates that phenology models for generalist predators may have broader application to IPM programs in other cropping systems

Using plant volatile traps to estimate the diversity of natural enemy communities in orchard ecosystems

In this study we used sticky traps baited with plant volatile lures to monitor the biodiversity of natural enemies in orchard ecosystems in the western U.S. We compared the diversity of predator genera from season total trap catches in 37 different orchards (apple, cherry, pear and walnut) over a two-year period (2010−2011) using standardized Hill number biodiversity indices and community similarity profiles. For a subset of 23 of these orchards we were also able to monitor the change in biodiversity of predator genera over the full growing season in the different orchard crops. A total of 37,854 individuals from 31 different genera of foliage-active generalist predators were collected from all orchards combined. Mean sample coverage was high (0.98) and richness, diversity and evenness differed between crops in 2010, but not in 2011. There was more than 90% similarity in the richness of predator genera among crops and among orchards within crops, but a greater level of differentiation was observed among orchards when variation in their relative abundance and dominance in the communities was taken into account. There was a consistent rise in predator generic richness and diversity through the season in both years for apple, cherry and pear orchards, but in walnut orchards, a steep rise from March to May was followed by a decline through the rest of the season. In an additional component of the study, the species level similarity of predator and parasitoid communities was analyzed for total season trap catch data from six walnut orchards. The rarefied species richness of parasitoids was much greater than that for predators, although the diversity, evenness and dominance of the parasitoid species varied considerably among orchards. The results from this study highlight the fact that natural enemy communities in orchard ecosystems can be effectively monitored using plant volatile traps, and that these communities are surprisingly diverse despite frequent disturbance from pest management intervention

KELT-18b: Puffy Planet, Hot Host, Probably Perturbed

We report the discovery of KELT-18b, a transiting hot Jupiter in a 2.87-day orbit around the bright ( V = 10.1), hot, F4V star BD+60 1538 (TYC 3865-1173-1). We present follow-up photometry, spectroscopy, and adaptive optics imaging that allow a detailed characterization of the system. Our preferred model fits yield a host stellar temperature of K and a mass of , situating it as one of only a handful of known transiting planets with hosts that are as hot, massive, and bright. The planet has a mass of , a radius of , and a density of , making it one of the most inflated planets known around a hot star. We argue that KELT-18b’s high temperature and low surface gravity, which yield an estimated ∼600 km atmospheric scale height, combined with its hot, bright host, make it an excellent candidate for observations aimed at atmospheric characterization. We also present evidence for a bound stellar companion at a projected separation of ∼1100 au, and speculate that it may have contributed to the strong misalignment we suspect between KELT-18\u27s spin axis and its planet’s orbital axis. The inferior conjunction time is 2457542.524998 ± 0.000416 (BJD TDB ) and the orbital period is 2.8717510 ± 0.0000029 days. We encourage Rossiter–McLaughlin measurements in the near future to confirm the suspected spin–orbit misalignment of this system