Report for the Urban Flooding Awareness Act

Illinois General AssemblyOpe

The Use of Health Care and Community-Based Services by People Living With Dementia and Their Caregivers During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

IntroductionPeople living with dementia have been particularly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsA survey of dementia care professionals was conducted to assess the use of health care and community-based services by people living with dementia and their caregivers during the first year of the pandemic.ResultsThe survey indicated that most services were no longer being used or were being used less during the pandemic, with a few key exceptions.DiscussionMany barriers and few facilitators were identified to service use for people living with dementia and their caregivers. The results identify potential gaps in the dementia care service network and may inform efforts to improve dementia care during future large-scale public health emergencies in the state of Wisconsin and beyond

Cell Surface Attachment Structures Contribute to Biofilm Formation and Xylem Colonization by Erwinia amylovora▿

Biofilm formation plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of Erwinia amylovora and the systemic invasion of plant hosts. The functional role of the exopolysaccharides amylovoran and levan in pathogenesis and biofilm formation has been evaluated. However, the role of biofilm formation, independent of exopolysaccharide production, in pathogenesis and movement within plants has not been studied previously. Evaluation of the role of attachment in E. amylovora biofilm formation and virulence was examined through the analysis of deletion mutants lacking genes encoding structures postulated to function in attachment to surfaces or in cellular aggregation. The genes and gene clusters studied were selected based on in silico analyses. Microscopic analyses and quantitative assays demonstrated that attachment structures such as fimbriae and pili are involved in the attachment of E. amylovora to surfaces and are necessary for the production of mature biofilms. A time course assay indicated that type I fimbriae function earlier in attachment, while type IV pilus structures appear to function later in attachment. Our results indicate that multiple attachment structures are needed for mature biofilm formation and full virulence and that biofilm formation facilitates entry and is necessary for the buildup of large populations of E. amylovora cells in xylem tissue

Analysis of shared heritability in common disorders of the brain

Disorders of the brain can exhibit considerable epidemiological comorbidity and often share symptoms, provoking debate about their etiologic overlap. We quantified the genetic sharing of 25 brain disorders from genome-wide association studies of 265,218 patients and 784,643 control participants and assessed their relationship to 17 phenotypes from 1,191,588 individuals. Psychiatric disorders share common variant risk, whereas neurological disorders appear more distinct from one another and from the psychiatric disorders. We also identified significant sharing between disorders and a number of brain phenotypes, including cognitive measures. Further, we conducted simulations to explore how statistical power, diagnostic misclassification, and phenotypic heterogeneity affect genetic correlations. These results highlight the importance of common genetic variation as a risk factor for brain disorders and the value of heritability-based methods in understanding their etiology