Senate \u27libelously\u27 labeled by Campus

Letter to the editor of The Maine Campus. We feel it necessary to take issue with your recent editorial, entitled, Elected Cowardice. The seven authors of the letter express support for the decision made by the University Senate to deny finding to the Wilde-Stein club and vow, ...if they successfully obtain travel funds, we intend to approach the senate with the idea of one of our classmates and form a Happy Hetero Club, and [ask] for funds to travel [to] prime chick locations

Functional Modularity of the Arginine Catabolic Mobile Element Contributes to the Success of USA300 Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

The successful USA300 Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) lineage predominantly causes skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) and is highly associated with carriage of the Arginine Catabolic Mobile Element (ACME). However, the contribution of ACME to USA300 fitness during SSTIs remains incompletely understood. We show that the constitutive ACME-encoded arginine-deiminase system (Arc) allows USA300 to thrive in acidic environments that mimic human skin. Consequently, ACME-Arc drives excessive production of host polyamines, compounds uniquely toxic to S. aureus. To mitigate this, ACME also encodes SpeG, a polyamine-resistance enzyme that is essential for combating excess host polyamines in a murine SSTI model. Inhibiting host polyamine production not only restored ΔspeG persistence within infected wounds but also severely altered the host healing process, implying that polyamines play integral roles in coordinating the wound-healing response. Together, these data underscore the functional modularity of ACME and its contribution to the success of USA300 CA-MRSA

Economic Returns to Investment in AIDS Treatment in Low and Middle Income Countries

Since the early 2000s, aid organizations and developing country governments have invested heavily in AIDS treatment. By 2010, more than five million people began receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) – yet each year, 2.7 million people are becoming newly infected and another two million are dying without ever having received treatment. As the need for treatment grows without commensurate increase in the amount of available resources, it is critical to assess the health and economic gains being realized from increasingly large investments in ART. This study estimates total program costs and compares them with selected economic benefits of ART, for the current cohort of patients whose treatment is cofinanced by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. At end 2011, 3.5 million patients in low and middle income countries will be receiving ART through treatment programs cofinanced by the Global Fund. Using 2009 ART prices and program costs, we estimate that the discounted resource needs required for maintaining this cohort are $14.2 billion for the period 2011–2020. This investment is expected to save 18.5 million life-years and return$12 to $34 billion through increased labor productivity, averted orphan care, and deferred medical treatment for opportunistic infections and end-of-life care. Under alternative assumptions regarding the labor productivity effects of HIV infection, AIDS disease, and ART, the monetary benefits range from 81 percent to 287 percent of program costs over the same period. These results suggest that, in addition to the large health gains generated, the economic benefits of treatment will substantially offset, and likely exceed, program costs within 10 years of investment

The Gene Ontology knowledgebase in 2023

The Gene Ontology (GO) knowledgebase (http://geneontology.org) is a comprehensive resource concerning the functions of genes and gene products (proteins and noncoding RNAs). GO annotations cover genes from organisms across the tree of life as well as viruses, though most gene function knowledge currently derives from experiments carried out in a relatively small number of model organisms. Here, we provide an updated overview of the GO knowledgebase, as well as the efforts of the broad, international consortium of scientists that develops, maintains, and updates the GO knowledgebase. The GO knowledgebase consists of three components: (1) the GO-a computational knowledge structure describing the functional characteristics of genes; (2) GO annotations-evidence-supported statements asserting that a specific gene product has a particular functional characteristic; and (3) GO Causal Activity Models (GO-CAMs)-mechanistic models of molecular "pathways" (GO biological processes) created by linking multiple GO annotations using defined relations. Each of these components is continually expanded, revised, and updated in response to newly published discoveries and receives extensive QA checks, reviews, and user feedback. For each of these components, we provide a description of the current contents, recent developments to keep the knowledgebase up to date with new discoveries, and guidance on how users can best make use of the data that we provide. We conclude with future directions for the project

Global Epidemiology of End-Stage Kidney Disease and Disparities in Kidney Replacement Therapy

BackgroundThe global epidemiology of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) reflects each nation's unique genetic, environmental, lifestyle, and sociodemographic characteristics. The response to ESKD, particularly regarding kidney replacement therapy (KRT), depends on local disease burden, culture, and socioeconomics. Here, we explore geographic variation and global trends in ESKD incidence and prevalence and examine variations in KRT modality, practice patterns, and mortality. We conclude with a discussion on disparities in access to KRT and strategies to reduce ESKD global burden and to improve access to treatment in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).SummaryFrom 2003 to 2016, incidence rates of treated ESKD were relatively stable in many higher income countries but rose substantially predominantly in East and Southeast Asia. The prevalence of treated ESKD has increased worldwide, likely due to improving ESKD survival, population demographic shifts, higher prevalence of ESKD risk factors, and increasing KRT access in countries with growing economies. Unadjusted 5-year survival of ESKD patients on KRT was 41% in the USA, 48% in Europe, and 60% in Japan. Dialysis is the predominant KRT in most countries, with hemodialysis being the most common modality. Variations in dialysis practice patterns account for some of the differences in survival outcomes globally. Worldwide, there is a greater prevalence of KRT at higher income levels, and the number of people who die prematurely because of lack of KRT access is estimated at up to 3 times higher than the number who receive treatment. Key Messages: Many people worldwide in need of KRT as a life-sustaining treatment do not receive it, mostly in LMICs where health care resources are severely limited. This large treatment gap demands a focus on population-based prevention strategies and development of affordable and cost-effective KRT. Achieving global equity in KRT access will require concerted efforts in advocating effective public policy, health care delivery, workforce capacity, education, research, and support from the government, private sector, nongovernmental, and professional organizations