Distribution and conservation of simple sequence repeats in plant pathogenic species of Zymoseptoria and development of genomic resources for its orphaned species.

To better understand the structure and evolution of the genomes of four plant pathogenic species of Zymoseptoria, we analyzed the occurrence, relative abundance (RA), and density (RD) of simple sequence repeats (SSRs) in their whole genome and transcriptome sequences. In this study, SSRs are defined as repeats of more than 12 bases in length. The genome and transcriptome sequences of Zymoseptoria ardabiliae show the highest RA (201.1 and 129.9) and RD (3229.4 and 1928.2) of SSRs, while those of Zymoseptoria pseudotritici show the lowest RA (167.2 and 118.5) and RD (2482.2 and 1687.0). The majority of SSRs in the genomic and transcriptome sequences of species were trinucleotide SSRs, while dinucleotide SSRs were the least common. The most common trinucleotide motifs in the transcriptomic sequences across all species were those that encoded the amino acid arginine. As per our motif conservation study, Zymoseptoria tritici (12.4%) possessed the most unique motifs, while Z. pseudotritici (3.9%) had the fewest. Overall, only 38.1% of the motifs were found to be conserved among the species. Gene enrichment studies reveal that three of the species, Z. ardabiliae, Zymoseptoria brevis, and Z. pseudotritici, have SSRs in their genes related to cellular metabolism, while the remaining Z. tritici harbors SSRs in genes related to DNA synthesis and gene expression. In an effort to improve the genetic resources for the orphan species of pathogenic Zymoseptoria, a total of 73,134 primers were created. The genomic resources developed in this study could help with analyses of genetic relatedness within the population and the development of species-specific markers.

Serum Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines and Leptin as Potential Biomarkers for Treatment Response and Toxicity in Locally Advanced Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC) is a globally prevalent form of cancer with significant morbidity and mortality rates. The present study examines the relationship of serum pro-inflammatory cytokines and leptin levels with the effectiveness of therapy in individuals with HNSCC and their potential role as biomarkers for treatment response and toxicity. Induction chemotherapy and concomitant chemoradiotherapy were evaluated for efficacy and safety in 52 individuals with HNSCC. Both response and toxicity were evaluated, and serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines Interlukin-1 beta (IL-1ß), Interlukin-2 (IL-2), Interlukin-6 (IL-6), and Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha (TNF-α) and leptin were measured using enzyme-linked immunoassay before and after treatment. Before treatment, these measurements were made in comparison with a control group with 50 healthy people. The results showed that serum cytokines and leptin levels varied depending on the response to treatment, with patients who had a complete or partial response (PR) showing significant decreases in IL-1 ß, IL-6, and TNF-α levels and significant increases in IL-2 and leptin levels after treatment, with an improvement in cachexia. These results imply that variations in serum pro-inflammatory cytokines and leptin levels are likely related to the therapeutic effectiveness in HNSCC and may act as biomarkers for treatment response.

Is Vitamin B12 Level a Reliable Predictor of Psychosis Severity in Male Patients with Megaloblastic Anemia at a Single Tertiary Hospital?

Background: Megaloblastic anemia (MA) occurs due to ineffective erythropoiesis, which results from impaired DNA synthesis in the hematopoietic precursors and intramedullary hemolysis. MA's most common cause is nutritional deficiencies of either cobalamin (vitamin B12) or folate (vitamin B6). This study aims to determine the association between MA caused by vitamin B12 deficiency and psychosis among psychotic male patients in Mental Health Hospital at Taif, Saudi Arabia. Methods: Fifty psychotic male patients, aged 48.58±1.72, were recruited from the Mental Health Hospital at Taif, Saudi Arabia, in addition to 54 sex-matched healthy controls. The following tests were run: complete blood count (CBC), liver function tests (LFT), serum levels of vitamin B12, folate, and C-reactive protein (CRP). Results: The CBC showed that RBCs count, haemoglobin, haematocrit, platelets count, mean platelets volume (MPV), and absolute lymphocyte count were significantly lower in psychotic patients versus healthy controls (P=0.007, P=0.002, P=0.001, P=0.004, P=0.0001, and P=0.005, respectively). In contrast, the eosinophil absolute count and basophil percentage were significantly higher in psychotic patients versus controls (P=0.009, P=0.0001, respectively). Vitamin B12 levels were insignificantly decreased in psychotic patients versus healthy group. There were significant negative correlations between serum levels of VitB12 and negative symptoms (r=-0.381, P=0.006) and hallucination (r=-0.297, P=0.036). Conclusion: These findings indicate no link between MA induced by VitB12 insufficiency and psychosis among psychotic patients. However, low serum VitB12 can predict the severity of some psychosis signs, including hallucinations and negative symptoms. Therefore, monitoring VitB12 levels and its supplementation in psychotic patients is recommended to improve their symptoms.

Evaluation of pathogen specific urinary peptides in tick-borne illnesses.

Mass spectrometry enhanced by nanotechnology can achieve previously unattainable sensitivity for characterizing urinary pathogen-derived peptides. We utilized mass spectrometry enhanced by affinity hydrogel particles (analytical sensitivity = 2.5 pg/mL) to study tick pathogen-specific proteins shed in the urine of patients with (1) erythema migrans rash and acute symptoms, (2) post treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS), and (3) clinical suspicion of tick-borne illnesses (TBI). Targeted pathogens were Borrelia, Babesia, Anaplasma, Rickettsia, Ehrlichia, Bartonella, Francisella, Powassan virus, tick-borne encephalitis virus, and Colorado tick fever virus. Specificity was defined by 100% amino acid sequence identity with tick-borne pathogen proteins, evolutionary taxonomic verification for related pathogens, and no identity with human or other organisms. Using a cut off of two pathogen peptides, 9/10 acute Lyme Borreliosis patients resulted positive, while we identified zero false positive in 250 controls. Two or more pathogen peptides were identified in 40% of samples from PTLDS and TBI patients (categories 2 and 3 above, n = 59/148). Collectively, 279 distinct unique tick-borne pathogen derived peptides were identified. The number of pathogen specific peptides was directly correlated with presence or absence of symptoms reported by patients (ordinal regression pseudo-R2 = 0.392, p = 0.010). Enhanced mass spectrometry is a new tool for studying tick-borne pathogen infections.